-Michael A Garcia

Coming Together
With the recent outcome of the election there has
been mass hysteria throughout this great nation we call
home. From riots & protests to
even blatant malicious acts on
campus, the electing of Donald J
Trump to the presidency has
caused
widespread
division
throughout our country. Many
protestors and demonstrators are proclaiming that in fact
Donald Trump is not their president and the hashtag
#NotMyPresident has been trending on twitter since
election night. We are all well aware of the president
elects controversial comments and statements he has
made over the past year, and we are well aware of his
outspoken attitude. With that being said, we as
Americans must now come together as a people and a
nation and stand united. This is crucial at this point in
time now more than ever. Our government is a
democracy and the outcomes of the democratic process
must be respected. This is one of the main fundamental
ideas of our democracy, a peaceful power shift in which
all constituents respect the outcome. A history teacher
once told me democracy is not designed to get you what
you want, democracy is designed to be fair. I ask that
my fellow lobos and peers keep this is in mind for the
coming months, as the United States will resume to be
the free world and our lives will go on. We must stand
together, support, and wish our president elect well as he
takes office. Many of you may be scratching your heads
while reading this and most likely are currently
disagreeing with me, let me try an analogy. To continue
to protest an impending Trumpenreich (I mean the

democratic system) is like not rooting and not supporting

the captain of a sinking ship, you have to want him to do
well and succeed, because if he doesnt the ship sinks
and you are on that ship.
It must also be understood that as united citizens
we must not tolerate any bigotry, prejudice, or
stereotypes whether it being from government officials or
from familiar individuals. Trump has said what he has
said and it is imperative to understand that we live in one
of the most diverse countries in the 21 st century. There is
no excuse or justification for racism. Period. Racism is
something that is learned over time, no one wakes up one
day and decides to be a bigot. Anything you learn, you
can
also
unlearn. There
is a common
misconception
that there are 5
different races
on planet earth
and that is
utterly wrong,
there is one
race and that is the human race, the color of ones skin
does not make he or she better or lesser of a person. With
this election outcome, while coming together as
Americans, we must unlearn stereotypes and we must
start to recognize each other as equals. We are all human,
we all eat the same, we breathe same, we sleep the same.
There are also consequences of remaining a
divided nation. Racial tensions will escalate, police will
be constant targets of violence, etc. Not only must we
respect the outcome of this election but we must be
appreciative and thankful of our process. Just because
your candidate did not win does not give you or anyone
the right to not accept the
outcome of the political
process and to do so is to
spit in the face of lady
liberty. We take it for
granted but typically polar
opposite
power
changes/shifts do not occur without some sort of military
offense or action. The United States is one of the only

countries in which literally over-night a peaceful power

shift from one political ideology to another occurs. This
is a privilege that we must appreciate and be thankful for
due to the sole reason that many are not as fortunate as
we are. Political power struggles in foreign countries
often turn deadly and lethal. There are countless
examples especially throughout the middle east, two
relevant ones could be Egypts (not too long ago)
revolution and the current Syrian civil war. Our
democracy prevents and protects against disastrous and
violent political power take-overs.
I do also remind you that it is your right to
dislike and not support the forthcoming president. If you
choose to do so I applaud you for practicing your first
amendment, as you are entitled and respected to have
your own opinion. I also smh at you for contributing to
the division of our great nation and not respecting our
political process. Throughout my life experiences I have
learned what it means to lose and what it means to win.
Ive played for undefeated sports teams and I have also
played a season where we did not win a single game as a
team. Sportsmanship has taught me to respect the
outcome of things despite the amount of effort or work
that was put in to win. An individuals character is not
measured on how one handles success but rather how one
handles their losses. You will definitely not ever win
them all but there is an according way to act and behave
when one does not get his or her way (loses). Lose with
pride, with dignity, with your head held high and a smile
on your face, because in this country, in another short
four years, there will be a next time, and you will get
another shot. People must understand that no matter who
is president at any given point in time that we are all
equal, we as a human race, we are all reaching for a
common goal, we are all in this together, we are all
struggling towards success. I personally wish Donald J
Trump tremendous success & luck with his presidency
and I hope he makes America great as it once was, I
also wish that we as a community and university come
together and remain united against bigotry and racism.