My name is Mary Hancock. You don’t know me now. In an hour, you’ll have forgotten my name. Thus, I’m not only writing this letter for you. I’m writing it in desperation because silence is killing me. My tenth grade classmates ask me why Donald Trump’s vulgar “locker room banter” offends me so greatly. Otherwise intelligent adults keep telling me that “it’ll be okay” and that “it’s only four years”. However, this isn’t “only four years” and anybody who tells you that is being incredibly naive. The effects of a Trump presidency could be being seen for several decades, even centuries, after this term is over. Thereby, we must unite. Non-political crowd, this is your time. It’s not about stopping Trump anymore. It’s about stopping the dangerous movement that elected him. Let this be another cautionary letter.
Dear non-political people,
First of all, I truly do understand your desire to shut politics out. It's messy, and it starts avoidable arguments between your close friends and family. Particularly this time of year, it seems that politics take over all of our media outlets and in turn, all of our minds. Secondly, I think that if your reason is any of the ones listed, you are the worst type of coward. You have wasted potential.
When I was little, I would never go outside in the dark. Even family campfires terrified me. I was afraid that the monsters I'd imagined- these inhumane, evil, dissolute creatures- would attack me. Now, at nearly sixteen years old, I'm still afraid. I'm still afraid of the monsters that once horridly shook my mind.
This time, however, they're thinking, functioning members of society who think in their disturbed mind that it's okay to inappropriately grab at another human being. The perpetrators are masked as ordinary people, and you don't know who the next one could be. The victims? Ordinary people. One in six women and one in thirty-three men. It could be me. It could be you. It could even be your child. Nobody is awarded a free pass. President-Elect Donald Trump has not only advocated for this on tape, but has several allegations against him that state that he has, in fact, done this.
When Trump talks about this, he's empowering more and more people to remove their masks. He instills a mindset in those of my generation's minds that says sexual assault is acceptable. His movement unknowingly shapes our future. This election has told me that we have enough hate in this country to sweep us off our feet and carry us away.
This, non-political crowd, is why we need to unite. You are not exempt from the effects of his malevolence; You're just choosing to give up your choice. If we come together, we can stop his movement in its tracks. Protest, donate to charitable causes, contact your district's representative. Do everything you can to ensure that this movement does not become the basis of our country. Most importantly, don't forget to teach your children, colleagues, and relatives that the best approach one can take will always stem from love.
