I have been deeply invested in reading about this year's presidential election. It has both fascinated me and terrified me. I'm sure many people feel the same way as it seems to have taken over the newsfeed, social media, and everyone's waking (and sleeping) thoughts.
It should. It is hugely important. More than that. I could rant about Donald Trump but so many others have done this better than I ever could. While I find him repulsive and disgusting and an insult to this entire democratic process, it isn't entirely Donald that is the source of my depression. It is more that a large portion of America shares his sentiments and has actively provided a platform for his racist, sexist, and disrespectful rhetoric. That so much hatred of difference has fueled a movement that has carried this terrible man into the place he is today - that of potential president. A role model for children. A negotiator with powerful countries. A policymaker. A figure who should be respected for his leadership, intelligence, and ability to bring all types of people together in the interest of the common good of this country. Instead, he has, over the last year (and all his life), disrespected every person who is not a straight, able-bodied, white male.
And all of this without even mentioning his opponent. Isn't the above enough to fully comprehend that this is in no way a "lesser of two evils" situation? He is evil, plain and simple. She has spent 30 years as an advocate for children, families and the underprivileged. She is experienced, skilled, smart, passionate, diligent. He brags about assaulting and groping women. Despite the hundreds of other terrible things he has done, that in itself, is enough to put an end to any fantasies of this person being qualified and suited to this role.
I know we like to claim that this country has progressed significantly in recent years. And I know we have. I know that hatred and racism were reflected in our laws and policies and not just in our societal behaviors, but Hillary running for President has made me realize that America is enormously sexist. We simply can't deal with the idea of a woman holding the highest of offices, being in power. We critique her clothes, her appearance, her voice, her weight, everything and anything we can get our hands on. These would be irrelevancies for a man stepping up to the podium.
All this to say I have a high level of anxiety as voting winds down and results pour in. I care about this a lot. I care about what this means for this country. I care about what this means for me. This morning as I stood in my little booth marking my ballot I was surprised by how very much it meant to me to cast my vote for a woman. Even though I've been thinking about the role of sexism in this election since well before the primaries, I hadn't recognized the significance of it until that moment. I hadn't stopped to think about the fact that I get to vote. And as a woman, I got to vote for a woman. To be honest, the ballot got a little blurry in front of me.
I don't know what will happen tonight. I don't know what will happen over the next few years. You have to imagine the hatred Trump brought to the forefront won't simply vanish with his candidacy. Hopefully our next President will do what she has done her whole life - fight as hard as possible on behalf of ALL of the people in this country.
No comments:
Post a Comment