This is not a time for hand-shaking and let’s-see-what-happens. This is not a time to question the truth of Trump’s words or his ability to accomplish exactly what he said. Underestimating Trump was what got us here in the first place. The evidence for this is in fascist history. More: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CxAvyihVIAAHlZ5.jpg (source @khanoisseur).

So what does this mean for you? If you’re not helping, if you’re not all in — get out of the way for those of us who are. Do not police those on the left or tell them to calm down. In 2009, the Tea Party emerged in response to Obama’s 2008 election. This energizing of the radical right culminated in the election of Trump. An equal volume of outcry in response to this is required if we seek to shift the current status quo.

2. Stop equating leftists to the alt-right.

They are not the same thing, at all. Stop equating the morality of the two groups. While the alt-right aims to uphold white supremacy and restrict basic rights, leftists vehemently fight to uphold rights and dismantle systems of oppression.

3. We cannot rely on the Democrats to save us.

They failed us when they suppressed an energizing, solutions-oriented candidate in favor of an establishment, scandal-ridden candidate. Instead of listening to the warnings of progressives, they catered to the neoconservatives and isolated themselves into an elitist echo chamber. Sure, we can promote Sanders, the one Democratic leader in this chaos right now, but to rely solely on the system to save us is a huge gamble and myopic. I do not know the solutions any more than you do, but I will say it’s time to look outside the box and get creative, or at the very least be open-minded to those who are. (Look into joining your local antifa. For ATX, https://facebook.com/redguardsaustin, https://facebook.com/atxresists).

4. Yes, Trump supporters overlooked racism and sexism, but this will not help us in moving forward.

No, it is not excusable. But to move forward, we must seriously take into consideration the reasons that caused so many supporters to overlook Trump’s bigotry and address them. We need to address the concerns of the white AND non-white working class and the reasons for low voter turnout. Right now, blaming anything but the Democratic Party for their tone deafness is a waste of time.