2016 has been a tough year for politics. We started with the EU referendum, where the United Kingdom shocked the world by voting to leave the European Union. Then this was well and truly Trumped (pun intended) by the presidential election in the United States. Both of these countries were split by two opposing sides, broadly speaking it was between liberal and conservative politics. To me, being unashamedly left wing, (I make no apology for that. I am, as my good friend so gracefully put it, a ‘fucking lefty liberal’ and proud!) the whole thing felt like a rather depressing game of snakes and ladders.
I mean, I thought that society was moving forwards, that we were moving towards a world where racism, homophobia, misogyny and all other forms of bigotry were a thing of the past. I’m by no means saying that everybody who voted for Brexit or Trump are against this, but it’s clear from the language used, that this kind of divisive and nationalist thinking was a major part of both campaigns. Granted, both of them were offering change, a chance for voters who felt left behind by the political system to see things shake up, but unfortunately I believe this is a change in the wrong direction. We were doing so well; it felt like we might be winning the game. After slowly moving forwards and even going up a few ladders; we were moving towards a society where everyone has an equal chance no matter what skin colour, sexual orientation, religion or gender they identify as. I can’t help feeling like we’ve now landed on two snakes and this incredible progress is going to be lost.
But we have to keep going.
Yes, the results are in, however close they were. If 2016 has taught us anything, it’s that not everybody is on the same page. Despite how liberal and progressive my and my social media echo chamber’s views are, it’s clear that at least 50% of people would disagree. So we need to begin by listening. Not everybody who voted the opposite way to me did it because they are against everything I believe. Despite the binary choice people were given, people are not binary, and I’m confident that most of the people who voted will probably agree with me on at least something. So we need to start by listening to one another, finding out why people voted the way they did. The only way we can move forwards together is if we start to understand where we’re all coming from. Listening does not mean agreeing, and it certainly doesn’t mean I won’t call out somebody’s racist, homophobic or misogynistic views if they have them, but if I can understand where they are coming from then, maybe, those views might start to make a bit more sense.
In a recent post on Facebook, after the election, Hillary Clinton wrote: “… let’s do all we can to keep advancing the causes and values we all hold dear… [saying] with one voice that we believe that the American Dream is big enough for everyone—for people of all races and religions, for men and women, for immigrants, for LGBT people, and people with disabilities. Our responsibility as citizens is to keep doing our part to build that better, stronger, fairer America we seek. And I know you will. I am so grateful to stand with all of you…” This is a great reminder that the events of 2016, although they were important, do not change the things that we stand for. Regardless of the outcome, we have to continue to fight for the things we believe in. For me, that is love and equality for all people. So I’ll get involved in marches, sign petitions, and stand up against hate wherever I can. I’ll do whatever I can to make the world a better place and to stand up for the marginalised and those without a voice. And hopefully, we’ll be able to keep moving forwards.
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