Democracy means you don’t always get who you want, so let’s get on with it

OPINION: If Trump supporters were hanging nooses around Clinton effigies, we’d be calling them redneck misogynists.

Protesters are burning effigies and photos of Donald Trump around the world. Picture: AFP Photo/Bullit Marquez

OPINION

OK everybody. Let’s all take a deep breath and calm down.

I get it. We all thought Hillary had it in the bag and there was no way a reasonable, intelligent career politician could be beaten by a bloke who talks about grabbing women on the p*ssy. But it happened.

America voted and they ended up with a completely surprising President. But he didn’t get there by magic. He got there by appealing to voters who were sick of being ignored or told they weren’t smart enough to know what was good for them.

And despite calling Trump out for all manner of unreasonable behaviour during the campaign, Clinton supporters have taken to the streets in demonstrations that have resulted in violence, vandalism and the burning of Donald Trump effigies.

Protesters hoist an effigy of Donald Trump with a noose around his neck outside of Trump Tower in New York City. Picture: Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP

I understand they’re pissed off but if the reverse was happening and it was Trump supporters hanging nooses around Clinton statues, the media would be screaming they’re a bunch of redneck misogynists who don’t deserve a place in a system they can’t accept.

Put a match to an image of Trump, however, and you’re a civilised adult expressing your frustration in an appropriate manner.

Members of the media even had a crack at Malcolm Turnbull for having the “audacity” to mention he had a constructive conversation with the man who’s going to be President.

What was he supposed to do? Call him a dickhead and hang up? He’s the President-elect and Turnbull has to work with him. It’s not like he flew over to Trump Towers to give him a foot massage.

And if people really are that outraged by what happened, why aren’t they directing their hate towards the millions of Clinton supporters who couldn’t be bothered turning up to the polling booths to vote? Surely if this mess is anyone’s fault it’s theirs.

The reason this guy was elected was because the media (myself included) and the political establishment underestimated how disaffected people were.

Two protesters set fire to an effigy of Donald Trump, during an anti-Trump protest in New Orleans. Picture: Matthew Hinton

I truly believed reason and logic would win out but I realise, as a 35 year-old woman with a full time job, I’m in a pretty privileged position.

If you’re a 60 year old man who’s been struggling to find work for a decade, faced with a retirement you can’t fund, you don’t care if voting in a female President would give hope to little girls everywhere because hope doesn’t put food on the table. And regardless of whether you like it or not, Trump was the first politician to look these people in the eye and say: “I see you.”

Yes Trump has said some horrible things and there are million of reasons to think he’s an idiot but he won an election. So rather than set fire to a picture of his face, surely the most constructive thing we can do is give the guy a chance to prove he’s fit for office.

If he’s not, the people who voted him in will have a chance to vote him right back out again.

The current outcry seems pretty hypocritical coming from a group of voters who claimed their point of difference was that they were the bigger people. If they keep this up we won’t have to worry about Trump ruining the world because they’ll do a fine job of that themselves.

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