Donald Trump You are Right, the System IS Rigged

Yes, Donald, the system is rigged. Only, not in the way you say it is.

The system is rigged against those about whom you say terrible things.

The system is rigged against the immigrant as he tries to build a better life in this country, a safer more prosperous life, without the social capital you have to help him along the way.

The system is rigged against the disabled woman who lives in a world not designed for where, where people fear her physical or mental difference and she must navigate an uncharted path that somehow meets her needs.

The system is rigged against the young man of color who is seen as a lazy criminal because of what he looks like and the neighborhood in which he lives, and he must constantly defend himself against stereotypical judgments, implicit and explicit.

The system is rigged against the woman who, though a better person than most, stands in the shadow of a man, always second best, but never giving up and exhausted from the struggle.

These folks are tired. They have been fighting for decades to get us to where we are today. They are heartbroken that we have now jumped so far backward and must fight those battles again instead of progressing further. But their heartbreak will turn into anger. And their anger will turn into action. And, ironically, the system you say is rigged may soon be broken for good.

The system is NOT rigged against you.

The system was designed by and for wealthy white men like you, men who inherit fortunes and have all the influence money can buy.

The system was designed by and for people with skin like yours, white skin, who have been the majority and have created laws to protect their “tribe” from their enemies, both real and imagined.

The system was designed by and for people with your genitalia, who have used force, the law, and subtle methods to maintain control over the second sex.

One of the things this election has made painfully clear is that America is not yet ready to destroy our rigged system and replace it with something better. Something more equitable, more compassionate, more just.

Voters supported you, Donald, because they think they want change. But that is not true. The want more of the same old rigged system.

But they will soon realize that they are on the losing side of history and cannot stop our rigged system for collapsing under its own weight.

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore Flickr via Compfight cc

 

Lauren Halsted

Lauren Halsted Burroughs teaches English at Cuyamaca Community College in San Diego, CA. She began her career in writing as an editorial assistant at Surfing Girl Magazine almost two decades ago, and has worked as a journalist, grant writer, online content writer, and has dabbled in research and academic publishing. She is happiest when spending time with her two young children, family, and friends and/or playing in the ocean.

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Lauren Halsted Burroughs teaches English at Cuyamaca Community College in San Diego, CA. She began her career in writing as an editorial assistant at Surfing Girl Magazine almost two decades ago, and has worked as a journalist, grant writer, online content writer, and has dabbled in research and academic publishing. She is happiest when spending time with her two young children, family, and friends and/or playing in the ocean.

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