I don't think I have anything that has already been said, and probably better, by someone else. But after months of saying, "It'll all be fine" I guess I can't stand the idea of sitting around and continuing to pretend everything is ok. I feel incredibly naive for my opinion up until I awoke on Wednesday morning, because I truly believed that this was not a possibility.
I believed that the fact that Trump had come so far was because no one thought he could make it and they weren't taking it seriously. I thought when the time came to vote, people would wake up and he'd lose in a massive landslide that proved he never should have been there all along.
I believed that third party votes would be at an all-time high. I don't necessarily agree with all the criticism of Clinton, but it's an opinion I can understand and respect, and if you'd rather vote third party, I'm all for it. Show the government that we want more options and that the two party system is broken!
But that's not what happened. Not at all. Third parties combined took maybe 4%. So all these people whining about, "We don't have any good options" did what exactly? Just didn't choose anyone? Wrote in bullshit Internet memes. As Alyssa put it, "spat on the right to participate in democracy that not 100 years ago women were being jailed in their fight for."
I understand that people were upset. I understand the desire to protest what you feel weren't good options. But sitting by and doing nothing and allowing this to happen? Yeah, I'm sad and more than a little disgusted that that was how people chose to deal with the situation. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing."
I'm also astounded at the sheer number of people who actively voted for hate. Who listened to Trump's platform of misogyny, xenophobia, and racism and thought, "Yeah, that's what I want for our country." Who listened to bullshit promises about building a wall that Mexico will pay for, and thought that not only was that a good idea, but that he has/will have any power to deliver on that promise.
I shouldn't have to explain to anyone why Trump is not a good candidate. I seriously thought he was making that perfectly clear all by himself over the last year. But obviously there are a significant portion of Americans who look at all this hatred, this incompetence, and this fountain of empty promises and think, "Well, at least it's not a woman." People who legitimately think that an email scandal is the equivalent of or worse than sexual assault charges, and that experience ranks less highly than "speaking your mind."
As a woman, it feels like a personal blow to me, even though I'm sure that's not what was running through people's heads when they were voting for Trump (with the possible exception of his KKK endorsers). I'm sure everyone who happens to be a minority, immigrant, and/or Muslim feels the same way.
I've been reading posts like Jana's about what this means to their children. People with biracial or minority children who have to explain the logic that went into this man getting elected. How to explain that the bully won, and that our country chose him. I saw a news clip from last night that said, "This is white supremacy at work." And you know what? I don't disagree. She points out Trump's winning strategy: finding all the pockets of hate and fear in our country and whipping them into a frenzy. Our mistake? Underestimating how many and how large those pockets are. Trump's slogan should not be "make American great again" it should be "make white male America great again." But only if you don't happen to be a contractor or small business owner, because then he'll skin you alive to make a quick buck.
I'm trying not to be bitter. Sad yes, and bewildered, and scared. But I know bitterness and anger, disgust and more hatred aren't going to help. I was prepared to bury my head in the sand and pretend this wasn't happening, for the next 4 years if need be. But then I saw a few people's rallying cry. Yes, it's a huge blow, but we need love more than ever. We need each other more than ever. Michael shared a great tweet at the end of her post, "Often our greatest courage is just getting up after a long night & persisting in doing good for others, serving, helping & never giving up." Audrey Louise reminded us that Trump's America isn't hers and extended her love to all those who might be feeling the lack right now.
My favorite post is my sister's, which I've screen captured to give her some semblance of privacy.
I'm a little ashamed that my first impulse was to run and hide but now, reluctantly, and perhaps begrudgingly, I'm admitting these people are right. Giving up on our country, escaping to Canada, or burying our heads in the sand for the next 4 years aren't going to help anything.
As hard as it is right now, I'm not deleting my news feeds or social media accounts. I might refuse to discuss politics in person but I am sure as hell going to keep educating myself on the issues and voting, even when it feels pointless. I'm going to research until I figure out how the primaries work and what I have to do to be allowed to vote in them, even though sometimes it feels like the government is purposely obfuscating information about our election process. And if you're a vote-abstainer, I am going to give you shit until you go get registered.
Inaction and apathy are the two things our country really can't take any more of right now.
