You would hope the brick walls of UNC would protect us from the angry mob forming outside, but unfortunately, its members are hiding everywhere. Passing by people that may be prejudiced against you in the halls is one thing, but when they gain the support they need to act on it they become much more threatening.
Donald Trump is perhaps the most prominent figure in recent American history. He is so ingrained in the public eye that if he were not president, we would still not be able to escape him. This perpetual fame has made him a pseudo-god in the White House, spewing hate speech and insurrections is certainly a worrying precedent for the next four years.
Not 24 hours after Trump’s election, Black students on college campuses started receiving texts with messages about being chosen to pick cotton, with specific cars listed to transport them. At UNC-Greensboro, signs reading “Whites Only” and “Coloreds Only” have been placed over water fountains. It is clear which era some Americans wish they were living in.
Finding these actions terrifying is not an overreaction. If you were to receive a text targeting your group that included the make and model of a car, unaware of who has your number and how, and you were not scared, you would be delusional.
It is a blatant show of force and vulgarity that people feel safe enough to partake in these hateful actions. The elected future president who is a known racist, xenophobe and rapist is to blame. Extremist conservatives have lived in their self-imposed bunkers for years, lying in wait to return to a time of terror and violence. Trump’s election is their affirmation that they, too, can act with the full extent of their vitriol, malice and cruelty without fearing repercussions, and may even be rewarded for it.
It’s an astounding cycle. They think they are oppressed because they cannot publicly oppress others without backlash. In their minds, their bigotry is valid and a mere difference of opinion, not a moral and ethical failure. An awful storm brews when non-oppressed people start believing they are, but they have none of the associated fear of consequences that oppressed groups do. Instead, they have the privilege of knowing they will get away scot-free for of their crimes.
These people enjoy being in a position of power, even if they are one of the groups being taken advantage of by politicians and the government. That’s what so much of conservatism is. People in power realized that if they rationed their power out to those they wished to control, their audience would be content and malleable, thinking that their control over others made them better than, and worthy to uphold the systematically placed and propagandized white nationalist cause.
The people most at risk right now are the marginalized groups that have to worry about the sudden mobilization of hate groups. Regardless of your perspective on the impact of Trump’s policies, you must concede that his election has already caused immense harm to minorities and historically oppressed communities. If this is what happens days after Trump’s election, imagine the potential for escalation deeper into his presidency.
There is no separation of Trump’s beliefs from his policies because his openly discriminatory beliefs inform them. If minorities are continually pushed out of institutions like UNC, and are in turn less and less visible, the cycle of segregation and inequity feeds itself.
