‘I woke up feeling sick’

We all wake up in shock yet again. The last time I woke up with a sick feeling in my mouth was when the Brexit vote came in back in June. What the hell happened? How did a hateful joke of a man like Donald Trump actually get to run for president, let alone win it?

The voice of change in today’s world – the voice of hope – has become right-wing and reactionary. How is this possible?

Not even key Republicans wanted Trump to win. But he is “the political outsider” not the traditional “politician” – something that’s become a dirty word these days. Here we see the Marmite figure of Jeremy Corbyn rise out of nowhere to take over the official opposition, hook line and sinker. Previous to this we saw the Green surge in 2015. But all this changed in June when the Brexit vote crept in.

History has always shown that in desperate times, the far right always rises. These times are not unique. If there is one thing history can teach us it is that reactionary views win.

America, like the rest of the world, is seeing a greater chasm between the rich and the poor. Poverty, lack of jobs, no comprehensive education or healthcare and a frustration at an inability to feed children has led to a desperation beyond comprehension – one the existing political system has ignored. This is also easy to understand if others are the ones who get the blame: “It their  fault, not yours, not ours, we are great!”

Of course there are solutions. We could join together, creating stronger, more co-operative societies based on putting the planet first and, funding social and environmental projects rather than war, ensuring that not one of us is left behind. But this takes a great deal of hard work and a huge shift in our beliefs away from what advertising companies bombard us every minute of every day.

I am half American. My dad, a Vietnam veteran, and his whole family is American. I am heartbroken at what my other country has done. There will be celebrations, there will be riots – and more scarily counter attacks; they have guns and are allowed to carry them.

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Read more: Anti-Trump peace vigil to be held in Bristol

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But what is scarier and more heart-breaking is the fact that Trump’s election speech focused on infrastructure projects to create jobs, but omitted the fact that he’d be abolishing the Obamacare healthcare system that saw America creep into the modern world.

He will abolish their environmental agency putting corporate expediency and profits ahead of the planet’s health. His racist, sexist and homophobic beliefs will hold a lasting impact on American life as he will nominate the new members of the Supreme Court which holds ultimate say over the interpretation of the constitution – the highest document in the land.

It would seem that truth has no place in modern political circles. Spin has become such a normal part of everyday life that we don’t believe anything anymore. Statements like “Make America great again” and “It time to take America back” are all Trump needed. And he won.

This campaign has torn America apart. We have seen as dramatic a change as would seem possible – from Obama to Trump – but this change has been insidious and the Republicans have been consistently on the rise for some time now.

They hold the House of Representatives, the Senate and now the presidency. Jokes on Twitter don’t count. An amusing Facebook status may have made us feel better but it didn’t win the presidency.

Possibly one of the best speeches was yesterday by Bruce Springsteen but it didn’t win it for Hillary. Trump has held out to the best and the brightest of America to help him make the country great again and what happens next will shape the country – will people come together despite Trump or will they hide, lick wounds and try and stay safe, out of harm’s way?

The scariest thing of all? Look what happened in 1930s Germany when it was a bankrupt and deliberately held back by the rest of Europe. America is potentially the most powerful country in the world: an aggressive, racist bully with better relations with a Russian leader than with NATO as the new commander in chief.

Though we must also remember that Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated while someone like Trump has now been elected, never have King’s words rung more true: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Gus Hoyt is a an American citizen with dual nationality living in Bristol. He has worked and lived in New Orleans, Santa Cruz and Durango. He is a former Green Party councillor in Bristol.

Read more: Anti-Trump peace vigil to be held in Bristol