Reflections on President-Elect Trump

Originally posted on Facebook

The realizations of Trump's election are slow to come for me, and I can only imagine how much harder they're hitting for people less insulated than myself.

I'm afraid for the implicit acceptance of racism that this means. But I'm white and will be isolated from bearing the brunt of it. I fear for my friends and coworkers, people from many different countries (many of them American by birth or naturalization). I can only imagine how much harder the gut punch is when the threat is aimed at you directly.

I'm afraid for the implicit acceptance of sexism. I don't want to see the slow progress eaten away. But once again, I'm male and so won't bear the attack personally. I'll be seeing it happen against my wife. Against my friends.

I'm worried about the promises to cancel trade deals. I've got citizenship, but many of my friends are here under visas. I'm worried about the rules of these visas changing. I'm worried about my friends being forced to move their lives to Canada, India, Bangladesh, China. But again, it has to be worse to see that barrel pointed directly at you.

I'm worried about the health care situation. Obamacare has been fantastic to a huge number of people without health care, but I'm lucky enough to have a job that provides care, so I won't feel that directly. The requirement to take people regardless of pre-existing conditions hits closer to home as my wife gets migraines and so who knows if that could deny her. Again, being securely in a business with health care, I'm able to dodge that problem, so I see this threat coming for Americans in general, but not me or my friends in particular.

I voted for Clinton, and had (and will continue to) proudly defended that choice. I couldn't ever understand a properly thought through vote for Trump. It was always: Wait, just think this through. Please. It's important.

I'm having a profoundly depressing morning. I'm worried for my future, but I'm more worried for the future of my Canadian wife here on a Green Card. For the future of my Bangladeshi friends here on Green Cards starting a family. For my friends and coworkers building lives here on visas from Canada, India, China. For my LGBT friends who have every right to be treated like human beings.

I'm having a depressing morning, but I can only imagine the state of mind of my friends who are staring more directly into the maw of this profound mistake we have made.