So, here we are. President-elect Trump. It happened. Most of us – myself included – did not see this one coming.
America has elected a man who thinks nothing of bragging of sexual assault. Who boasted of paying no taxes, thus shifting the burden to those of us without the same access to loopholes. A man who has promised to deport 11 million people trying to survive in this country. A man who promised to build a wall on our Southern border. Who has said that foreign and domestic policy will be delegated to his extremist vice president. Who has suggested a religious test for people wanting to enter this country.
We’ve just handed the nuclear codes to a game show host who couldn’t even be trusted with his own Twitter account.
People are scared, and with good reason.
So What Do We Do Now?
First, we grieve. We grieve for a country that has shown itself to be much more racist, bigoted, xenophobic, and misogynistic than we thought it was. Take time for self-care, because we’re all going to need it. A dear friend of mine has said, in her dealings with grieving people, “Feel your feelings, feel them fully and deeply…the only way out of the emotional fire is through.” It’s OK to grieve.
Next, we steel ourselves against the inevitable gloating that has already begun with cries of “Get over it!” We remember that we have people we love who cannot simply “get over it” because they’re feeling literally and viscerally threatened right now. Those of us who have privilege (and yes, I count myself in that group) need to do what we can to protect the more vulnerable members of our society who are actually, and with good reason, frightened for their lives right now. Remember to hold those you love close. Reach out to those you love who may be feeling particularly threatened.
And finally, as the dust settles on this dark day, we keep fighting the good fight. Hate may have won the battle last night, but the war soldiers on. The war to move us forward, for equity, for justice – that fight is not over. If anything, this setback – and yes, it’s a major one – should put a fire in the belly of every progressive. Trump is not the cause of the sickness we see in this country; he is the result.
The Fight Starts NOW
There were silver linings in last night’s election. The election of Tammy Duckworth. The ousting of Joe Arpaio. Catherine Cortez Masto’s win in Nevada. They’re few and far between, but some good came of last night. And, worthless though it may be as it pertains to the actual election outcome, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote last night.
There is no getting around it – this is a dark day in America. But we cannot just slink into our cocoons and hide. We cannot put our heads in the sand and wait for it to all be over.
We must fight like hell against the black cloud we see on the horizon right now. Prove to the country and to the world that we are better than this.
Wands up.
Order Of The Phoenix, mount up pic.twitter.com/ZWrZ8M0lAy
— ?♀️An-hell-ica,?♀️Elvira…and FREDDY?♂️ (@Lin_Manuel) November 9, 2016
Featured Image by John M. Cropper via Flickr under a CC BY-NC 2.0 license
