not okay

Dear readers,

I'm still going about my daily life, but it doesn't feel normal. This is the case for many people around me, too. I work with college students, some of which are devastated and frightened.

I've still been knitting, though I swear I might scream if I read one more blog post from far away corners of the country and the globe about how we can find solace in stitching. That's fine for my own personal therapeutic benefits, but I don't think starting another sock - though I did just that today - is doing anyone much good besides just me. I keep my hands busy so I don't lose my grip, that's all.

I don't hide my political opinions here, nor do I think I should. In fact, I can't stand it when someone claims to be "apolitical" because the truth is, public policy affects every single damn one of us, and anyone who claims to be apolitical signals to me that he or she is a person privileged enough to ignore it. Which is infuriating.

The president-elect is a horrifying man who represents the worst of America. I will not accept his rhetoric or his policies and I will do everything I can to fight them. Shame on everyone who voted this racist into office and don't even try to tell me it's the economy. The only thing Trump has ever been consistent about in his decades of public life is his disdain for women, minorities and immigrants; a vote for him was a vote for institutional discrimination no matter how you try to spin it.  (I have yet to see a black analyst try to explain away Trump's racist comments, and that should tell you something.)

Thank you, Jamelle Bouie, for putting the above into words so much better than I can.

Thank you, Van Jones, for calling out media pundits for their complicity in this whole mess.

Thank you to Whitney, whose eloquent, beautiful post inspired my own clumsy one today.

Thank you to every citizen who will stand up tall and refuse to accept Donald Trump as normal.

This is not okay. Will we be okay? Perhaps, but only if we face the road ahead of us and know that there is a lot of work to do.

I'm still angry. And if you're paying attention, you should be, too.

Gritting my teeth in solidarity with the struggle,
Susan

Comments

Unknown said…
I'm still in the process of gathering my wits too. I've appreciated your Instagram posts a lot. I was a historian in a previous life, and now that I see the voting breakdowns the election makes a lot of sense to me. The people who have been left behind for generations have spoken. They'll be sadly and grievously disappointed, which to me is the saddest thing about the next four years. I'm thinking hard about what actions I can take and which groups I will give my limited resources to. So much damage can be done in the next four years, and every morning I wake up frightened and almost paralyzed. Knitting is how I get myself through the paralysis and into action. Everyone is still reeling, and so far all I see in my inbox is requests for money. But it's not clear to me that money alone will be enough. We need to find ways to address the economic issues that lie behind the votes of so many Republicans. And we white feminists need to get out of our bubbles and connect with other social movements. I keep thinking of the T-shirt that I saw so often in graduate school decades ago of many little fish swimming in the shape of a great big fish. I appreciate your thoughtful posts and wish we lived closer! I'm sure we'd be great allies.
4:10 AM
Unknown said…
Wonderful post. I completely agree with the point you made about the privilege required to be "apolitical". I hope that what has happened in this country will spur people towards more active involvement, because distasteful as politics may be to some, it is what shapes *all* of our lives.
7:04 AM
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