Koya
Footballguy
I know there are a number of other threads. I don't give a ####. I've remained mostly silent in the past week, digesting the events, understanding the calculus less of how we got here (that's fairly obvious to me, with plenty of blame to go around on both sides of the aisle). But this morning I realized... a family who would have been at the top of my list as Godparents for my wife and I when we have children voted for Trump, and actively support him.
And then I realized, this election went far further than politics. It's not that I "won't be friends" with them anymore... but we obviously have hugely different views on the world. And they helped elect someone that has either actively called out and/or encouraged others to do the same while surrounding himself with others who do the same re: racism, anti-semitism, bigotry. Someone who admitted to sexually assaulting someone. Someone who belittles those with disabilities.
But back to what really struck me... it's a week later and we see instances of hate cropping up with greater frequency than ever. Boosted by a candidate and his supporters pushing white-nationalism and sowing the seeds of hatred and division. As some here know, this all with my growing up the son of a Holocaust survivor who studied the rise of a man not unlike Trump in his stated beliefs and certainly approach and rhetoric. Add to that the fact that my wife is part Latina, African American and Native American and I realize, these people literally support and helped elect someone who has put our lives and freedom, to some degree, in question.
As I stated on facebook, because i needed to emote and don't know where to go from here, on a personal level:
It's been a week since my country broke my heart. To know that nearly half of those who voted were 100% willing to support a clear bigot, racist, fraudulent conman is, honestly, scary. You may not (or may) be racist yourselves, but either way you are clearly ok with electing a President who is that, and by his own words and deeds, more. Someone who incites the worst human fears by tapping into the virulism of bigotry and division. I'm not looking to get into a back and forth on this post, it's just me emotive thoughts, I have no more energy than that. Just know that you have me thinking:
"How can I, someone in a mixed-race marriage, who wishes to have mixed-race children, ever fully trust a nation and those in it who helped elect and support someone who has purposefully singled people out by race, religion and ethnicity in the worst of ways?"
To those people, please understand that this rises above Politics. This is an affront to me, my wife, my future children. You have your reasons, I am sure. You can blame Hillary, the establishment, the lack of attention to the middle class... But please recognize and bear the responsibility for the choice to have helped make reality... an America that is less safe, less free, less equal than it was a week ago, with a direct impact on me, my family and our wellbeing. Even in the face of what some might have felt was a decision between the lesser of two evils, you chose the evil of inhumanity. In doing so, know that in all your adulation and celebration, you have done real harm to me, my family and millions like us who now are fearful of a nation that is supposed to be land of the free and home of the brave. I now question whether we are either, and moreso, what might it take to reclaim that banner?
Knowing there are those, even those close to me, who still support someone who is so clearly a bigoted racist, not to mention an admitted sexual assaulter, I honestly don't know if the bonds that have been frayed within me, bonds that extend decades in some case, can ever be truly rebuilt. After all, how could I feel safe letting my children be cared for by those who supported a bigot who has attacked their very ethnicity, encouraged others to discriminate and bully, someone who as of today is putting a white nationalist as his leading advisor?
It is a week later. I am still crushed. Not by the election, but the electorate, and especially those whom I thought shared a common ethos of decency, love and acceptance. How do we heal as a nation? We rebuild bonds, reinforce institutions, work together and find common ground. How do I heal as a human? I think to some degree, I never will. We can grow, we can learn, we can survive, evolve and thrive... but some lines, once crossed, can never again be whole. This election will forever be a demarcation whereby I recognized a lot more of this country stands against me and my family rather than for it. It is a week later. And I am still crushed.
And then I realized, this election went far further than politics. It's not that I "won't be friends" with them anymore... but we obviously have hugely different views on the world. And they helped elect someone that has either actively called out and/or encouraged others to do the same while surrounding himself with others who do the same re: racism, anti-semitism, bigotry. Someone who admitted to sexually assaulting someone. Someone who belittles those with disabilities.
But back to what really struck me... it's a week later and we see instances of hate cropping up with greater frequency than ever. Boosted by a candidate and his supporters pushing white-nationalism and sowing the seeds of hatred and division. As some here know, this all with my growing up the son of a Holocaust survivor who studied the rise of a man not unlike Trump in his stated beliefs and certainly approach and rhetoric. Add to that the fact that my wife is part Latina, African American and Native American and I realize, these people literally support and helped elect someone who has put our lives and freedom, to some degree, in question.
As I stated on facebook, because i needed to emote and don't know where to go from here, on a personal level:
It's been a week since my country broke my heart. To know that nearly half of those who voted were 100% willing to support a clear bigot, racist, fraudulent conman is, honestly, scary. You may not (or may) be racist yourselves, but either way you are clearly ok with electing a President who is that, and by his own words and deeds, more. Someone who incites the worst human fears by tapping into the virulism of bigotry and division. I'm not looking to get into a back and forth on this post, it's just me emotive thoughts, I have no more energy than that. Just know that you have me thinking:
"How can I, someone in a mixed-race marriage, who wishes to have mixed-race children, ever fully trust a nation and those in it who helped elect and support someone who has purposefully singled people out by race, religion and ethnicity in the worst of ways?"
To those people, please understand that this rises above Politics. This is an affront to me, my wife, my future children. You have your reasons, I am sure. You can blame Hillary, the establishment, the lack of attention to the middle class... But please recognize and bear the responsibility for the choice to have helped make reality... an America that is less safe, less free, less equal than it was a week ago, with a direct impact on me, my family and our wellbeing. Even in the face of what some might have felt was a decision between the lesser of two evils, you chose the evil of inhumanity. In doing so, know that in all your adulation and celebration, you have done real harm to me, my family and millions like us who now are fearful of a nation that is supposed to be land of the free and home of the brave. I now question whether we are either, and moreso, what might it take to reclaim that banner?
Knowing there are those, even those close to me, who still support someone who is so clearly a bigoted racist, not to mention an admitted sexual assaulter, I honestly don't know if the bonds that have been frayed within me, bonds that extend decades in some case, can ever be truly rebuilt. After all, how could I feel safe letting my children be cared for by those who supported a bigot who has attacked their very ethnicity, encouraged others to discriminate and bully, someone who as of today is putting a white nationalist as his leading advisor?
It is a week later. I am still crushed. Not by the election, but the electorate, and especially those whom I thought shared a common ethos of decency, love and acceptance. How do we heal as a nation? We rebuild bonds, reinforce institutions, work together and find common ground. How do I heal as a human? I think to some degree, I never will. We can grow, we can learn, we can survive, evolve and thrive... but some lines, once crossed, can never again be whole. This election will forever be a demarcation whereby I recognized a lot more of this country stands against me and my family rather than for it. It is a week later. And I am still crushed.