11/9 President Elect Trump

Trump's victory stunned a nation and the world this week. At first a somber, sobering mood gripped half the country; the other half erupted in boisterous celebration. America, actually the two Americas, we are at odds.

Being an ethnic and sexual minority, the voice of bigotry that ascended to our highest elected office is extremely disheartening. So many who are insulated from discrimination seem to have little if any understanding why this may be an issue. The following quoted text from an acquaintance's Facebook post is case in point:

"The amount of hate and saltiness today from people that preach inclusivity is astounding to me. If you are surprised that this happened then you truly are out of touch with the pain that real Americans have faced over the past 30 odd years. The rust belt has been devastated by horrible policies over that time and they went to the ballot box to do what they thought was best for their families. People didn't vote for racism. They voted for jobs and a stable life for their families.
Now we have to come together as a country and pray he does a good job. It will all be ok. The world will not end."

Here's how I responded:

"I read this post yesterday. Wasn't going to respond. It stuck with me though into today, and I'm compelled to attempt bridging some understanding ...

Tons of shit has been and is being flung from all sides. While waiting to watch Clinton's concession speech stream, I had to right swipe away the deluge of hateful comments from people mocking her supporters. Horribly heinous comments. And those types of comments weren't limited to that stream, they were all over social media and still are. I've mostly tuned out today.

Now, about the more unbridled election reactions from Clinton supporters ...

This has been a gruesome election. The country has been anxiously on edge for months and dragged through the mud. Emotions have been running high across America. That doesn't excuse the behavior of any voter/supporter/person when they lash out.

Billy, what millions of people in our country are coming to grips with now is not Trump supporters who voted for him, seeing beyond his bigotry (before he announced, after he announced, during the primaries and during the general ...), rather those who voted for him because of his bigotry.

When one is in the majority, and directly unaffected by discrimination, that piece to this story is unlikely to hit home. It's not something that person is ever likely to have experienced nor will experience. No one should have to.

People are coming to grips with who we really are as a country vs. who we thought ourselves to be. Still a large swath of our fellow Americans are bigots. That's not something we can legislate, we can only educate. It's one other aspect, a really big one, that divides our nation.

Policy aside, Trump's harsh rhetoric has given bigots a voice. His win of our highest elected office has emboldened those voices, and they're getting increasingly louder. People are genuinely afraid of what's to come. These emotions are real and they cannot be rationalized.

Most every human wants to feel they belong in some way, that they are part of something much greater, especially in their own country. Everyone wants to know they have a seat at the proverbial table; inclusivity. Many Americans, myself included, are experiencing a profound sense of alienation as a result of the bigotry narrative and the powerful voices it's unleashing.

What's also become clear is we're all feeling pain. That isn't unique or limited to an out-of-work coal miner or factory hand. We all have our struggles and we all suffer for many numbers of causes. It's part of life, part of being human.

Can we all stand together, say to one another "I care about your suffering and I'm here." and mean it? If so, we could very easily be one nation.

Food for thought ..."

The part I left out is this: When a person fails to condemn ill behavior, they essentially condone it. So many of Trump's supporters claim to not be racist or what have you, yet make no stand in opposition to this narrative.

So many other variables at play. Will Trump stick to his campaign promises? Will he offer too much information to Putin, his Russian ally? Will loose lips sink this ship?

We are already seeing signs Trump may waver on big things he promised to undo, like the ACA. What impact will this have on his heartiest supporters? Will Trump condemn the bullying and hate speech?

So many questions only time will tell. The markets dislike unpredictability, it's unstable. Our country suddenly feels like reality TV, and everyone is waiting with baited breath (still) to see what happens next ...