Correction: We are not all doomed.

Yes, that’s right. After some reflection and serious scolding from a senior columnist, I wanted to admit that fact.

We are, however, stupid to think that we can predict what Donald Trump will do or enact once he is president. All we can safely assume is that his actions and words for the last 18 months should not simply be thrown away because he is now the president-elect.

On the contrary, Trump’s rhetoric has been clear. Now add to that the voices that want to see him make all of his campaign promises come true. You will slowly realize that we are surely not doomed, but we are all walking on thin ice — especially minorities whose Trump’s win will most affect them.

It is maddening to have to accept and now call Trump my president. It is more maddening to be told that the anger and resentment I hold now is why Hillary Clinton lost.

All are affected

Most people felt that Trump would lose, including many on top of the conservative mountain like Ben Shapiro. Calling out our ignorance just amplifies yours. Claiming that we lost because we labeled white America as intolerant and racist is so incredibly stupid.

We lost for a lot of reasons. Saying that racism exists and is a problem is not one of them.

A Trump presidency will absolutely affect the American people. To say otherwise is childish.

Look at how much President Barack Obama has done since he’s been in office. When is the last time a president has affected your life? Well, according to many conservatives, our current president has ruined a lot of America and the middle class on a daily basis.

I can tune in to Fox News right now, and I will get a day filled with how much Obama has affected the working, white American middle class.

Trump isn’t even in office, and we are already feeling a change in the country’s pulse. Days after his election, we have seen reports of hate crimes all over the country involving Muslims, Hispanics and other minorities. Although some may be fabricated, some — if not most — are likely true.

So what about these people? They don’t matter to you, right? Probably just another social justice warrior that tried to seek safe spaces and will get over his little attack that in the grand scheme of things does not matter.

They do matter. One person turns into hundreds and then thousands. Laugh all you want, but I won’t sit here and pretend like it isn’t happening because it makes you’re uncomfortable, or you don’t think it is a big deal.

The truth is, for white American males seeking a college education or have recently graduated, you probably will be just fine. Don’t think for a second, however, that these things don’t have the potential to affect the people around you.

Trump may be too lazy to act like a Republican in the White House, but he has surrounded himself with politicians who will push him. They will ensure that he is nowhere near the lame-duck president some think he may be.

Alt-right into the White House

I can sit here and give you a laundry list of reasons why people like Mike Pence, Rudy Giuliani and Newt Gingrich will absolutely influence Trump. But I will just focus on one: Stephen Bannon.

Trump, in all his wisdom, has chosen the executive chairman of Breitbart News to be his chief strategist.

What can I say about this man that hasn’t already been said? Not much, but to ensure our readers know all the facts, let’s dive in.

Bannon is a deplorable man who thinks his genes (race) are superior to mine. He has also been accused of domestic violence that was dismissed because the victim, his then-wife, did not show up to trial. He is a known conspiracy theorist who is the de facto leader and representative of the alt-right.

This is just a scratch of the surface with Bannon, who has an undeniable and lengthy history of racism, bigotry and xenophobia.

The alt-right can claim that they don’t know who they are and they are just trying to get a rise out of people on the internet, but I am not that stupid and neither is the country.

Even Bannon said that racists and bigots flock to the alt-right.

“Look, are there some people that are white nationalists that are attracted to some of the philosophies of the alt-right? Maybe. Are there some people that are anti-Semitic that are attracted? Maybe. Right? Maybe some people are attracted to the alt-right that are homophobes, right? But that’s just like, there are certain elements of the progressive left and the hard left that attract certain elements,” Bannon said.

The last part of this quote must be a joke. Sure, there are racists and homophobes on both sides, but the alt-right caters to these ideals and embraces them.

Yes, I should calm down when the living embodiment of the alt-right movement is moving into the White House and placing his seat right next to Trump, right? I am sorry, but I don’t have the luxury of calming down.

Sure, Trump won’t be able to make drastic changes to current laws right away, but saying he can’t do anything is just not knowing how democracy works and ignoring Republican Party’s power for at least the next two years.

There are some people who can calm down and see how it goes. Not me and not millions of Americans, however, who care about equality and social justice — even if you don’t.

Correction: Steve Bannon is Donald Trump’s Chief Strategist not Chief of Staff as this column previously stated.

Opinion editor Frank Campos is a media production senior and can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

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“Sorry, I don’t have the luxury to calm down about Trump” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar