The real issue with that ‘Hey White People’ poster
One post-election response took it a little too far
Election night was scary. Some people gritted their teeth and watched the electoral votes climb. Others spent it drunk. Donald Trump won. From liberals and conservatives alike, immediate backlash came from all corners of the globe.
Others celebrated, finding new hope for change in a political outsider.
Most importantly on all fronts, individuals took to activism. Social media was flooded with #NotMyPresident and #DumpTrump.
Trump supporters responded, urging understanding and basking in victory.
From protests to posters, the nation and the world was swept up in new passion. Perhaps it comes as no surprise that Carnegie Mellon University shared that passion. From marches down Morewood Avenue to the “LOVE” posters, we exercised our right to free speech.
Posters like these hung from pillars and decorated walls.
And yet, there was one response that took it a little too far.
For some people, Thanksgiving 2016 bodes ill for the family dynamic. When Trump supporters and Trump opponents sit down to a meal together, both sides are bound to feel that the other doesn’t understand. So, both sides tactically hope for silence.
But muffling the conversation against Benghazi or Trump University now would be a reversal of everything this year has stood for. Still, muffling the conversation doesn’t equate to demanding that one race of people start talking. We’re all responsible for the state of the nation, not just “white people.” That would imply that only white people had a hand in the numbers on the ballots, that only white people voted. And that’s blatantly untrue. 8 percent of black voters and 29 percent of Hispanic voters backed Trump. In what way are they not part of the discussion?
America is a country of minorities as much as it is a country of the silent majority. It’s time we let “we the people” stand for everyone in America, citizens and residents alike.
How do we deal with people who disagree with us on fundamental values and beliefs? We don’t “deal with” people; we deal with problems. And the problem here is an increasing schism of misinformation and mistrust. That schism won’t close over turkey and gravy, but if we don’t start talking to each other now, when will we? The poster is right in that as painful as political speech can be, it is our responsibility to talk.
When so many groups are in danger of blatant discrimination and other groups feel increasingly marginalized, silence has become a luxury.