A Message on the 2024 Election
Source: Foreign Policy
Written By: Yozer Wang
Edited By: Yozer Wang
We stand today, on the precipice of history. Without a shadow of a doubt, the next chapter of American history unfolds before us. We are swaying on a knife’s edge, teetering on scales delicate beyond measure. There are few moments in someone’s life where they can confidently say that they lived through history. This year’s election is one of these moments. This election has become more than a fight for a presidency. It turned into a war for democracy.
“Men would sooner put the realm to the torch, than see a woman ascend the iron throne.”
With a heavy heart, as of November 7th, 2024, I am deeply saddened to report that Donald J. Trump has won the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election. The Associated Press has called the election, and Vice President Kamala Harris has officially conceded this election. I repeat, democracy and progress have lost. Tyranny and hate have won. The United States of America has failed Kamala Harris, and with it, has tragically failed to preserve the tattered remnants of what this country calls a democracy. This means that Project 2025 with come into fruition, and Republican loyalists will be inserted in every agency the government controls. Donald Trump will win control over all three branches of government, and will serve another four years in the Oval Office.
This news will send a wave of fear rippling across the country, and across the wider world. Unfathomable grief and unyielding rage will soon follow. Let yourself mourn, but do not succumb to folly. It is okay to be sad, to be angry, to be disappointed, and to be frightened, I promise you that we all feel it, too. But we cannot let this divide us, or drive us to make foolish and unsafe decisions. Use the rage to fuel you, but under no circumstance should you let it consume you. Just because a single person was elected, does not mean that we will stop fighting.
“Despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not.”
However, make no mistake. Thousands will die. Make no mistake, thousands will die. Make no mistake, women will die. Make no mistake, queer people will die. Make no mistake, black people will die. Make no mistake, children will die. Make no mistake, Palestinians and Ukrainians alike, will die.
Without access to abortion and proper healthcare, women will die.
Without access to gender affirming care, transgender people will die. Thousands of gay marriages will be annulled.
Suicide rates are already skyrocketing and hotline queues are full.
With full immunity granted to police, police brutality will skyrocket and black people will die. With unlimited access to guns without gun control, school shootings will continue to happen, and children will die.
“When the last tree has fallen and the rivers are poisoned, you cannot eat money.”
With stronger alliances with Israel and Russia, arms will be sent to the oppressors and Palestinians and Ukrainians will die.
Climate safeguards will be destroyed and repealed at an unprecedented rate, grinding to a halt to allow for the growth of industry without a care for the environment. Climate change will become worse than ever.
Mass deportations will be soon to follow, and will collapse the agricultural industry in the United States.
The U.S. Department of Education will be dismantled. Books will be banned en masse and will be stripped from shelves. Censorship has only just begun.
Tariffs and the elimination of Medicare and FAFSA will be a gut punch to the lower class and will ruin the economy, reducing quality of life for everyone.
Every. Single. American. Will. Suffer. I repeat. Project 2025 will happen.
Martin Niemöller, German Pastor, commenting on the Holocaust
If you believe that this election will not affect you, you are severely and sorely mistaken. Like it or not, the United States of America stands at the forefront of the global stage. What the U.S. does will affect every single person on this planet, and Donald Trump intends to set a dangerous precedent for leaders across the globe. He stands as a herald of extremism and the world should not be surprised if multiple countries succumb to those same ideals. To anyone that voted for Donald Trump, sooner or later, you will feel the effects of this presidency. And it will hurt. You might believe that this election doesn’t matter or that you’ll be fine. You will be proven wrong. We’ve learned this lesson once already. It is no longer ours to learn. If you claim that you do not care, I advise you to start now.
How did you think the Nazis began their regime? By targeting everyone? No. The Nazis began by targeting a single demographic. Socialists. Then this target grew, and grew, and soon enveloped entire populations that once thought themselves safe. Disabled, Jews, LGBTQ+, Poles, Romani, Soviets, and more, all slaughtered at the hand of the Nazis. The Holocaust.
If you believe that you will be fine, I ask you, do you wish to be consumed like this? How will it feel when the rug is pulled from beneath you, and the people you’ve elected to power leave you nothing but scraps and misery? Do not delude yourself into thinking that his policies do not target you. If they don’t now, they certainly will later. Donald Trump is the American Hitler, and his reign has just begun.
“Rebellions are built on hope.”
These are callous words, yes, I know. It brings me no joy to type these words into existence, but the worst thing we can do right now is delude ourselves into thinking that this presidency will at all be “okay.” You must fight. You must spread awareness. You cannot give up. Hope is what will carry us through the next four years, and it’s exactly what will help us prevail. Hope for a better and safer tomorrow.
Civil rights is not a new fight. We have been fighting for decades, if not almost a century, and we will continue to fight. Electing local government officials, volunteering, writing to local officials, protesting, are all just a few things we could do. What is most important is that we do not yield. We did not get to where we are today by being told what to do. We made this much progress by fighting, demanding that we be heard, and refusing to break or bow. Our new president may set us back, but I trust that we will claw our way to where we once were, no matter how long it takes.
“You do not yield.”
The road to the future is not a straight one, nor is it one without obstacles, but it is one that we must all be willing to walk. And it’s one that has already begun its course. Governors from across the country having already begun to take action. Washington, California, New York, Illinois, Minnesota, are just a few states that have already vowed to take actions to protect the rights and freedoms of their people. The state assemblies from all over have been called, and many have already begun implementing legal defenses to protect abortion rights and more, fortifying state legislations and constitutions. Litigation efforts have begun, with multiple states assembling a variety of lawsuits against Trump, mirroring their actions from Trump’s first administrations. You are not alone.The resistance has begun.
I hope this message gives you a sense of security and determination. I mean this not be a cruel message, but a message of reality, and a message of hope. Queer people, women, people of color, immigrants, have always existed and will not cease to exist because of one person. So long as we are still here, we will continue to fight for our rights.
“Only the young, can run. Don’t say you’re too tired to fight, it’s just a matter of time, up there’s the finish line, so run, and run, and run.”
Queer people deserve to get married. Women deserve to have bodily autonomy. Migrants and asylum seekers deserve a chance to earn citizenship. People of color deserve to not fear for their lives when going outside. We can and will fight for what we deserve, and like those that came before us, we will not bend and we will not break. But the fight starts with you.
Let this election, and this message, kindle a flame. The flame does not have to be large, and it certainly doesn’t have manifest into action now. Let it spark something in your heart. Let it warm your compassion and fill your drive. Let this warmth, blossom into hope. And let that ember of hope, crystallize into resolve. Into drive. Into purpose. Into determination.
“Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.”
Read up on Project 2025. Brace yourself and prepare for the worst. Educate yourself and others. Keep our history close to your heart. Remember everyone who sacrificed themselves to get us this far. Remember the lives that could have been saved. If we cannot fight with them, we must fight for them. If only for their memory, we will fight for it. The fight is not over. Never stop trying to make the world a better place.
Above all, remember to take care of yourself. Your safety and mental health are of the utmost importance. Take as much time as you need and lean on the support system around you. It is not your responsibility to have all the answers. Before doing anything, please ensure that you are in a space to do so safely. Please, take care of yourself. This message is a solemn and grim one, but please know that this world is still full of love, and there are millions of people willing to help and fight. Solidarity is freely given. We have suffered a defeat, but we are not defeated. Keep your head up. Things will get better. We must persevere.
“On the campaign, I would often say, ‘when we fight, we win.’ But here’s the thing. Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. The important thing is don’t ever give up. Don’t ever stop trying to make the world a better place. You have power. And don’t you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible because it hasn’t been done before.”
