Election 2024

With the most recent election for our nation's highest office behind us, I'm ashamed by what I saw in the hours following the election. Now, I don't care who anyone voted for. It makes no difference to me if you voted Democrat, Republican, any of the other parties (where applicable), or even if you wrote in Ye. When it comes to our ability to participate in our nation's political system, what really matters is that we participate, regardless of whether or not our candidate wins. 

What I woke up to immediately after the election results were announced was truly deplorable. People angry that their candidate lost and hurling insults and accusations at anyone who voted for the winner. People who voted for the winning candidate taunting others who voted differently. Social media was filled with hate, arrogance, and antagonism from both sides. 

It was sad.

Regardless of your opinion of Donald Trump, his platform for his campaigns was "Make America Great Again". This would later become shortened to MAGA which some non-Trump supporters would say was synonymous with "deplorables", "rednecks", "racists", and more. But to me, this is exactly the type of behavior that keeps America from being great.

It doesn't matter who sits in the oval office. America will never be great so long as we continue to treat each other with such disdain and disrespect, especially over something as simple as who you voted for. Sure, what defines a great America will differ from person to person and those definitions will not always co-exist seamlessly and happily next to one another but that doesn't mean we have to hate each other for those differences. 

One of my friends who was very openly supporting Kamala Harris posted to their social media following the results that if anyone on their friends list voted for Trump that they needed to remove themselves from that person's page. This person wasn't just willing but demanding that friendships, acquaintances, and social connections be destroyed over an election of a politician that will likely never know or care about those devotions and impacts to the personal lives of those such a post targets.

I was shocked that this individual would go to such extremes over potential differences in political affiliation or priorities among a diverse collection of people. This would be the same as someone demanding that others remove themselves from someone's page for being gay, Jewish, a minority, or any other category that might distinguish you from another. For being such an ardent support of the Democratic party, the party that promotes equality and acceptance of all, this act seems decidedly anti-democratic. Such a bold move to discard people and devalue people for something as simple as their vote seems extraordinarily discriminatory. 

That's no way to make America great.

But on the flipside, I see supporters of Trump posting things online taunting the other side. It is as if they are intentionally trying to antagonize and instigate fights just because their person won.

Talk about being bad winners.

There was no humility among many of those spouting support for Trump's victory. There was no respect for those who participated in the election but lost, either as candidates or voters. It was like watching a childrens sporting team win a trophy only to parade it around in front of the defeated team and their parents while gloating. As someone who spent a considerable amount of time coaching my children in youth sports, such an act is intolerable, a sign of poor sportsmanship, and more importantly, a lack of respect.

That's no way to make American great either.

And here's the rub to me. As Americans we are given, under the terms of our constitution, the right to vote for whoever we individually deem as the appropriate choice to hold a wide variety of offices throughout our governments, both state and federal. This right is bestowed upon each of us automatically once we reach the age of 18, the age in which we are considered adults. As adults, we are expected to be mature and responsible enough to wield this power, this influence. 

What social media has shown me recently is that we, as a people, are grossly lacking that maturity to handle such responsibility. I'm not suggesting we take away our right to vote but instead hope that we can recognize our own shortcomings so that we may hold ourselves to a higher standard again. Only by being accountable to ourselves and making an effort to be great as individuals can we expect America as a whole to be great, despite whatever political party is represented behind the desk of presidency. 

Parents talk about being a positive role model for their children. Now is the time for all of us to step up and be role models to each other for the sake our families, friendships, country, and future. If we continue to behave like children then decisions will be made to treat us like children. When adults cannot be responsible, the government is forced to intervene.

Don't give either party a bigger reason to inflict their will upon yours. Don't sacrifice your relationships for an unseen, unknown, unappreciated support for a political party or candidate that likely doesn't even know you exist. Don't be a douche to others because your candidate won. Don't be a total bitch because your candidate lost. Exercise humility in both victory and defeat.

Respect goes both ways so it must be given as well as returned in kind.

The whole point of an election is to have a winner and loser. It's going to happen each and every time. History has shown us repeatedly that no one party retains power indefinitely. So for those of you who lost this election, it might not be the outcome you wanted but there will be another election in 4 years where that might change. For those of you who won, don't get cocky because there are no guarantees that you'll win the next one. Instead, we should each be grateful that we have the chance to influence these outcomes and look towards the future now that this election is the past.

To be a great America, we have to become better Americans. What many of us showed ourselves to be in the aftermath of the election was not great. It was not better. It was bitter. It was childish. It was divisive on both sides. America cannot be great if it is divided. America triumphs and shines as a beacon for others to follow when we stand together, or at least stand with respect to one another.