[Disclaimer: Hillary is not perfect, and I don’t suggest she is, but we cannot ignore the danger of what Trump’s win means for minorities, immigrants, women, LGBTI people and many others who have felt the brunt of his and his supporters’ rhethoric, as well as the rhetoric of those who follow and promote the same principles and values globally.]

Herewith the ramblings of an anxious student:

It can be okay.

I was at the LSESU Election Results event at the Student Union, with many of my PPA classmates and hundreds of other students. I watched the mood of the room slowly change from jovial countdowns and cheering to more solemn, and subdued wariness. More and more people left as the results became increasingly undeniable, with only the blindly optimistic or those duty-bound to see the end remaining.

At around 5am they called Florida for Trump and I left, through the rain to return home and field phone calls from friends back home waking up to the reality of an impending Trump victory. Being away from home, in a foreign country at this time can be difficult. Our support structures are reduced, our experiences are different.

Throughout the day my social media feeds have been filled with disbelief, concern, anger and fear, with only the occasional jibe to try make light of this reality (something I myself was not able to muster). Although I had no lectures, I took the day off from academic work to practice self-care and try and manage my anxiety, and the building pressure in my chest as to what this will mean.

The election event was attended by many nationalities, partly due to LSE’s international community, but more pertinently, a reflection of the salience of the American Presidency, and what it means for international policies, politics and values. Trump has undeniably brought out the hidden values of America – all the ‘-ists’ and ‘-phobics’ – Racist, sexist, ableist, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic and so on. These value were ever present, in fact they contribute to the broader structures that govern everyday lives – Patriachy, White Privelege, Heteronormativity, Ciscentricism etc. In the US, in the UK, in Europe and back home in South Africa, these conservative voices stew and fester and bubble up in vitriolic hate, spite and anger when given the first opportunity or validation. For some, Brexit was that validation, for others it is the refugee crisis, for America, it was Trump.

So we need to be better.

This man and his supporters are walking trigger warnings, so practice self-care and protect yourself from these people, and help others to do the same.

So get up, get out, help yourself and help others.

Draw strength from one another, from your favorite artists, poets, musicians, hobbies, places. Rise with Maya Angelou, meditate, have a dance party, make yourself some comfort food, get some exercise, do some yoga, go for a walk in nature (if you can) or in a museum (if that’s your thing), phone your mom (or dad, or gran, or sibling, or cat), cry if you need to. Take faith in the separation of powers, and balance of authority, and checks and balances, and participatory democracy, or in bottom-up development and community based activism.

And then stand up for what you believe is right. Do not tolerate the hate and the bigotry. Do not stand for the discriminatory and the systems that support them. We, as young students of one of the premier academic institutions in the world, are privileged and powerful. As a former mentor once told me, “You are well placed to change the world” – Use this power, challenge the orthodoxy, challenge the structures that allow values like this to flourish, challenge those who are racist and sexist and xenophobic and and and…

Do what makes you happy and help others to do the same, then challenge those who seek to erode the happiness or opportunities of yourself and others.

I don’t know if it’s going to be okay. But it can be. So be okay.

Image credit: © LSE Students’ Union