Around me in the US

Before you read on, I wanted to establish that the contents of this post are not my personal view, but really a commentary on what I hear and see with people at work or my American friends.

Here's a way to think about it and process the US election for Indian folk: Watching from close sidelines here, it felt like Hillary is the Sonia Gandhi of America, and Trump (perhaps) a Vijay Mallya?

Who would you vote for in India, if those were your choices?

The reality I intended to convey is that while it seems obvious from a distance that no one sensible should vote for Trump, if we were in the same situation, it might have been tough to make the choice.

America is not what most think it is. As with all countries, it has its own problems. The big cities have a humongous homeless problem. And, the folks in the small towns make a fraction of the income that the city dwellers do. Over the years, the disparity in income has become very evident and people are not happy.

For the poor, having food on the table and shelter over their head is all they care about. They don’t have the luxury to think about misogyny or racism as problems. They care only for change in the state they are in, and, Trump seems like a messiah who will bring the change. Moreover, Trump’s not a politician, so people trust him (think of it like AAP and Kejriwal when he started out first).

But as you would expect, there is a lot of outrage over the results in California. A colleague of mine came to work the day after the election unslept and quite teary. She was shocked as was the rest of the office. The Trump win had shook her very core and she said that it felt good to come to work and spend time around people instead of staying at home and feeling sorry for the state of affairs.

Another colleague sent an email right after the election results came out.

Excerpts below:

“This may seem as a very petty reaction to the election, but please be sensitive to the fact that the people who were elected represent hate towards my lifestyle, my race, my values, and everything that makes up who I am (chosen and not chosen).

I feel I need to defend this decision, but i am sure I am preaching to the choir here...

I will be available on all typical channels, and will be able to attend all my meetings…”

The same colleague deleted his facebook account because he was “done” with all the election discussion. In conclusion, I suspect most Americans, like him, are fed up with election talk. And, as with all things, this hullabaloo is bound to settle down in a few weeks and everyone will have to accept him as their President whether they like it, or not.

-- Nupur