Dear friends,The election cycle 2016 is officially over. Just last month, I remember complaining about how lengthy it is and I remember wanting to listen to a different set of news. Now, however, I hope that the election never happened. It did, and I feel sick.I have classmates who are Trump supporters and they keep posting on social media claiming that Trump actually speaks for a lot of American people. They assert that Trump stands against the mainstream media which brainwashes Americans and depicts Donald Trump as racist and sexist. I understand their argument that “changes should be made in America, and Donald Trump is the one to do this (as opposed to Hillary).”True. That’s also what I thought several months ago when Trump defeated his Republican counterparts during the primary. I watched his speeches on YouTube for fun and thought that people might actually enjoy off-the-script talk and expression of genuine thoughts.I cannot remember the exact moment I realized Trump is a terrible human being. Maybe when he said John McCain was not a war hero because he was captured, or when he mocked Ted Cruz for not having a trophy wife, or when he criticized the Chinese for not rolling out a red carpet for Obama during G20 summit. Not to mention the time when he said Mexicans are “rapists” who “bring drugs and crime”. There was also the time when he justified his conversation with Billy Bush as “locker room talk” and denied doing things described on the tape. In case no one remembers Billy Bush - Billy Bush, America’s 45th President’s former wing man, got fired by NBC after the tape was leaked. Although I have not read Chinese ancient wisdom for a long time, Donald Trump reminds me of the phrase “小人” (small person). He is a perfect example of that.I see him as a small person, but a lot of people do not. They listen to him and he influences their opinions. For example, a voter in Iowa got caught during early voting by voting twice for Donald Trump because she believed “the system was rigged to elect Hillary”. That is when I started worrying how his other statements were going to affect citizens. Some believe that Obamacare is a disaster despite the fact that it covers 20 million more people and prevents insurance companies from charging more for pre-existing conditions. The same people believe TPP is bad and Chinese are stealing manufacturing jobs. This all goes against the fact that China is not included in the TPP and these two irrelevant statements are just put together to make the argument more persuasive. People also believe women could be grabbed by the pussy despite the fact that non-consensual physical contact is illegal and frankly obscene.A lot of people like me cannot process Trump’s absurdity and his crazy behavior. None of it was a deal-breaker for voters when he was elected President of the United States due to electoral college. And now, his preposterousness starts coming back to me, to us, to the ideals we believe in. Following the election even the slightest doubt I felt about myself as a female after terrifies me. And I cannot imagine hurt racial minorities and members of the LGBTQ community. Friends and role models who have empowered me are devastated and I don’t know what to do to comfort them.One thing that hurts me most is the indifference within my own community. People who I associate myself with have argued that, as opposed to Hillary’s lies, Trump’s words do not matter and that people are just overreacting to his behavior - “why can’t people just drop it and move on and listen to Trump supporters’ arguments? Why are people protesting even though Trump was elected by the democratic system?”My parents also asked me why American election affected me so much as it is solely a political issue and I am Chinese. It affects me because I am a person who chooses to believe in gender and racial equality, the one who chooses to believe my community is making progress on human rights issues and who sets moral standards for myself about what is right and what is wrong. No, it’s not just politics. I cannot just give up my objection to Trump as my opposition stands for the values I believe in.It has been a tough week. A week might be long enough to process emotions and get back to regular school or work schedules. However, a week is definitely not long enough for two polarized groups to start rational conversations (except for Obama administration and I feel so sorry for them). If you happen to be a Trump supporter, please realize that now it’s not a good time to confront the other group. If you are hurt, please take your time to heal and believe more deeply in your self-worth.With love,Sophie Li This article was written by Sophie Li. Please send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Schroders