Is It Over Yet?

It hasn’t even been a month- think about that for a minute. IT HASN’T EVEN BEEN A MONTH, and the scandal of this administration continues to exhaust and infuriate the public at all new levels EVERYDAY. Logging into Twitter, biting your nails, timidly glancing at the screen to read the ‘very smart’ new message the POTUS has so graciously blessed us with on his personal account and then inevitably deflate into a pile of sadness and doubt at his pettiness. 

We’re living in a world of alternative facts and chosen realities, so it’s hard to really make sense of anything or even have civilized conversations when your sources of information are referred to as ‘fake news.’ I mean, the president is taking time out of his day to chastise the very entities that are for the most part just doing their job, which brings me to the circus that was a press conference yesterday.

Seeing how he presented himself was not only disheartening, but embarrassing. Having a political figure behave like a child, insulting reporters and their stations on live television was like watching an absurdist play, but IT WAS REAL. His blatant disregard for minor courtesy is not the only thing one of the many things that truly bothers me. The way he handles questions about the country’s seemingly growing divide is devastating. He basically said that all of these racist provocations are a result of the left perpetuating these attacks in his name, when we all know these people who are drawing swastikas and yelling obscenities at POC are all too real and feeling embolden by President (I shudder writing that) Trump’s lack of acknowledgement or care really for the spiteful language he uses DAILY.

Not to mention the way he spoke to April Ryan, a White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks, when she asked if he made any plans to involve the Black Caucus in his decision-making for his plan on developing inner cities. He proceeded to ask her if she knew them and if she wanted to set up a meeting, and she responded, “No, I’m just a reporter,” instead of a more apropos, “You’re an incompetent racist, bigoted fool, of course I can’t set up that meeting. Contrary to your belief, not all of us black people know each other you piece of sh*t.” In case you missed this incredibly uncomfortably exchange, you can watch it on one of the few networks that have not been accused of reporting ‘fake news.’ Here’s a piece ABC did on this unbelievable interaction. Brace yourself.

Back to President (*faints on keyboard, wakes up*) Trump’s provocative dismissal of responsibility for his ‘fans.’ It’s reminiscent of the way some white people fear or deny that racism exists, so instead of confronting reality, they push the blame elsewhere and/or get defensive. The way he handled that question about the uptick of anti-semitic crime (take a look here if you dare) from Jake Turx, a Jewish reporter with Ami Magazine was exactly that. He even told the reporter to ‘sit down,’ and called him a ‘liar!’ That’s right, folks, we’re dealing with someone so completely unhinged that he cannot face the fact that even though this country has been divided for years, it’s his direct election to power that has tipped the tension into the direction of active violence. Instead of being self reflective and understanding of the fear that anyone who isn’t a rich anglo-saxon male might harbor is real, he rails against the reporter as if the reporter is the enemy and offers absolutely no solace or solution for these violent acts, confirming, to everyone’s terror, that he is willfully out of touch. Can you call him blissfully ignorant? I can’t imagine blissful being used to describe him in any way.

I remember hearing or reading something about the kinds of qualities necessary to make a successful or at least effective president, and one of the traits is self-awareness, which President (*rolls around, spins in circles, sits back down*) Trump severely lacks. I don’t know if he’s aware anyone else is around him really. I imagine all he sees when he closes his eyes is himself, not even darkness. 

The way he refuses to address the division in constructive ways, whines about ‘hard questions,’ blames the media for his mistakes is terrifying to think about when you know he has access to nuclear codes and doesn’t seem to think anything he does is wrong. Troubling doesn’t even begin to describe his actions. We need to ban together more than ever to stop the insanity. I just. I just hope we can.

No More Hiding

Over the last week, while not in a comatose state or gliding through the day encompassed in a cloud of disappointment and silent rage, I began to obsessively scroll through Twitter. 

At first, it was a way to feel good about the massive amounts of people who were just as pissed as I was and voicing their collective disdain for the president. Then I began to parse through replies that were, plainly, devoid of logic. As I mentioned in an earlier post and more recently, I’m at a loss of how so much of this nation can be blinded by someone who’s entire campaign has been nothing but an unapologetic attack on people of color, LGBTQ communities, women, and really anyone who isn’t rich. His executive orders reflect this alarming dismissal of humanity and what I was hoping would be a four year stint of hotheaded talk and no action is starting to look like an impending, inevitable hellscape. I should rephrase that, I was never really at a loss, because that’s just naive. I’m more appalled and overwhelmingly frustrated.

The upside is there has been so much unity as a result of this common fury spawned by an unwieldy emotionally disturbed, leathery man-child, but there’s also been an intense, palpable division of the people who voted for Trump and those who didn’t. I’m starting to think this separation is not necessarily a bad thing, but something to be considered as we move forward as a country and figure out ways to heal the gaping wound this celebrity villain has exacerbated. 

I, for one, would like to know how this can happen. Healing. I’ve written about it before - this seething hatred or prejudice or what have you that prevents the acceptance of reality and promotes the belief in “alternative facts” and justifies shiftlessly falling behind grandstanding human dumpster fires. It’s either this, or other individuals simply don’t care about anything except the bottom line, so their allegiance to the country won’t go beyond their pockets. How do we get these obdurate and uncompromising rednecks people to see that what this man is doing is not only hurting every American, including themselves, but can potentially (and has already) hurt the rest of the world? It enrages me how stubborn people are. Not to mention exhausting to see these arguments defending this pool of orange bile.

Which brings me back to the glaring division, that may not necessarily be a bad thing. I mean, opposition is how we got to this place of mobilizing and organizing against the dark lord enemy administration. And it does add fuel to the fire when you see positively outrageous actions and claims made by the LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD. I dunno, something like possibly launching an investigation into “all the illegal votes” that must’ve been cast, since the Orange Wonder didn’t win the popular vote, or, I dunno, talking about the inaugural crowds in front of a CIA memorial and just weeks before comparing them to Nazis. 

It is no mistake that we’re living under unprecedented rule and every day has the potential to be been more heinous than the last and this division is causing tension, but in the grand scheme, it’s also helping sculpt our future (if there even is going to be one at this point), in a way that hasn’t been done in a very long time. More than ever, citizens are becoming involved with the political process and the dream the forefathers had for the US is coming into fruition (kind of- ya know, cuz most of them were slave owners and mega racist). The division is what’s making people pick up phones, donate money to great causes, and volunteer for amazing organizations. No one is letting anything dubious Tiny Hands does go unchecked. Our society is slowly but surely becoming more “woke.”

My only real worry about the division in this country is on a more granular level, in friendships and families, among classmates and coworkers. The division gets uncomfortable and hard to maneuver when in such close proximities. Obviously, people aren’t so uncivilized they can’t share a space with someone who has completely different views than the other, but seeing your coworker casually peruse Breitbart or mention their excitement for the Cheeto’s “next big decision” can be downright tough or ya know, the opposite. I have no idea what annoys the other side besides facts and logic. Hm, probably me saying that. 

So even if Timmy-talkative the co-worker and crazy-Aunt Jane are baffling loyal Trump supporters, the majority of the country is on your side. Proud, self-proclaimed ‘deplorables,’ and others continuing to avidly support this scary regime help everyone else identify those who won’t fight for the freedom of their countrymen and would gladly step on the backs of their neighbors for a little bit of prosperity. It’s good to know. There’s no more hiding. 

**Note** I posted this a few days ago, but thought it was a little too harsh. Then the next few days happened and now IDGAF. Plus, it’s Black History Month, so I’m not going to silence myself to make people comfortable. Even though I have very strong feelings about this 'celebration,’ as I feel it’s a direct insult to my culture and heritage because black history is and forever will be apart of American history, it’s still important to remember all of the people who came before me and refused to be silent or compromise their ideals for a society that continues to be unjust to POC.

Help Me Understand

It has been 70 days since the most depressing presidential election I’ve ever experienced and there has been no reprieve from the glaringly unstable president elect’s ability to frighten and disappoint on a large scale.

As his inauguration quickly approaches to the utter surprise and disgust of most of the country, people are continuing to battle for their voice and remain angry in protest to, frankly, TRY to stand up against a lying racist no, def racist, fascist narcissist that is relentlessly threatening our freedoms. In all of this, he still has a vicious staunch following that believe his lies so wholeheartedly that any hint of dissension unleashes a reign of despicable fury, a litany of personal insults that makes you question whether or not this aggression is coming from something deeper than a desire to defend an ideal, but is really a culmination of compounded hatred and blind selfishness that leads to the hapless belief in policies in direct opposition to their own interests. Not to mention these assaults are usually led by the president elect.

I listened to a podcast today, (shout out to Pod Save America!) and was able to (kind of) understand where some of this frustration comes from. There can be an air of superiority that liberals have when it comes to discussing conservatives that can be off-putting and stratifying. Calling Trump supporters classless and stupid are not great ways to garner traction to change minds, but then again, I guess that’s not really the point at this juncture. The right has alarmingly made up its mind to house and support white supremacy, and ignore the plea of thousands to rethink disrupting Obamacare- just to name a few indiscretions. At this point, the priority is to protect the republic and defend ourselves from the inevitable onslaught of bigotry that is going to find its way into law. A vast majority of the country has made it abundantly clear that we will not walk quietly into the night, while this incoming administration attempts to steamroll, crush, and diminish our rights.

There’s just a piece of me that wants to believe people can change. In the right context, under the right circumstances, truth can prevail against a despot. Alas, this election has chipped away at that hope and I am resigned to believe no amount of fact or the witness of actual events will change the minds of the white America that is so wrapped up in an identity that is based on ostracizing and belittling “The Other” while turning a blind eye to an emerging government that cares nothing to little about democracy (or their wellbeing) and everything about money. 

To those people who will seemingly never see the dark side of this presidency: 

How can you so intensely follow someone who wants to MAGA for the upper class no matter the cost to the rest of the American people? Why can’t you see you’re being duped?