We have set the clock
back hundreds of years this time around. Anyone who disagrees has not yet
realized the full impact of their decision. They ignored all of the warning
signs. They ignored the racist and bigoted remarks. They ignored the
misogynistic remarks. They ignored the call for violence against those who
disagree at rallies. They ignored the blatant ignorance of the Constitution or
the Bill of Rights, yet they are against the very notion of amending either to
exclude the electoral college which is responsible for the election of not just
this pussy-grabbing tyrant, but the election of others who should also never
have been in office. How can we call this a democracy when the popular vote,
the voice of the citizens, is largely ignored time and time again? I have heard
the arguments in favor of this elected person whom I will never refer to as my
President or Commander in Chief. None of these arguments is as strong as the
reasons he should never have been given this opportunity. When all is said and
done, his erratic and immature behavior, and his inability to properly run a
business let alone a country, will have grabbed us all by the pussy, even if we
don’t have one, and raped us with utmost violence.
Perhaps these people
feel that this rhetoric does not apply to them. Perhaps they are completely
blind to the hate crimes and violence that has already begun to take place
since the election and which actually began months before. Perhaps they figure
that it will be like the 1950s when it was just certain groups of people, whose
power for retaliation was severely limited at the time, that were being
targeted, not them. Perhaps they wish to go back even further to the time when
it was legal to hold slaves. We still have slavery, and many of those slaves
are women. If you are a woman, or have a mother, a sister, a girlfriend, a wife…this
applies to you.
I left Facebook four
days ago because I just could not handle the plethora of stories about Blacks,
Mexicans and Muslims being targeted and women being quite literally grabbed by
the pussy by boys who, thanks to Trump, consider this to now be acceptable
behavior. I stopped watching the news. Yet, despite this, I am still aware of what
is going on in the world. You would have to lock yourself in a closet to be
completely oblivious. So, assuming that these Trump supporters have not locked
themselves in a closet, they are not oblivious to the things that he said or
the ways in which he is ill-suited for the office of President. They have just
chosen to ignore all of the above in favor of what they perceive will be
different or better about this person. They tell me to not be afraid of what I “think”
will happen. I say to them, I am afraid of what is already happening.
I used to enjoy the
advantage of a white-privilege bubble; not because I am white, but because I look white. Women used to enjoy the
advantage of living in a world where it was still largely frowned upon to hit
or be violent towards women. I am not so dumb as to believe that violence
toward women never happened – I know it did – I have experienced it – but it
was not socially acceptable. Now it is. Trump has legitimized it in much the
same way he has legitimized racism and bigotry. I was attacked at a bank by a
white male who felt it was fine to just cut in front of me in line, nearly
taking off my front bumper in the process. I was somehow out of line for
honking at him and flipping him off. His thinking: I am a white male in a big
truck and I am entitled to do whatever the hell I want. My thinking: you
entitled piece of shit. His words: “I don’t care if you are a woman. That doesn’t
mean shit to me.” You, your wife, your mother, your sister don’t mean shit to
people like this. I had a knife on me this day, but it was buried in my purse
somewhere. It can’t protect me against angry white men buried in my purse
somewhere. I have carried my knife on my person every day since.
Just about every day,
at some point during the day, I can be seen in public with a Mexican at my
side. I will not change this, not even now. I want him there. He has every
right to be there and I have every right to be with whomever I want. We get
dirty looks. We experience people walking away from us because they don’t want
to be near him. He hears a lot of stupid comments by ignorant people. He has
recently been stalked by a group of people meaning to do him harm. I was told
by a former co-worker that I should stick to my own race and age group. He was
shocked when I told him I did. I am so white that I am vitamin D deficient and
probably should spend a little more time in the sun. My father . . . my
biological father . . . is even darker skinned than him and many of my extended
family are different shades of brown. I fear for the safety of every single one
of them.
Right now the White
House, the Senate and the House are ruled by Republicans, many of which have
legitimized a climate of white supremacy. These white supremacists have a rude
awakening coming. Right now they feel legitimized. Right now they feel safe.
The time will come however, when those groups of people they seek to oppress
(persons of color, the LGBTQ community, women) will rise up and strike back. Do
not mistake my warning for advocacy. This is the reality of the situation. They
will strike back and then NO ONE will be safe. The only way to change this is
to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. We cannot continue to
legitimize a social climate of hate. We need to stand up against those people
who embrace hatred and let them know that it will not be tolerated. Hold each
other accountable. In the meantime, while we seek to reverse this massive
setback in our progress, stay vigilant, be safe, defend yourselves and one
another and love deeply.
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