A Saturday night anti-Donald Trump demonstration in front of the president-elect’s new Washington, D.C. hotel brought out the good, the bad and the simply uncalled for.
Images of a protester holding a sign that read, “Rape Melania,” circulated on Twitter that evening, and drew criticism from Trump opponents and supporters alike.
Out of anger spawns hate, but it is simply unacceptable to translate that emotion into targeted threats against the future first lady. And while we are proponents of the First Amendment and therefore, the right to protest, this brutal sign crosses a line.
It’s one thing to peacefully demonstrate. It’s another to incite sexual violence against a woman who did not marry Trump to eventually become first lady. Negativity is destructive no matter the context, and is that what the protestors are really fighting for?
In a recent New York Times op-ed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, he addresses what Democrats can do now that Trump has won. He motivates Americans to take action. The most successful social movements are the ones that have a clear message of what they want, and Sanders asks readers to stand up to Wall Street, demand that big banks invest in small businesses and work to raise minimum wage.
“When we stand together and don’t let demagogues divide us up by race, gender or national origin, there is nothing we cannot accomplish,” he wrote. “We must go forward, not backward.”
The “Rape Melania” sign derails this very idea. To make themselves heard, protesters must continue the momentum of change, not shed a negative light on the movement.
It’s easy to say if you are fighting against an idea or a person. But to the protestors inciting such hatred, what are you actually fighting for?
That being said, people who are angry have a right to be angry. People who have been quiet for so long have a right to be heard. But fighting fire with fire is no way to act, and we believe the anxiety surrounding the election gives no excuse to rouse violence of any kind.
Neither Donald nor Melania Trump were the first Americans to threaten the welfare of minority groups. And although President-elect Trump empowers those who use hateful rhetoric, he’s not totally to blame. America is stronger when it’s united, and discordant signs like the one threatening Melania just add another a crack in the divide.
We admit, following a popular first lady like Michelle Obama makes Melania Trump an easy target. As a woman who probably had no intention of entering the political sphere, former supermodel Melania has already come under fire for her upcoming move to the White House. A New York Post cover from this summer shows a nude photo of Melania with the headline “The Ogle Office” and a sub-headline that said, “You’ve never seen a potential First Lady like this!”
Over the course of Trump’s campaign, Melania’s past has been used against him. Conservatives ran ads with nude photos of Melania’s British GQ shoot to convince Mormons not to vote for Trump. Liberals have unfairly compared her a “classier” Michelle Obama by way of memes and satirical tweets.
Melania has been unfairly covered this cycle, so it’s on us to let her talk, take stances on real-world issues and defend herself against sexist rhetoric. Trump was elected whether we like it or not, and it’s now on us to listen to both him and the first lady.
We must target the issues at hand, not the faces that represent them. Trump’s face will go away, but racism is deeply engrained in our country. Making the country a better place to live in involves more work than yelling profanity at rallies or threatening Melania in a deeply personal and violent way.
As Michelle Obama famously said at the Democratic National Convention in July, “When they go low, we go high.”
And it’s up to America to choose which way we’ll go.
