The election results are stirring up a lot of emotions around the world. Many have turned to social media to vent while others are talking to friends and family.
So what are people around the world saying? DIVERGE decided to talk to a few different people in the United States, England, Canada, and Pakistan to find out.
Because several people weren’t sure about sharing their details, we are only going to use first names or descriptions.
I asked all of them 3 questions:
- What did you think when you realized Donald Trump won?
- How do you think this will change America?
- How will minorities in the US be affected by his win?
Andrew from United Kingdom:
- At least it wasn’t Hillary.
- Honestly, not in a hugely significant way in the long run.
- I expect a rise in hate crime and racism similar to what we saw when brexit won the vote here.
Amy from United Kingdom
- Hopefully, he can’t make any of his promises actually happen
- A lot of resentment I assume when he can’t build the wall
- Same as drew except their hate problem is already worse, a lot more people getting away with killing, general rise in crime if his gun laws happen
Maisum from United Kingdom:
- Shocked.
- USA will change, I can only hope and pray that its for the better
- American minorities will suffer as it happened after brexit but hopefully things will come back to normality again as long as Americans don’t make Trump’s ideology the norm
A Muslim in Canada:
- I could not believe that he won, I still cannot believe it. I am waiting for someone to tell me it’s a cruel joke.
- I think it will give a strong voice to people in America that are bigoted, racist, sexist and hateful. It will legitimize their ability to make these comments and turn them into action because it is the kind of behaviour and words that are emulated by their president. It will divide America down the middle and make the class distinction more prominent.
- Minorities will be sidelines and in some cases actively discriminated against. The populist will treat them as second-class citizens as that is the image being portrayed from the highest office.
A Muslim in Pakistan:
- I thought about racism, xenophobia, islamophobia, wars in the world, and implosion of American society as we know it. Mass exodus of Latinos, Muslims, Asians, and African-Americans.
- Divide America ethnically, racially. White versus the rest.
- Very negatively. Don’t see any future for them if he implements what he said.
Zainab from Pakistan:
- I thought it reflects the popular vote and that is how more than half of the population thinks.
- You are talking about a campaign where someone like Bernie Sanders is voted out, followed by majority of the public voting with a mindset that who is ‘less evil’ of the two… aren’t we already looking at a changed country?
- Now is the test of establishment and systems. If they don’t work then this the land where MLK and Malcolm X were born. No need to be hopeless!
Ali from Pakistan:
- I was shocked, the first thought that came to my mind was is America really an educated and progressive society that we in the third world are truly fascinated with, I GUESS NOT.
- I don’t think that policies will change , of course that’s political, but truly after this vote one thing is clear that the people of US are focusing on the basics, education, jobs, heath care. Trump promised! Trump won!
- Minorities’ lives will go on as usual; maybe we might see some increase in hostility towards them, as we did when Brexit happened. But in the end it will just become normal, as it always has.
Shahid from Australia:
- Shocked.
- Not much.
- Life for minorities will go on pretty much the way it is now.
For people in the United States, we just asked them to share their thoughts:
Erica: My mission for the next 4 years: be the NASTIEST WOMAN I can possibly be.
Amy: If there’s anything that shows we need to reevaluate and reinvest in education in this country, it’s this election.
Farasat: We are going to see actual positive change.
Mahera: “I may not like President Trump but he won fair and square. People should give him a chance and hope he does well over the next 4 years. Many republicans didn’t give Obama a chance and that was wrong. Not giving Trump a chance would also be wrong at this point.”
Sandi: Sitting here in awe at having watched the voice of American people having been heard and answered. I realize that for some of you, this is not the joyous occasion that it is for me. I hope that you will withhold judgment until President-Elect Trump has had time to prove that he really does have a heart for ALL Americans.
I pray that peace will cover our country like a blanket. That the spirit of division that has fractured our country will be driven out and that we as a country will be restored.
Autumn: I’m done cracking jokes, so I have this to offer:
1. #NotMyPresident is trending. As something similar did with Obama. We all — President-elect included — need to get used to the idea that as of Jan. 20, he’s everyone’s president. All of the division that marked the campaign season, hopefully, should yield to cooperation and a search for common ground. There are tens (hundreds?) of thousands of people waiting to clap out Pres. Obama. Obama has been gracious, inviting the president-elect to the White House and beginning to work on a reasonable transition plan.
2. Regardless of how people feel about the election’s outcome, no one has the right to demand anyone else justify his/her vote. Voting is a private, personal matter. And while those who chose not to vote shouldn’t complain about election outcomes, the truth is that the Civil Rights and women’s suffrage movements were about giving people the choice. America — democracy — is about the right to choose.
3. I said before the election and I’ll reiterate: this election cycle didn’t create these problems we’re now being smacked with, and it wasn’t going to fix it. America, we have work to do. Let’s get to it.
Nora: To everyone talking about how terrible this election was, or which candidate “deserved” the position, or whether or not Trump should have been elected…please take a step back and remember that this is America and we all have the right to moan and complain (assuming you voted) but at the end of the day we have our checks and balances set up for these very reasons. The world is not going to fall apart, and you don’t need to move to Canada. Let me remind you, many people felt this same way when other recent past presidents were also elected. So go home, tell the ones you love that you love them because you never know when something in your immediate control may take a turn for the worse. #UnitedWeStand
Erica: Love harder, fight harder. Are y’all ready to channel that rage, disappointment, fear and heartbreak into your fight? I’m going to support several of these organizations to the best of my ability. I’m going to come up with some sort of rubric that when I witness a particularly bad act of racism, homophobia, transphobia, islamaphobia, sexism, or other deplorable comment or action, I will make a donation to one of the corresponding organizations. Every time I get “mansplained,” here’s $10 for Planned Parenthood. Someone tries to tell me climate change isn’t real? Here’s $10 for Greenpeace. I think you get the picture.”
She shared suggestions on how everyone can contribute:
Fight racism:
ACLU Nationwide Southern Poverty Law Center Diverse: Issues In Higher Education Race Forward
Fight homophobia/transphobia:
Human Rights Campaign
Fight for immigrant rights:
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
Fight Islamaphobia:
Fight for refugees:
International Rescue Committee
Fight for women’s rights and equality:
