Experiencing major grief and disbelief today. Fear, hopelessness, anxiety, depression - a nasty cornucopia of emotion. Like lots of people, I'm struggling to understand how this has happened. I was shocked. I've been worried Trump would win since he dominated the primaries, but yesterday during the day I was buoyed and hopeful. And the reason why defines what this election was about.
Yesterday my social media feeds (yes I'm using Facebook to make this point) were brimming with Hillary supporters decked in their pantsuits casting their ballots. Polls and statistics and extremely intelligent people gave her a 72% chance of winning the presidency. My office was enthusiastically imagining President Clinton creating history and my own self was reflecting on the gravity of being able to vote for a female candidate.
Turns out that is a bubble. My America is not the majority's America. I am utterly ignorant of who lives in this country. This election has taught us that hatred runs deep in the vocal majority of Americans. Hatred of those with any difference, hatred that was given a voice, a platform, justification, and reinforcement by Donald Trump.
I am scared. I am slightly scared for myself. After all this new President has audaciously bragged about sexually assaulting women and nonetheless received millions of votes, presumably from people who deem that behavior acceptable, heck, maybe even encouraged given how rampant sexism and violent tones permeating this campaign. So that could happen, but all in all, I shouldn't be too fearful of my future. I'm not an ethnic minority, Jewish, disabled, or an immigrant. My upper-middle class white husband and I will be fine.
But there are millions of people who won't be. No one has a clue what this crazed demagogue is going to do once he takes office. He has made it clear that he has no respect for a large portion of this country's residents. I fear for them. I fear for what that makes us, what that makes this country. I fear the idea that hatred has prevailed. And that the hatred is a result of our education system that has fooled these millions of people into thinking they can only care for themselves by forcing others down.
I have to mention how much I believe misogyny and sexism played a role in this result. Clinton didn't even win the same percentage of women voters as Obama. What does that say about the depth of our sexism? I don't like to compare racism and sexism as they're both terrible, but I believe this proves that as far as "isms" go, sexism prevails. It may be more subconscious and not be as noticeable until moments like these, but society is not ready for women to be more than subservient beings. Power in a female is perceived as undesirable and threatening. After all, the most qualified female candidate ever was defeated by the least qualified male ever. Try to tell me that isn't misogyny. Just try.
That last paragraph, especially, beautifully articulates some screamy, inarticulate thoughts i've had as well. We almost elected our first woman president, but we didn't. We had so far to fall from what was possible. And, boy, did we ever fall.
ReplyDelete