Olive Wilde Sees The Election As A "Wake Up Call"

A man who has repeatedly let his bigotry, sexism, and blatant racism be known loud and clear will be the 45th President of the United States. This is what we have with Donald Trump — soon to be President Trump — as president-elect and future Commander in Chief of the United States of America. In this reality that we are all now faced with, Olivia Wilde's post-election "wake up call" tweet rings all too true.

"If we ever thought we had the luxury of NOT living every single day of our lives as activists for peace and justice, this is a wake up call," she tweeted. And the actor — who shared a powerful photo of herself with proud tears in her eyes after voting on Tuesday — is absolutely right: We cannot sit back while injustices are carried out by this soon-to-be president. We cannot be passive in the wake of the shock we are feeling right now. We must take action.

Though she does not explicitly state so in the tweet, Wilde's message is essentially the heart of what privilege is. Privilege is having the luxury not to take action against racism and sexism and injustices committed against minorities in this country because it does not directly affect you. But it should.

Wilde is correct: Let Trump's win be that wakeup call, the one that shakes you to your core and makes you recognize that things need to change. If not for you, then for your family, your friends, your colleagues, your neighbors, and your acquaintances, who are directly affected by this man's words, thoughts, behaviors, and future policies. We need to take a stand, to take action, even just in order to protect the rights that we currently have now.

Here is a list of resources on where to start — and what to do now.