Did you wake up with swollen eyes this morning? I did.
America is worse off today than it has been at any other point in my lifetime, because voters elected a pumpkin whose insides have been rotted by hate, bigotry and megalomania.
They want him to run this country.
It’s depressing to see how a corrupt circus of an electoral process helped elevate Trump, but institutions continually let us down. It’s most physically gutting to think about how little respect Trump voters ― actual people behind you in the grocery line or beside you on the subway ― have for women, immigrants, Muslims, black people, LGBTQ people, Jews, Sikhs, people with disabilities, or anyone who doesn’t believe white men should have total power once again.
If that doesn’t make your veins pop, your eyes well up, and your hands reach for something to set on fire, please check your pulse.
“America is worse off today than it has been at any other point in my lifetime, because voters elected a pumpkin whose insides have been rotted by hate, bigotry and megalomania.”
A Trump presidency ― still can’t actually believe I’m writing those words ― is the greatest political assault on human decency I’ve ever witnessed, and we should all feel terrified.
Yet today, many people will tell you to ignore your emotions. They’ll tell you to stay positive, to keep fighting the good fight, to you know, donate to Planned Parenthood or the ACLU. You should be productive! Don’t despair.
They’ll remind you of historical battles and the need to never quit. If you have the impulse to leave the country, they’ll tell you to dig your heels in. After all, you can’t change things by running away.
They are right that we need to double down on fighting the prejudice, sexism and xenophobia that led to Trump’s election. But not today.
Today, we should mourn. Grieve. Scream. Bawl. Lose your fucking shit in any way that doesn’t endanger others.
After a tragedy of this scale, we don’t need to return to the field like an injured athlete who refuses to stop playing. We need a time out to process that an evil undercurrent has become our main political pipeline. Trump’s election means many more Americans than expected hate your gender, your religion, your culture. You.
We should be angry or sad or hysterical or whatever. I can’t tell you how to feel, but feel something.
“Trump’s election is a big fat reminder that many people in this country would rather elect a man who brags about sexual assault than the first female president.”
This isn’t some exercise in futility. By indulging our emotions for at least a day, we’ll become stronger fighters. Sorry for the therapist speak, but when people refuse to process trauma, it haunts their daily lives. Instead of channeling their feelings into actions, they walk around in a bitter haze. We need clear strategists, not would-be activists consumed by hate because they refused to punch a pillow or melt into a puddle of tears post-election.
Being angry now will motivate us later. When we exist in progressive bubbles that reinforce our beliefs, it’s easy to be apathetic. For many, the election results were a shock because the journalists we read and the friends we love have been repeating for 19 months that Trump is a monster. Wake up call! As minorities already know, we don’t live in a woke feminist paradise just because Beyonce exists.
Trump’s election is a big fat reminder that many people in this country would rather elect a man who brags about sexual assault than the first female president. They would rather elect a man who wants to ban all Muslims from entering the country than acknowledge the reality that white men are the most common perpetrators of terrorist attacks. They voted for a man who wants to build a wall to keep out Mexican immigrants, yet depends on foreign workers and illegal immigrants to run his resorts and build his towers.
“Being angry now will motivate us later. When we exist in progressive bubbles that reinforce our beliefs, it’s easy to be apathetic.”
In the end, this man wasn’t laughed off the stage. He will be led to the Oval Office. If that makes you angry, take the day, the week or the month to feel upset. Don’t come up with productive solutions or optimistic outlooks. Just stew in these dumpster fire election results and when you’re ready, help fix this broken country.
