Author: todaywetalkblog

I (Lianna) am officially an employed Certified Personal Trainer!

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*Post was written 2/7/18 at 11:30pm*

I can’t sleep. I’m too excited because today I got offered my first personal trainer job! So I figured since I can’t sleep anyway I may as well tell you how I got here.

My story actually starts in college, when I got my first job in a gym. Between witnessing training sessions while I was on the clock and working out with a personal trainer, I started to pick some things up. One day when I was visiting home I went to the gym with my mom. I applied the knowledge I’d picked up to help my mom through a workout and she said it was one of the best workout she’d ever had. This is a woman who’d been training with personal trainers for as long as I can remember. I loved the feeling of helping her and the seed was planted. But back then I thought I wasn’t fit enough to be a personal trainer. I thought personal trainers couldn’t make good money. I thought they had to have perfect bodies. So I put it on the back burner. In fact, it was so far back I didn’t even know it was still on the burner…

Flash forward to 2016 when I joined an amazing all-women’s gym (Healthworks Fitness Center) as a member. For the first time in my life I saw real transformation in my own body. I also learned that personal trainers in the real world actually can make really good money. The seed that was planted when I helped my mom all those years ago started to grow. I’ve always known that I wanted a career where I would be helping people and my passion for fitness was ever-growing. I started to realize that personal training would allow me to share my love of fitness in a way that would help people get or stay healthy and become their best selves! In November of that year I finally decided that I wanted to be a trainer. But I’ve decided I wanted to be a lot of things in my life; a psychologist, a politician, a professional stage manager, a teacher, a social worker… The list goes on. So I told myself, “Give it a year and if you still want to do this next Thanksgiving, buy the study materials with the Black Friday discount.”

In July of 2017 I still wanted to be a trainer and I decided not to wait until November to make it happen. I bought my study materials and I quit my stable full-time job with benefits to get a job at the gym. I struggled. I’m not good at self-teaching and the timing was terrible. Who wants to start studying something in the summer? I wanted to be spending time outside or with my boyfriend, who was on summer break from law school. Things weren’t going well, but I was still determined. I still wanted to be a trainer. This wasn’t like my past career ideas, which each quickly fizzled out.

As summer started to fade to fall and fall to winter, I could no longer spend time outside, I got bored and I got serious about my studying. It also helped that I got really sick of working the front desk at the gym. It was a grueling position and I wasn’t being paid enough to deal with it, so I decided to apply for a training job even though I wasn’t certified yet. I had been terrified to do this earlier because I was afraid there’d be too much pressure to pass the exam – I liked having the leisure of being on my own schedule (not to mention the freedom to fail my first take without anyone knowing or expecting anything of me) – but several people at the gym pressed me to apply, so I bit the bullet. Besides, there was a part of me that thought that being on a more strict timeline might help move my studying along.

On January 31st, 2018 I passed the ACE Personal Trainer exam (on my first try, anxiety be damned) and officially became a Certified Personal Trainer. The next day I interviewed for the training job at my gym. There was a week of agony while I waited to hear back from the Fitness Director, and that brings us to today. I got the email with the job offer in it and I was overjoyed. I was even happy to be working the front desk today! Unfortunately, now I am too excited to fall asleep….

~ Lianna

P.S. Check out my new instagram to follow my fitness journey!

President Obama

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On the eve of Barack Obama’s last day as president, I find myself emotional. Part of it is fear of and disgust with the incoming administration, yes, but I imagine the end of the Obama Administration would be emotional for me even if we were celebrating our first female president tomorrow. Since I’ve been old enough to understand what government is there have been three presidents, but only one has been, and will continue to be, a beacon in my life.

I would imagine you can guess my thoughts on Number Two, so I won’t say much about him except to say that I cried in school when he was re-elected and counted down to the end of his presidency. But he’s not looking so bad these days, and with the perspective gained from 2016, I can say that I’ve come to respect him as a man who was wrong about a great many things, but who cared about his country and its people and who tried to do what he thought was best.

Number One was a deeply flawed man who I still believe was a great president, but one with a complicated legacy. When he left office, I heralded his accomplishments. I believed that you could be a great leader without being a great person, and I believed that he was a great leader. I still believe that he did a lot of great things and that our country was better for having had him as our president, but it’s 2017 and we know more now than we did in 1999. What we thought was just “boys being boys” in 1999 we now recognize as sexual assault and harassment. We acknowledge now that he didn’t just cheat on his wife; he repeatedly took advantage of the women around him in ways both serious and trivial. I still believe you don’t necessarily need to be a great person to be a great leader, but these days it’s hard to ignore the fact that he was not a great person.

I’ll miss President Obama for the passion and grit he brought in getting the Affordable Care Act passed. I’ll miss him for the hope and optimism he spread when he said, “Yes we can!” I’ll miss him for all the times he tried to bring a little bit of comfort to the victims of a mass shooting (P.S. Let’s try to take that off the next guy’s plate, okay?) I’ll miss him for the way he could see the big picture even when the rest of us couldn’t. I’ll miss him for his humor. I’ll miss him for the incredible grace he showed under enormous pressure and with unprecedented opposition. I’ll miss him for his bromance with Joe Biden. I’ll miss him for the walls he broke down, the mountains he climbed, and the history he made. But mostly, I’ll miss him for being a great leader and a great man.

President Obama has been a father first and president second. He’s remained loyal to his wife and he clearly adores her. He’s made unpopular decisions because they were the right things to do for the most people. Hillary Clinton likes to quote the Methodist phrase: “Do all the good you can, for all the people you can, in all the ways you can, as long as ever you can.” I don’t know that I’ve ever heard President Obama say that phrase, but for eight years I’ve watched him live it. I’ve trusted him. I’ve admired him. I’ve fought for him. I’ve been inspired by him. I’ve loved him.

So yeah, I may be crying tonight, but they’re not sad tears (at least not completely.) They’re tears of gratitude. Because for the past eight years, President Obama has taught me that we should hold our representatives to high standards and he’s shown me that a president can be a great leader and a great man (or woman). And I’ll never stop believing in that.

Thanks, Obama!

– Carley

Happy Holidays!

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Hey Readers,

First we want to say thanks for following along with us as we’ve gotten this thing up and running. We know we didn’t really do a Thanksgiving post, but we’re thankful for you! We hope you’re enjoying reading our posts as much as we’re enjoying writing them.

We’re going to be taking this week off to travel, spend time with family, and enjoy the holiday weekend but we’ll be back next week with new posts.

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, something else, or none of the above, we hope you’re enjoying the season and getting to spend some quality time with family and friends.

Safe Travels and Happy Holidays,

-Carley & Lianna-

Favorite TV Shows – Part II: Cancelled Shows

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And with this post we say goodbye to TV week which, admittedly, turned into TV weeks. For my favorite cancelled TV shows, I’m sticking to shows that are currently available to stream on Netflix and/or Hulu, because I’m always annoyed when websites/magazines/Lianna (jk) are like, “You should totally watch this amazing show. But good luck finding it.” Anyway…

1. Parks and Recreation (Netflix and Hulu Plus)

As I mentioned when I wrote about The Good Place, Parks and Rec is my favorite, favorite, favorite show. I’ve seen every episode an embarrassing number of times, I can practically quote entire episodes by heart, and I never get sick of watching it. Parks and Rec is like a warm blanket for my soul. It’s predicated on the idea that when good people who care get together, they can accomplish anything. That’s a message that is always important, but it’s especially important right now. Parks and Rec is funny. It’s heartwarming. It’s optimistic. The characters are lovable and they’re people who want to do good in the lives of their friends and the world around them. Watch Parks and Rec and then channel your inner Leslie Knope and go change the world.

2. The West Wing (Netflix)

It’s probably not a shock to you that my two favorite shows are shows about politics. The West Wing is a political drama about what government can be when it works. It’s wish fulfillment, sure, but it’s always given me hope that maybe someday we’ll have a government that works and that works for the people. This is going to sound weird because it’s not a sad show, but The West Wing is where I always turn when I need a good cry. There are so many episodes where I’m just moved by the unflinching desire of the characters to do what they think is best for the country, even when there may be political costs. They’re not perfect, but they try, and that feels like more than we can say about a lot of our government officials out here in the real world.

3. Gilmore Girls (Netflix)

Gilmore Girls is another one I’ve seen multiple times. It’s clever and dense and no matter how many times you watch it, there’s always something new you’ll pick up on the next time. It’ll make you laugh. It might make you cry. It’s a great blend of comedy and drama and it’s a go-to of mine when I just want to be comforted but I’ve watched Parks and Rec too recently.

4. Friends (Netflix)

Odds are you know Friends, so there’s not much I can tell you about it that you don’t already know. Many have tried to imitate this formula to varying degrees of success, but Friends did it first and it did it best. Watch it when you just want a good, easy laugh.

Honorable Mention (Show that isn’t available on Netflix or Hulu but would otherwise be on this list): Veronica Mars

Honorable Mentions (Shows I really, really liked the one time I watched them through, but don’t have enough to say to include them): Friday Night Lights, Firefly

-Carley

Lianna’s Favorite TV Shows

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Part II: Cancelled TV Shows

Favorite cancelled TV shows is a much harder list to come up with, but Carley put me up to the challenge. See, it’s harder because you have to actually remember what shows you watched in the past. The shows I included on this list are shows that I don’t even have to think about or remembered watching, because they are that good. I’m sure there are many amazing shows that I’ve forgotten about, alas.

1. Friends (Available on Netflix)

Friends is my go to show. If I’m bored and need something to watch: Friends. If I just watched a scary movie and need to watch something happy and light before bed: Friends. If I’m in a bad mood and need something to cheer me up: Friends. Friends has the perfect mix of hilarity and sincerity. There are over-arching storylines and relationships to keep you invested over the long haul, but you could also jump into any episode and not be confused. I believe that Friends is the best TV show of all time and if you haven’t watched it yet, what are you waiting for?

2. Veronica Mars (Admittedly, hard to find)

Veronica Mars is another reliable and diverse show, though not always light. Veronica Mars is described as a noir mystery drama. The title character, Veronica Mars, is a hilariously snarky and lovable P.I. The show starts when she is a junior in high school and progresses into her freshman year of college. The show tends to be set up with one big season-long or half-season-long mystery (murder, rape, etc.) and smaller episode mysteries. The fun in the way the show was set up is that the season long mystery is usually a real world mystery whereas the episode mysteries are more high school/college related. The show has a lot of lovable characters and is a pleasure to watch. Veronica Mars was unjustly cancelled too early.

3. Boy Meets World (Available on Netflix DVD)

Boy Meets World is a wonderful show from the 90s. It is a highschool/life drama that follows a handful of characters as they come of age. Boy Meets World has a lot of heartwarming storylines with an appropriate amount of comedy mixed in. Boy Meets World pre-dates the heavy handed PSA era of television, so sometimes they do PSAs, but they do them in a really nice subtle way.  I loved Boy Meets World as a child and I loved it just as much when I re-watched it as an adult. It’s one of those shows that you can appreciate at any age because you view it differently at different ages.

4. Full House (Hard to find… sorry, guys)

Full House is another great 90s era show. I love Full House for many of the same reasons that I love Boy Meets World. It has a lovable cast, it’s funny, but it is also sincere and emotional. Full House and Boy Meets World can both be real tear jerkers. The big different between them (other than the whole style of the shows) is that Boy Meets World follows friends and incorporates their families, where as Full House follows a family and incorporates their friends.

~ Lianna

Lianna’s Favorite TV Shows

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Part I: Current Shows 

Carley and I agreed that this week should be TV week as a nice break from the election/political craziness, so I’m following up her favorite current TV shows with my favorite current TV shows. In no particular order:

1. The Good Place (NBC)

First, I just have to agree with Carley about The Good Place. There are a few actors/actresses who I will watch anything they are in; Kristen Bell is one of them. Others include Matt Damon and Jennifer Aniston. The Good Place goes beyond Kristen Bell’s awesomeness; it is a delight to watch and it is very funny.

2. New Girl (Fox)

New Girl never fails to create laughs. The characters are well developed and the actors feed off of each other really well. The show is very well written and the cast has great comedic timing. It’s the kind of show where you wonder if some moments were improvised, because they just seem too perfect to be scripted. Whenever I need a mood pick-me-up New Girl does the trick.

3. Scorpion (CBS)

Scorpion is an action/crime drama about a group of geniuses who, because of their high IQs, are unable to relate to regular people. A lovable former waitress (Katherine McPhee) helps them relate to and talk to non-geniuses. Scorpion has the perfect mix of crime fighting and problem solving with character development and personal stories. It doesn’t feel like just another cop show. The characters are not stock characters. The characters are lovable yet flawed and their storylines are well developed. It’s fun to watch the geniuses work though what seem to be impossible problems, all while fighting, joking, and falling in love.

4. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee is a late-night comedy news show which never disappoints. Samantha Bee is one of the only, if not the only, female late-night hosts and she is every bit as funny as her male counterparts. You go girl!  If you are conservative, you will not like Samantha Bee. Although if you are conservative, you probably stopped reading our blog a long time ago. When someone in the news/politics royally screws up, Samantha Bee calls them out on it. While she tries to inform you about the issues as much as possible during the show, she also always posts online extra reading from credible news sources about her topics. For example, when she did a segment about how it’s physically and legally impossible for an extremist to pose as a Syrian refugee, she posted extra reading  on her website about the refugee crisis, the process for becoming a refugee, and how to help refugees.

5. NCIS (CBS)

NCIS is a classic. While I didn’t start watching it when it started, I have since seen every episode. In many ways NCIS is a typical cop-drama, but it tends to go above and beyond in ways that other cop shows don’t. NCIS has unique and lovable characters. They also tend to do feel-good storylines. Yes, someone gets murdered in almost every episode, but a lot of times the NCIS team ends up making somebody’s life better or righting some injustice. For example, in a recent episode the team helped get an innocent man released from Guantanamo Bay, where he had been wrongly held for 12ish years.

~Lianna

Favorite TV Shows – Part I: Current Shows

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I currently have massive writer’s block. When Lianna and I started this project, we both had long lists of topics we wanted to write about it, but almost all of mine were political and ever since the election, I can’t bring myself to dive back into politics yet. I have been keeping up with the news, but after a day of reading about whatever horrifying thing Donald Trump has done recently, the last thing I want to do is research and write about political topics. But I’ve been away too long and Lianna suggested to get back into it by just writing about anything, even if it doesn’t seem particularly smart or important. So since we could all use a good escape from reality right about now, here are my favorite current  (scripted) TV shows. I’ll be back with my favorite cancelled shows next week. But for now, in no particular order…

1. The Flash (The CW)

Of all the DC Comics TV shows, this is my favorite, and it’s probably my favorite show of any genre on TV right now. Tonally, it’s lighter than most of the other DC Comics TV shows/movies I’ve seen, but the stakes are still high and they’re not afraid to kill off a major character. What sets the show apart for me is that they’ve found the right mix of “Beat the Big Bad” and “Deal with family drama.” You could call it a comic book show with a personal element or a family show with a comic book element, and you’d be right either way. Oh, and it’s funny. If I could only watch one show, this would be it.

2. This Is Us (NBC)

This is pure family drama, which, as we established above, I enjoy. They deal with real issues in relatable ways. So far they’ve tackled race, adoption, weight loss, betrayal, grief, and more, and they’re just getting started. This is a quiet show with a lot of heart. Plus, anything that features Jess from Gilmore Girls is a winner in my book.

3. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (The CW)

When I first heard the title of this show, I was wary, but then I heard it was a musical and figured I had to at least give it a shot. I’m glad I did. It is wacky and surreal in the way that a lot of TV/movie musicals are, but it is also often grounded and serious. I don’t know how they do it, but the writers manage to be equally successful whether writing hilarious songs or plaintive monologues. If you’re looking for a show that tackles real issues like mental health and abortion but also lets its leading lady sing about having “heavy boobs,” this is the show for you.

4. The Good Place (NBC)

I’ll preface this by saying that Veronica Mars is one my favorite shows and ever since I watched it in college, I would watch Kristen Bell in just about anything. That being said, her newest show is a joy to watch, and not just because she’s in it. Its creator also created my all-time favorite show, Parks and Recreation, and if you’ve watched Parks, this has the same optimism and whimsy that made Parks special.

5. Pitch (FOX)

We may not have a female president yet, but in Pitch, we have the first female Major League Baseball player. It’s an exciting premise that seems all the more important after the recent, crushing political setback. This show is out there every week showing that women are every bit as capable as men. For now a story about a female MLB player is fiction, but someday it could be reality, and when it is we can say that this show served as a roadmap.

-Carley

Keeping Up the Fight

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We apologize for the absence of posts over the past couple of weeks. We went into a little bit of a depression hibernation after the election. Once we were ready to come out of hibernation it was Thanksgiving. Now we are ready to start down a long road of political activism and we hope you are too. First, I’d like you to listen to this amazing Rachel Platten song to get you in the spirit of this blog post.

So, we’ve all accepted that Donald Trump is almost certainly going to be our next president, right? No? Well, we need to move forward anyway. Maybe in the process, moving forward will help you accept. We need to keep up the good fight. Always remember to Fight Like Hill.

I know there’s a lot of talk about moving to Canada, etc. But leaving is not the answer. If all the privileged progressive folks leave the country then the conservatives are left unchecked to oppress whoever they want. So, instead of making sure your passport is up to date, let’s look at some things you can do to correct the path of this great nation. This absurd conservative government we’ve gotten ourselves into might be the present, but we are the future.

1. First let’s start with the easiest thing to do: Donate Money
If the government is going to try to defund Planned Parenthood and take away Human Rights, align yourselves with the organizations trying to protect those things. Some causes that I think are worthy of your money are listed at the bottom of this post, but feel free to do your own research and find an organization that represents a cause you feel passionate about. If you discover a charity that sounds good, but you aren’t sure if it’s legitimate, filter it through Charity Watch and/or Charity Navigator.

If you can’t donate money, donate time, which brings me to the next few bullet points.

2. Call (or email/write letters to) your Elected Officials
This one requires slightly more effort, but you can still do it from the comfort of your  couch. Call (and email) your elected officials – they have to listen. Whether elected by you or not, these people were elected to represent you. Their job requires them to listen to you and fight on your behalf. So call them about anything and everything policy related. Call them now about preventing Steve Bannon from being appointed to the White House and about confirming Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. Call them in the future about protecting Planned Parenthood, not repealing the Affordable Care Act, or anything else that might be important to you. To find out how to contact your elected officials go here.

3. Spread Kindness on a Micro Level (i.e. be kind to strangers and loved ones)
This one may require you to leave your home, though it still doesn’t require much effort. This just asks you to go a little bit out of your way for someone else. This one can be helping a loved one or a stranger. Does your friend need someone to pick up their kid from soccer practice? Volunteer. Do you see your neighbor struggling to bring groceries inside? Offer to help. While helping friends and loved ones is a wonderful thing to do, the best way to truly spread kindness is to help strangers. Show that we are united and that we can all get along if we just try. Maybe you are Muslim and you buy a coffee for an Islamophobe. You’ve just shown that person that Muslim people are kind and generous and not to be feared. Maybe you are a woman and you buy a meal for a misogynist. Suddenly, you’ve given that person a reason to respect women.

4. Spread Kindness on a Macro Level (i.e. community service and volunteering your time)
Most charities that accept donations also have information on their websites about how to volunteer with them. If you are unable to donate money at the moment, or if you already donated and are eager to do more, volunteering is a great way to go. You can also look into community service with any organization or charity you care about. Some cities/states also have a community service database/organization. For example, Boston has an organization called BostonCares where you can sign up for community service opportunities through their website. Do a little research for Community Service in your area and see what you find.

5. Focus on Midterm and Local Elections
I can not stress enough how important voting in midterm and local elections is.
If you have some long-term time and patience and a desire to do more than just vote, focus on 2018 and your local politics. State government being overrun by Republicans is how we ended up with redistricting that led to a conservative House of Representatives. Work to turn your State House blue. And remember that 2010 and 2014 gave us our current congress, so don’t forget about 2018. Vote, knock on doors, make phone calls. Democrats tend to have lower voter turnout during mid-term elections, but we have the power to change that. Let’s take back State Houses and let’s take back Congress! Then in 2020 we can take back the White House!

6. Go Into Politics Yourself
This one is the hardest thing to do. After all, it involves changing your career. But if you’re feeling really inspired and up for a challenge, go into politics. When I was younger, the first thing I ever wanted to be when I grew up was a politician. Then I got jaded; I thought politicians didn’t change the world for the better and if I wanted to do that, I should work for a non-profit. This election has taught me that not only can politicians change the world for the better, but they can most definitely change the world for the worse. So go into politics to prevent that from happening. Protect the world. Do I think politicians will be able to end world hunger and bring peace on earth? Probably not. But we need to prevent the election of politicians who will expand world hunger and war on earth. We need to elect the Hillary Clintons, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warrens and prevent another Donald Trump, Paul Ryan, or Mitch McConnel from ever being elected again. Remember, going into politics can mean so many things. The obvious is becoming the candidate, but you can also work on the campaign or administrative side of politics.

We are the future. So once you are ready, get up and fight. Keep moving forward. Always remember the public service of Hillary Clinton and strive to be like her. Honor her with your fight. I leave you with this inspirational song about being a strong woman.

~Lianna

Listed below are charities that support causes that will become increasingly important during the next 4 years. Since our readers are all over the country, I tried to focus on national/international organizations, but I urge you to look into local organizations in your area as well.

Women’s Health/Reproductive Rights: Planned Parenthood, Center for Reproductive Rights, NARAL Pro Choice America, National Network of Abortion Funds
General Health/Medical Research: Hadassah (in honor of The Great Beth DeBor)
Human Rights/Civil Liberties: The American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch, Southern Poverty Law Center, The Center for Victims of Torture
The Earth/Environment: Natural Resources Defense Council, The Conservation Fund
LGBTQ: The Trevor Project
Immigrants/Refugees: Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Japanese American National Museum (in honor of The Great George Takei), International Rescue Committee, American Refugee Committee
Seniors: Meals on Wheels America
Children: Children’s Defense Fund (in honor of The Great Hillary Clinton)
Veterans/Homelessness: Homes for Our Troops, National Alliance to End Homelessness, Coalition for the Homeless

Thanksgiving

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Take time to relax and enjoy the holiday with your family, friends, or whoever else you celebrate with. Try not to think about the election or Donald Trump. If you are a split-political family, I feel sorry for you and hope that you and your loved ones can get past that. We are lucky enough to have a family that largely agrees with or at least understands our views and ideologies.

We hope that you’ll come back from Thanksgiving ready to join us in the fight to protect our rights and save our country from a particular orange monster trying to destroy it.

 

An Open Letter to President-elect Donald Trump

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In the days after the election there was a spike in hate crimes and other harassment of minority individuals. What no one seemed to be talking about was the lack of response from Donald Trump. He spent 18 months spreading fear and lies and endorsing hatred and violence, so it’s no surprise that his election validated the most hateful Americans out there. Yet, he said nothing to condemn them or get to them to stop. So, I wrote this letter to him. The goal was to get it published on Huffington Post or some other news outlet, so that maybe Trump or someone close to him would see it, but that didn’t go so well. So instead I’m posting it here. Maybe you guys can help me spread the word. Thanks for reading! ~Lianna

Dear Mr. Trump,

You said in your victory speech that it is time for Americans to unite together. You said that you want to be the President for all Americans. Has anyone ever told you that actions speak louder than words? Your comments since the election have been that it’s unfair that people are protesting… Yet, you’ve said nothing and done nothing about the increased hate crimes we’re seeing around the country.

Open a newspaper and see the chaos and hatred you have unleashed. All over the country, people are committing hate crimes in your name. People are painting swastikas on public spaces, abusing Muslims, threatening Hispanics, gays, and just about everyone else who isn’t a white straight Christian male. Honestly, the list goes on too long to explain all the horrific things that are occurring in your name. You normalized this kind of hatred. I do not hate the people committing these crimes. I think it’s terribly sad that they weren’t raised better than this. I think it’s sad that their parents and teachers and political leaders didn’t teach them how to respect their fellow humans. But, I do not hate them for this. I know they have been failed by the system. Rather, I directly blame you every time someone gets insulted, made fun of, hurt, abused, or terrorized. This is your fault. However, I have forgiveness in my heart. If you show me that you can make this right, I’ll forgive you. You probably don’t deserve forgiveness. After all, you have demonstrated dislike or disrespect to literally every group of American except the straight, white, Christian males;  but I’ll consider forgiveness if you show me that you can move forward from this in the right direction. If you show me that you can help heal the country, I’ll forgive you for saying that my only value is that of a sex object.

So, do you want to show me that you can be my president too? Do you want to show me that you truly believe in unifying America?

If you do, condemn this violence and hatred. You need to come out and make a very public and very loud statement that people can not terrorize their fellow humans, abuse their fellow humans, or commit hate crimes. You need to apologize for all the hateful crap you spewed during your campaign.

I’m sad to say that you opened a can of worms that you may not be able to close. You may not be able to quiet these people. You normalized their hateful actions and no matter what you do, they may not be silenced. But you can at least act remotely presidential by condemning them.

You think Syrian refugees and Muslims are the terrorists of the world? Well, I hate to break it to you but the definition of terrorism is “the use of violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal.” Your white, Christian, American supporters are the terrorists today.

I’m a white woman, so half of my identity will protect me. I will not be attacked because I am white. But I am still terrified of the other half of my identity. If a man gropes me without my permission, how do I even begin to tell him that what he’s doing is wrong, when the President-elect of The United States of America says it’s okay? How?

So, Mr. Trump, if you want to show that you can be the POTUS, you need to walk out of Trump Tower today and go make a statement. Go apologize for all the horrific things you said and did during the campaign season. Go tell the monsters perpetrating hate crimes to stop. Make a REAL attempt to unify this country, because your flimsy victory speech doesn’t count for jack if you don’t back it up by condemning these people and their actions and imploring them to stop. Maybe then I’ll take you seriously. Maybe if you attempt to stop this violence and hatred I’ll respect you as my future President. Right now, all I see is a bigoted white man who is too cowardly to protect the people he is supposed to serve come January 20th.

Sincerely,

An American who is terrified of your America

Ps. I’m scared that just in writing this letter I’ll be making myself a target. I’m trusting you to take the target off my back. I’m trusting you to actually act like the POTUS and to protect me.