as i emerged from my apartment on wednesday following the election there was an eerie stillness in l.a., it felt like a post apocalyptic dead zone. everyone's eyes were red from crying or staying up all through the night to watch the results roll in. i must still be dreaming.
the real truth: i wasn't expecting to be so utterly heartbroken by this election. mostly because i didn't think this result was an actual possibility. but low and behold, here we are. it took me several days to get my thoughts and my words together after shedding many tears. i came to the conclusion that i have a responsibility in the result, and now it's on me to use my voice. i didn't initially see the point in getting involved in political conversations, mostly because i don't feel educated enough on the matter. but what this boiled down to was plain and simple (for me). the FIRST characteristic we teach our children is kindness. be a good person. that's what defines you. not how much money you make, not who you marry, not the color of your skin, nothing else matters. and thus it made my decision a no brainer. you may not stand "with her" but at least if we had elected her we would've proved to ourselves and the rest of the world that we may not be perfect but we're open to trying to be progressive. (and many of you may feel this way about "him" and i can even see how his radical behavior might be attractive in the short term, but you just stepped into a 4 year relationship. 4 years is a long time, and i bet you don't have too many intimate partners in your personal life that have lasted that long.)
now speaking as a woman, perhaps i will lose a few of you here, and that's okay with me. i feel vulnerable. for the first time i have to pull my head from the sand and look people in the eye and realize they openly think what i have always felt. i am less than. i am a pretty face or a nice ass. i am too emotional. but now i stand with those statements unprotected. it is now okay to lose your manners and openly say those things to me, and there is no consequence because the leader of our nation also believes those things. if i felt scared walking down the street alone before, i definitely feel worse about it now.
so the silver lining. we can no longer sit dormant. we can no longer perpetuate a society that ignores the truth. we can no longer say we don't have racism here, or sexism, or any other "ism".
and women. i'm calling you out. a huge part of why this election was lost was because we are divided. women (i think by nature) are competitive and instead of supporting each other we prefer to stand divided. but it's got to stop. if we teamed up we are so capable of doing things for this nation that could never be done without us. men stick together, they have the team mentality, they get taught it from a very young age. women we need to do the same. i stand with her because she represents me. she may not be the "perfect" candidate and she may have done some shitty things in her life, but don't look with such hateful blaming eyes when i don't think you stand in the light without some smudges on your record - i know i don't.
but i love you. no matter who you voted for, whether you agree with me or not, i am grateful to have this right and to exercise it, and to have you take the time to read it and maybe be challenged to think a little differently. tell someone today you love them. or simply smile. it goes a long way.
