I didn’t know I was a racist until I read it in the papers. Hillary would call me Islamophobic for wanting immigrants to be vetted. That makes me so mad. As a university professor who also believes in the American dream, I want immigrants to come into this country, contribute and prosper. But the terrorists know that we don’t vet. Nor am I a misogynist for voting for a guy who talks a certain way in private.

Rather, I’m a realist who thanks God there hasn’t been a camera following me around my whole life. I’m also a feminist. My generation went through women’s lib together. I want a woman president! But I don’t want a president because she’s a woman.

I’m a professor. I was at a conference when a woman told me to check my white privilege. What? She knew nothing about me other than the way I looked. Doesn’t that make HER a racist? In their mandatory “diversity” course at my university, my students are being taught that if they are white then they should feel white guilt. And it’s not just my university. We must be able to have open conversations in my profession without being called deplorable. If someone asks any of the “wrong” questions about race, they’re branded a racist, and their career can be over. I’ve seen it.

I’m an artist and PhD. But wait a minute, I thought only uneducated white men voted for Trump! Not so. I’m socially liberal and fiscally conservative. I hate the stereotypes of Trump voters. In almost every social setting I find myself in I am insulted by arrogant people who assume that everyone agrees with their politics, when I would never have the gall to assume the same. Trump wasn’t the perfect candidate, but he was the only option in my mind, and I believe if people will give him a fair chance, there is hope for the country.

© 2017 Jayne Riew. All Rights Reserved.