Well, fuck.
We all know what happened. You don’t want to go into specifics. I don’t want to go into specifics. The bottom line is that a xenophobic, double-digit alleged sexual assaulter, flaming hot Cheeto is our official president-elect. And not a bone in my body was prepared to write this column.
But this is fact. There are no time machines, no take-backs and the electoral college, despite the opposition of the popular vote, has spoken loud and clear. Donald Trump will be the 45th President of the United States.
Trump, Johnson sweep Wisconsin in historic night for Republicans
I can only speak to and for my own, so the question for us white liberals is simply what to do next.
First, obviously: We heal. We vent, we smoke, we cry, we laugh, we drink, we do whatever we need to do in the next few days to gear ourselves up to get our asses into action, not for us, but for the people that are also supposed to be a part of a platform.
If you are white, male or wealthy, then you don’t get to be debilitated by sadness, anger or fear, bemoaning on Facebook and skipping class. History has always worked out for us, and odds are it will continue to. Buck up. It is time to stop simply checking our privilege, even if you are already doing so, and use it to help people.
Our president-elect has licensed others to use their privilege to hurt other non-white, non-male Americans in whatever way they see fit. We have to use our privilege to help people whose biggest fear about this election isn’t sentimental, isn’t about some intangible destruction for America, but rather grounded in reality and fear of life.
Surrounding us are peers whose greatest fears involve their families being deported — or getting deported themselves. Children who fear getting beaten up, or worse, getting shut out from services and losing key ground in their fights for rights that have been built up generation after generation.
We simply do not have that at stake. The pit to which our hearts have sunk is simply ten if not 10,000 times more shallow than that of our non-white, non-male, non-able bodied peers.
This is our fault. For taking too long to accept the basic tenants of white privilege which have backed us into this corner. For sitting in silence when we were too cowardly to take a stand.
Hold each other accountable now. Self-pity is yet another disservice to the people who begged us to get out of our seats and do something about this sooner, to the people who will feel this loss at a personal level every single day until Jan. 20, 2021.
It’s hard to even write a good column within a day of this decision. But if something resonates with you, it should be this: While America may have lost a battle last night, we don’t get to lay our weapons down as though we have lost the war. Get to fighting for our democracy in meaningful ways, and get to fighting for people’s who lives and well-being’s are now in jeopardy. Maybe that means organizing, maybe that means building, maybe that just means having a conversation you haven’t had yet. But whatever it is, do it now. In case you hadn’t noticed, everything is at stake.
