Rather than being upset about Donald Trump's beliefs, people should focus on their own.
On the night of Nov. 7, the street outside of Studio 8H in New York City was alive not with the familiar outcries of fanfare but instead with ones of protest. After more than 50 years of comic relief and countless incidents of offending "someone," it seems as if Saturday Night Live had enraged many before the opening monologue even aired.
Politicians are in no way "fresh meat" on SNL. The renowned show has hosted the likes of several presidents from *Gerald Ford to Barack Obama, and some of the biggest-name candidates on the trail to the White House, including Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. So it was not simply Donald Trump’s appearance as a politician seeking the highest office that brought protestors to SNL headquarters. The issue with Trump hosting the esteemed comedy show lay in the discriminatory messages he has delivered in the recent past and his being on SNL coming across as endorsement for such attitudes.
The unfortunate truth of the matter is that Donald Trump, just like every other American, is entitled to have whatever beliefs he chooses. He is allowed to be racist, sexist, homophobic and any other form of unlikeable characteristics he deems worthy. And though I do not share Mr. Trump’s views on human beings different from himself, I think it would be unwise to stop him from voicing his opinions.
In a world where almost everything being put on display, whether it be in textbooks or the evening news, is sanitized to the liking of a higher being or law, isn’t witnessing raw opinions more important than ever? The reality of life is that people who wish to hurt are very much alive and well, and pretending any differently does not allow anyone to become empowered against such hate.
The lesson to learn from Mr. Trump’s words about Hispanics, gays and the many other groups he is so outspokenly opposed to is not that he is correctly minded or completely full of crap. What can be learned from people like Donald Trump is that his words of hate are only significant if we let them be. If you want Mr. Trump to ‘shut up,' and at this point I’m sure even some of his political supporters do as well, then simply stop listening.
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People can say all they want about race or sex or sexuality, but hate is only substantiated if we let it change who we are. If you want to support a stance against such attitudes as the very public ones Mr. Trump holds, do not bother screaming out against them. Instead, pull who you are even closer to your heart and let that speak for you.
Ask yourself what defines and empowers you most: Is it the faith that grounds you or your passion and love for others? Is it your family or rich heritage? Is it the obstacles you’ve overcome or the people who have helped you throughout life? With such powerful forces as any one of those things making us who we are, hate does not hit home, in fact it serves only to reinforce our foundations.
So, let hate come and then pass by without giving it any regard. Sorry Donald.
Anna Ayers is a freshman studying journalism and finance. What did you think about this weekend's SNL? Email her at aa183414@ohio.edu.
