That's a good way to put it.

But you don't think the rest of the country would be happy to jettison 'those wackos'?

I am deeply afraid of what has been unleashed in his name and of him himself because in addition to fear for human rights I am afraid for democracy itself.

I find myself seriously considering that I might rather have any elected former republican president that I have lived under, because in spite of their flaws and our vast ideological differences, they respected the basic elements of the constitution, such as the free press, had the ability to empathize, and I felt that they respected and valued American democracy itself (heck GW wanted to export it).

This candidate, whether he intends to or not, has been running and transitioning in a model that has been replicated in several other countries and it is not the typical one (it is possible to transition peacefully from democracy to autocracy). There are many journalists and writers pointing this out -- the vilification and personal attacks on the press, the willingness to whip up white nationalism and scapegoat minorities but not to quell it, mentions of retribution to political opponents, embracing disinformation campaigns, praising and receiving praise from autocratic leaders in other countries -- but there are others attempting to 'normalize' this. This is not normal, or if it is normal, it's a path that doesn't lead us anywhere good or expected based on our past elections.

I respect that this community is in many ways a safe space where people of differing political views and world views can come together and find common ground and support and befriend each other. I love that about it. I also feel that the situation the US is in right now is beyond traditional politics in several ways and it's important to reflect on, no matter who we voted for. What future do we want? Where is the line we don't want our elected officials to cross? What decisions do I make right now regarding this future?

I don't know, but I find myself unable to not think about it

I have been in complete shock since Nov 8. I have also experienced a hate crime and witnessed two.

Trump is a showman and reflects the underbelly of America.

Unfortunately he played into people's fear of whatever and magnified it.

America has chosen her president and for the next 4 years we as Americans will have to live with that.

Hate crimes are happening. False reports are also happening.

I'm the only woman and person of color at work and people are avoiding me like the plague.

I've experienced overt and subtle racism but , I cannot let it put blinders over my eyes nor bury my head in the sand.

To me America is still a Young country. I would say in our teen years. Yet we have been through worse but, we as a nation have survived.

My faith teaches me that we can come together in the midst of the storm.

I am not afraid or scared.

Sometimes what you want is not always what you need.

If you looked at what Trump has said it really is not much.

So we must wait and see.

It does hurt my heart very much to look at my 15 year old neice and to try to explain how a bully and much more can become president.

We must not hide our youth from the truth even if it is harsh.

We will survive.

Once again, I am comforted and encouraged by the wisdom and sensitivity of so many members here.

Ladonna, I am sad that your co-workers have been avoiding you. I have been feeling just the opposite -- a need to reach out to my friends who are members of communities that may be feeling vulnerable now. But I am glad you are not feeling fear. Honestly, I'm really looking forward to being back at home in my more diverse community. The rural area where our ranch is located is a bit of a bubble.

That said, I am listening to what our Trump-voting family members and acquaintances here are saying. Most of them dismiss his more extreme statements as just talk. I try to remind them that words are meaningful and have bigger implications than may have been intended, but they don't seem to have much sympathy for "the other side."

I don't have answers. I am typically an optimistic person, but I'm deeply worried. I know in the large scale of history, this is all part of a push and pull of progress, but it sure is tough to keep that perspective when you're worried for the safety of loved ones.

When I voted, I thought of my 4 daughters and my granddaughter. I couldn't stand Trump's rhetoric.

Gotta give it at least 200 more days. See if the two parties manage to come out of their complete and utter respective meltdowns. Trump's first two staff appointments look like the setup for 'Big Brother: The Oval Office Edition,' hehe.

Did anyone see the SNL Chapelle bits? He was hella funny and moving.

Chapelle was a good watch, and so was Kate McKinnon singing Hallelujah *sniff*

Bannon is an anti-semite and white nationalist. The Trump news release says he is in the white house as an equal partner to the chief of staff. I'm thinking there is no time to lose.

Let me make it clear I'm open to Trump as president.

What I fear is how easily it is for some to just overlook the hate and everthing else that is,and has happend.

McCain tried to stop that language. Trump fed it and magnified it.

I am fearful of the FB videos that come across my news feed of children crying or H.S. Teens fighting because of horrible names that they are being called.

Everthing is recorded now. So video does not lie.

It is hard to remain positive in the face of such evil.

This is not the 40s, 50s, or 60's. Young people will not go peaceful along agnist the hate.

Each generation gets better.

I was talking to my neice and her friends of different ethnic origins. They are so much more in tune with everything than I was at 15. I'm hopeful for the future.

I am glad that others have hope for the future. I am still trying to move past denial and anger to acceptance, but I am not quite there yet. Indeed, I am having a REALLY hard time with this. I cannot even turn on the news because I cannot stand to see his face.

As a woman and a mother of daughters, I take this election VERY personally. The next four years could directly endanger my children's future. No matter how unlikely, we are talking about someone who has encouraged nuclear proliferation and has casually talked of "bombing the hell" out of countries he dislikes. My boys are approaching draft age, and again, no matter how unlikely, young men still must register with selective service. I am actually glad my daughter has four years of school left before leaving for university, as I fear for her future since this election.

As for safety pins, many people of colour or of other religions or sexual preferences say, "Too little, too late" and I cannot say I blame them.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....58278b9de4

I wake up with cold fear and reading these perspectives does help. Ledonna you are an inspiration.

Ledonna, you are such an inspiration -- thank you for sharing your perspective. We are lucky to have you here in our community.

I don't know if it will help or offer any support to any of you in the US to know that here in Canada, everyone I know is feeling traumatized -- on behalf of America and also for ourselves.

I think about that word and worry that it will sound like an exaggeration but honestly it is not. It is like a death, one of my friends said tonight. No, I said. Like a battlefield, and so many dead, and each one is our brother.

We are reeling. Some are shocked. Most are angry. Some are in despair. And some, I regret to say, are rejoicing, because we have our own little white supremacist cabal up here, too, and Trump has freed them to speak up.

I am not shocked, exactly; I've known for a long time that both our countries were built on colonialism and racism, not to mention misogyny. But I thought and hoped we were getting better.

I still hope Dr. King is right about the arc of the moral universe moving towards justice. I always believed it, before, and did small things where I could, to try to bend it in that direction. As I am sure most of us on this forum have done, whatever our political affiliations and beliefs.

But this goes beyond party affiliations. And now I am committed to more serious and concerted action.

Rabbit said:

"I also feel that the situation the US is in right now is beyond traditional politics in several ways and it's important to reflect on, no matter who we voted for. What future do we want? Where is the line we don't want our elected officials to cross? What decisions do I make right now regarding this future?

I don't know, but I find myself unable to not think about it"

I could not have said it better.

What's interesting about Bannon, is that Breitbart (sp?) was started as something unabashedly pro-Israel. There's simply a whole psychotic break with reality going on there.

I've been reading Peter F. Hamilton. Not great literature, but the man has ideas in his books that resonate. He has one character, Slvasta - a little man with brass tacks notions and sober notions for defending his nation against hostile invaders, who is manipulated into leading a democratic revolution, and who finally becomes an unhinged tyrant. Now I don't think that's Trump. I think the greater risk is he will become a sad, soft, depressed floppy shell of himself.

We are really an intresting group and forum. I know many voted for Trump in spite of his rethortic. To be honest I was not excited about voting either.

I'm not really worried about Trump it is the people who are filling his cabinet. The community I live in is very diverse and we had had some tension in the schools. It is sad really all we can do is try to heal and preserve as a nation.

I agree unfortunately it feels like a war that we have to heel from but it will take time. In our household we have stopped watching the news. Even my beloved n as National Public Radio has been replaced with Pandora music. 8m just tired or ehausted from all politics which seems to dominate.

It feels like all of those reality shows 8 hate. 24/7. We tend to focus on the positive and our circle right now because anything more is still overwhelmimg.

I have hope for America. I hope we won't be so devisive. Almost nothing got done in opinion in the past 8 years without an up hill battle. I'm hoping that because we have the same party ruling it will.get better.

I have been doing a lot of reading, and trying to get some perspective on how and why this election developed the way it did. I have come to a few conclusions, but not as many as I would have hoped.

People defy conclusions and generalisations - some vote for change, others along party lines, some for jobs, some for women's rights, others for unborn baby's rights, some against Washington meritocracy, and others for political experience. Frank talking/anti PC talk appeals to some people - others are repelled. Especially in such a large diverse nation as the USA.

There are examples of good people making bad choices, or being bad at their job as a leader. I have to hope that somehow the opposite also holds true.

Isabel, I am so very sorry to hear that. How are you coping?
Please feel free to say more here. Or send me a private message. Also, if you haven't, consider reporting it to Shaun King. I'm not sure how, via twitter or ?

LedonnaN, I'm sorry to hear about the tension in your local schools. My concerns about Trump are reflected in his choices, and in his stated goals. I'm glad you are listening to music, especially as you are not only responsible for yourself right now.

Kiwigal/Sally, I think that people had many reasons for voting the way that they did. But the consequences have been scary, judging by the hate being freely displayed, and the criminal acts being perpetrated. And Trump's choices so far are not reassuring.

The hope will have to come from the people of the US banding together for freedom, equality, and other key US values.

Barbara Diane - I agree completely with what you said. I am also very sorry and angry to hear about hate crimes and increased intolerances and tension.

Hi everyone,
I realized I replied to some posts that I read too quickly, and in my rush I missed a few posts, or important parts. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this group, and each person who has responded. I've been very busy yesterday and today, so I can't comment individually as much as I'd like.

LedonnaN, I missed the part about people avoiding you. I can't imagine. And what a loss it is to them. I'm hoping I make it to Chicago in the next few years and we can meet up.

Suz, a lot of truth in your post. I also hope MLK is right; I just thought that we were further along than we are.

Given the quotes by the Southern Poverty Law Center, I'm very concerned with the appointment of Bannon. I'm off again in a few minutes, prob. until late tonight. Again, every single one of you, thank you.

I think if more of our world were like YLF or Humans of New York it would be a better place.

I don't think it is that hard to be kind and civil to each other even if we have different political views. I'm hopeful for our country.

I'm even hopeful for our president elect.

I think Obama has done a decent job given he had and up hill battle.

Our new president elect will also have a difficult time.

No matter what I love our country and it's people imperfect tho we may be.

I will always be proud to be an American.

LedonnaN, thank you.

Barabara Diane, my heart hurts. I don't have words. I am a very optimistic person but I see nothing remotely optimistic.

I am an immigrant. I have lived here since I was almost 4. A few days ago, I took my mom, who is 82 , in heart failure and in a wheel chair to see one of her doctors. I hit the button to open a door and a man was on the other side ( he had a Make America Great Again Hat on ). I held the door and signaled for him to walk through. As he did, I leaned over to my mom and said, in Portuguese, "Let's let this man through first." She looked at him nodded and smiled. He came right over to us and said to me, " Speak F'ING English or go back to your own country, ass...es." Not, thank you, no but a verbal assault on my elderly mom in a wheelchair.

I used to see this as a binary choice : either for equality or against it. Now I realize that there is a third choice. The people who just don't care. Equality or hate mongering is just not a priority for them. It is not a deal breaker. They don't hate me , they just don't care about me. And THAT is the scariest part. The people who just don't care. They don't see hate as their problem.

For the first time in my life in this country, a country that I have been good to, faithful to and loyal to : I am scared.

The other two is one that I witnessed and one that my children experienced.

My husband took my children out for pizza the other night. At the pizza place, a bunch of children ( age 6-10 ) started parading around the place yelling, "hillary for prison...immigrants for prison. kick them out. Build a wall !" then my daughter came home crying to her immigrant mom.

Last week as I was leaving the library and getting into my car, a young woman was passing by me pushing a toddler in a stroller...she had been at the library too. One of three construction workers across the street said VERY loudly ( regarding the young woman ), " That's a (vulgar genitalia word ) that I would like to grab !" hahahahahahahaha, when I glared at them, he called me a "Clinton c---t".

Oh and a third, My son with Aspergers is also getting harassed at school by a boy who keeps going over to him and putting his fist in his face and saying "Hillary for President" several times a day. I will be calling the school tomorrow.

That gets my ghetto up, Isabel.

Oh no, Isabel. That is truly wretched.

You're right. The impact of Trump's gross, bullying, hateful behavior (sorry, but I can't help it; it's true anyway) is hitting us now. Yes, he is the model and the green light for all of this.

Thanks Rachy, it gets mine up too. It is hard to hold it together but I am doing it for my children. Years ago, I worked with gang members in a program to help them get out and support those who were trying to. I have NEVER been treated with such disrespect. Ever.

Mochi, we need to call it for what it is : hate mongering. He has role modeled. And it is now difficult to take advice on behavior from the people who excused his. They have no credibility.

Thanks for the support !

XXXXXXXX

This is very sad and upsetting, Isabel. I talk with my DD about how bullies thrive, and often because good people remain silent. What resonated most with me was your comment about how people do not care, and that they don't see hate as their problem. Very scary indeed.

Hearing about the hatred and bigotry going on is heartbreaking. I had truly believed we were beginning to move past that, and this reigniting of that nationalistic, xenophobic, misogynistic, racist spark is scary. I am frightened for the people of this country and frightened for the path they have chosen. Once the racist, hating genie is out, it can take decades to bottle it up again (I'm not foolish enough to think it will ever go away entirely, but the more we can quiet that faction, the fewer followers it will have)..

Cronyism (those who supported his campaign), nepotism (his children) and white nationalism (Steve Bannon) seem to be the defining features of this new administration so far. He has done (and it looks like he intends to do) NOTHING to allay the fears of the majority who voted against him.

Echo, I am afraid that I agree. I am afraid that I may not see a recovery from this in my lifetime. Two things in particular break my heart : that my children will live in this hate. And that my parents left a dictatorship to help my mentally disabled sister and get me an education. And now, they will probably die in one and leave my sister to a society where the President elect and his minions refer to her as a "retard".

Delurked, thank you for your understanding and support !