OPINION: Instead of #NotMyPresidentsDay, fight for change with respect, kindness and understanding

They’re chanting “free press” at L.A.’s #NOTMYPRESIDENTSDAY rally pic.twitter.com/UsnrbF1qW9

— Kyle Stokes (@kystokes) February 20, 2017

By Sophie Haber and Ryann Perlstein
GSS correspondents

LOS ANGELES — Very few people on our Facebook feeds thought the “scary carrot” would ever be a resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

As two self proclaimed Jewish-American princesses living in the laid-back and progressive bubble that is Los Angeles, our Facebook feeds are filled with 15-year-old social justice warriors who spend their free time writing poetry and captions to express their feelings about the recent election. 

We woke up on Nov. 9 and hoped it was all just a bad dream. Upon arrival at school, we encountered many students with the same bloodshot eyes, shaky voices, and expressions of disappointment and disgust. Then, we realized that our worst nightmare had, indeed, come true. In this particular bubble, few of us have experienced pain and grief like this before.

We are fortunate to be able to embrace our religion without falling victim to anti-Semitic remarks. We are fortunate enough to attend schools where boys can be cheerleaders and girls can be captains of the robotics team. We are fortunate enough to have friends who are gay, Hispanic, and Muslim, without being stared at while walking down the street.

These issues cannot simply be fixed by a Facebook rant or violence against people with opposing views. Being a social justice warrior will only get you so far. Yes, you may gain attention for your cause, but you will not be inciting real change. In a time when the country is more divided than we have ever seen, it is imperative that everyone takes it upon themselves to spread tolerance and work to create the world all of us want to see.

In the absence of a leader who promotes respect regardless of labels, it is vital that the average citizen does everything in their power to contribute to a welcoming society.

It’s like we were taught in kindergarten: The “golden rule,” the fundamental values that our parents and teachers have ingrained in us from day one are the rules we need to follow now.

Treat everyone with kindness, respect, and understanding. Instead of lashing out at anyone who may either be 1) disagreeing with you or 2) just playing devil’s advocate, you should take a deep breath and remind yourself to have an open mind.

The tolerance we have is unconditional; it cannot stop when you face someone who was not taught the same values when sitting on the brightly colored rug in their Kindergarten classroom. Being a social justice warrior means tolerating all people irrespective of their race, sexuality or political opinions.

Being disheartened by the results of the election is understandable. During his campaign, President Trump mocked people with disabilities, constantly preaches xenophobia, and makes vulgar comments towards women. But claiming that #HesNotMyPresident or that this is #NotMyPresidentsDay will not reverse the pain that his insensitive words have caused.

Now more than ever, we need to advocate for what we believe in and take actions, big or small, to move our communities towards inclusivity.

There is no telling what state this nation will be in as the 2020 election rolls around, but no matter who is America’s leader for the next four years, we all have an opportunity to build up a nation that makes us proud.

As we accept our new title of social justice warriors, who are writing what one could call a rant perfect for a ubiquitous Facebook post, we have seriously considered the place for social justice junkies like ourselves in society. Avoiding your responsibilities by hiding at home, trying to rebuild your recently-popped bubble, will not be productive.

Let’s all take initiative and forge a country where kindness, respect, and understanding prevails.

—Haber attends Harvard-Westlake school in Los Angeles and Perlstein attends Viewpoint School in Calabasas, California.

Video: Protesters chant “free press” at a #notmypresidentsday rally in Los Angeles on Feb. 20, 2017. Video by @kystokes on Twitter. Featured photo: Anti-Trump and pro-Trump supporters face off during a President’s Day protest in New York. Photo by @MatthewDiebel on Twitter. 

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that Haber and Perlstein are both students at Harvard-Westlake.