I have convinced myself over the last few months that I really don’t know enough about politics to write about it (and honestly didn’t want to join the fray). That said, considering the history that might possibly be made tonight along with the fact that I have never educated myself about politics more than I have during this election cycle, I called BS on my Debbie Downer self talk and decided to check off today’s NaBloPoMo post with a little politics. Just a little.
First, I am sick of politics. I’m sick of political ads, I’m sick of hearing about the candidates, I’m sick of the angry (and countless other negative descriptors) people who have been emboldened by the Republican candidate, and I’m sick of the anxiety that folks are experiencing due to all of this chaos.
I force myself to counter those sick feelings with gratitude that I live in a country that allows me to participate in the political process. It’s not like that everywhere. I need to embrace that gratitude, as annoying as this entire cycle has been.
Full disclosure: I voted for Hillary Clinton. I voted for her for many reasons, and two of the most important ones to me are the value she places on America being a country for all people (not just white, upper-class males) and the fact that she really is the most qualified person for the job of President of the United States. That she happens to be a woman would make a victory super cool for historical purposes, and while I didn’t vote for her based on her gender, it is WAY past time for America to have a female leader, so I’m excited about that possibility. For many reasons, I’m with her.
Are there problems with her? Yes. There are problems with all political candidates. Her opponent has more problems than she does though, and they are problems that I consider to be detrimental to the good of our people, our country, and the world at large. That’s why I didn’t vote for him. That’s my right.
I think that, as wonderful as social media is in so many ways, it has done some damage to our political process (and other things as well, but let me stay focused here). Can you imagine how much dirt would have been dug up and how much chaos would have ensued in general over every single other presidential candidate in the past, had social media and the information on the internet had been at our fingertips as it is today? Being someone who works in and on social media and therefore also being someone who is unable to take a break from it for very long, I feel that social media is brutal in times like these. Some days I hate social media.
I also believe that the lack of access to social media and/or the lack of desire to be on social media for people in those categories works detrimentally as well: so many uninformed and uneducated voters. I wish there was a happy medium.
No matter who wins tonight–or tomorrow, depending on how things go because the counts are coming in thatclose–I want to know where we go from here. If Hillary wins, it’s going to be a tough four (to eight) years because Republicans are already committing to getting in her way so she doesn’t get anything done, starting with that Supreme Court appointment. (P.S. Note to U.S. Government: DO YOUR FREAKING JOB FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, THANKS.)
If Trump wins, it’s going to be a tough four years because our country might go back by 50+ years civil rights-wise, and that’s just the beginning; I’m not going to list the rest. No matter who wins, we aren’t going to be able to simply shove all of the hate and vitriol back into the box. We have a divided country and it’s my hope that we can come together and deal with all of that: united we stand, divided we fall.
