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Tuesday, November 15, 2016

In the aftermath, what now?

In the aftermath of this election, I don't know what to say or what to do.

I fear that no matter what I say or what I do, I am going to offend someone.

If I point out one side, I will get hammered by the other side.

If I stay silent, I will be accused of complicity.

Right now, I am just drained dry.

For a week, I've had very little to give to anyone.

I do not want to hate or be hateful, but I fear that I will be labeled as a "hater" no matter what I say or what I do.

I don't know what to do in this aftermath of the most contentious Presidential election in my lifetime, and the most stunning upset since "Dewey Defeats Truman".  People are angry, and people are afraid. And nothing anyone says or does seems to calm this fear or this anger.

A Facebook friend said that she didn't think we'd ever heal, and I worry that she's right.

And while I hope I'm wrong, I fear a mass civil disturbance is on its way.  I fear an attack on the President-elect and/or on our country.  I'm not holed up in the house--I won't do that--but I don't think I'm being paranoid by saying that this is what I'm afraid of.

Mentally, I think I was more prepared for a Clinton presidency than a Trump presidency.  Now, my brain is trying to make the shift and it's not doing very well.

My writing is nil at this point.  The story I have been working on, I don't have the gumption to write on right now.  My poor best friend, also a writer, has similar feelings; and she carries a burden that I do not.  She's a caregiver to an elderly relative, and that presents its own challenges.

We are both drained dry.

So, in the aftermath of this election, and in this transition from Obama to Trump, what now?

I don't know.

Just my .04, adjusted for inflation.

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Plot twists, primal screams, and Dewey Defeats Truman

For months, I have been waiting for the last, final plot twist in this unbelievable election season.

I thought the final plot twist was the "locker room" conversation between Donald Trump and Billy Bush where Trump said vile, disgusting things about how he could (and may have) treated women.

Then I thought the final plot twist was the FBI reopening the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails.

But never, never, never, in my thoughts about this election did I think that I was going to write the words I am about to write:

President-elect Donald J. Trump.

Apparently that was the plot twist that I should have been waiting for.

I stayed off of Facebook on Election Day.  Perhaps I should also have stayed off of it today.

Already, people are venting their anger, fear, and frustration.  From the way some people are posting, we're either going to be living in the country of Panem (from The Hunger Games) or the Republic of Gilead (from Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.)

I don't blame people for being concerned.  And I will not say that people shouldn't be angry or feel angry.  I didn't like it when people told me that "God is in control" when an election didn't turn out the way I wanted it, so I am not going to say to anyone now.

Last night, a political pundit on CNN describe the election results as a "primal scream" of the American electorate.  There may be more truth than he realizes.  People are angry, frustrated, and fed up.  People are tired of what they perceive to be an unresponsive government and a government that does not seem to listen to the electorate.

So, when an "outsider" came along who expertly tapped into the anger and frustration that many people feel -- and expertly exploited that same anger -- people turned to him.

Right now, I don't really have the energy to empathize.  I have empathy fatigue.  I'm sure that some rest and a resetting of the brain after this long, tumultuous election season will take away that empathy fatigue.  

But I think I can predict that, when Donald Trump actually does get into the White House, and he is unable/unwilling to do what he promised he would do, the same people who were so enthusiastic about putting him in the White House are going to be the same people that will feel betrayed, and they will be the same people who will start screaming about getting him OUT of the White House in four years.

In the meantime, I'm going to sit back and listen to the so-called experts try and dissect the events of this generation's version of Dewey Defeats Truman.

Just my .04, adjusted for inflation.

Friday, November 4, 2016

"You talkin' to me?"

"You talkin' to me?"

Travis Bickle, played by Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver, asked that iconic question.

Well, I'm not talking to Travis Bickle, or Robert DeNiro, but I am talking to several other people.

Hey, you.

Yeah, you.

I'm talking to you:

Ted Cruz
Mark Levin
Sarah Palin
Rush Limbaugh
Sean Hannity
Bill O'Reilly
Ann Coulter
Newt Gingrich
Franklin Graham

And anyone else who calls themselves "conservative" but who's been willing to sell out their principles for the sake of not putting someone in the White House but for the sake of keeping someone out of the White House.

Hey, you.

Yeah, you.

I'm talking to you.

You have sown the wind.

You will reap the whirlwind.

Just my .04, adjusted for inflation.