This is not the blog post I was hoping to write tonight. This morning, I was filled with optimism. The polls looked good for Hillary Clinton. We were going to elect our first female president. Americans were going to vote responsibly and we would all be ok. Five hours ago, as the tears spilled over, I realized that the night was going in a horrific direction. My heart broke for the promise of a better tomorrow, now smashed beneath the tyrannical boots of fear, hatred, and ignorance. My husband held me as I cried.
A part of me is furious. I am so angry at the older generations who are so terrified that their antiquated version of America is no more that they looked to the most horrific, authoritarian man who promise to turn back the clocks to a time when America was great - if you were a white male, that is. I'm even more angry at the folks who like to pretend that we aren't a two-party system and insist on voting third-party, even if the candidates are unprepared, unqualified, and ignorant. But what good does that anger do?
So here is my demand to my generation - this is our future, our children's future, and it's time for us to step up. We need to stop acting like we are somehow too cool to participate in the democratic process. We need to stop hiding behind cynicism and touting our third-party participation like it's a hipster badge of honor. We know people who are facing deportation. We know people who face discrimination based on their faith, their skin color, their orientation. We know people whose marriages are at risk. We know people who will lose their healthcare. And your protest votes, or "votes of conscience," will not protect them and have, in fact, put them at risk.
It is now on us to protect these communities - we owe it to them. It is time for us to fight for our future and our democracy. Educate yourselves on the past so we stop repeating history. Learn about how our democratic system actually works and how you can work within it to improve it. Get involved in your community. Run for a local office. Organize. Now is the time to shut up and put up. Our future depends on it.
My heart may be broken but my resolve is stronger than ever.
A part of me is furious. I am so angry at the older generations who are so terrified that their antiquated version of America is no more that they looked to the most horrific, authoritarian man who promise to turn back the clocks to a time when America was great - if you were a white male, that is. I'm even more angry at the folks who like to pretend that we aren't a two-party system and insist on voting third-party, even if the candidates are unprepared, unqualified, and ignorant. But what good does that anger do?
So here is my demand to my generation - this is our future, our children's future, and it's time for us to step up. We need to stop acting like we are somehow too cool to participate in the democratic process. We need to stop hiding behind cynicism and touting our third-party participation like it's a hipster badge of honor. We know people who are facing deportation. We know people who face discrimination based on their faith, their skin color, their orientation. We know people whose marriages are at risk. We know people who will lose their healthcare. And your protest votes, or "votes of conscience," will not protect them and have, in fact, put them at risk.
It is now on us to protect these communities - we owe it to them. It is time for us to fight for our future and our democracy. Educate yourselves on the past so we stop repeating history. Learn about how our democratic system actually works and how you can work within it to improve it. Get involved in your community. Run for a local office. Organize. Now is the time to shut up and put up. Our future depends on it.
My heart may be broken but my resolve is stronger than ever.
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