Disclaimer to the reader: If you don’t understand why liberals are crying over the election, then you can just skip this blog post. It is not meant for you. Move on and spend your time more usefully.
Today, one of my friends messaged me to make sure I was OK. One of my gay friends, whose new marriage soon may be no longer legal and whose child’s health insurance soon may be no longer available, asked ME if I was OK after the 2016 election. Ironic--because I really have nothing much to lose by this election. My job and my husband’s jobs are reasonably secure, we live within our middle-class means, we have good health insurance, and our children have access to good public education. Our lives are especially fortunate, as straight, educated, middle-class white people living in America. A new President of the United States won’t really make our lives more difficult. We are the lucky ones. And, my gay friend asked me if I was OK.
My husband says I am being melodramatic over this election. He’s probably right. My Republican friends assure me that they voted based on the issues of limited government and personal freedom, that the family and friends I’ve known all my life are still the upstanding, moral, respectable people that I’ve always known. They are right, too. I know that a vote for a particular candidate does not mean sanctification of that person’s every action and word. Certainly, I wouldn’t want to be held accountable for every action of the person for whom I voted. I know that there are checks and balances in this country that limit the power of the presidency. I know all of that. And I am still crying.
What is wrong with me? I am that classic whining liberal, crying in my Cabernet after my candidate lost. But, it doesn’t just feel like we lost the game. It doesn’t just feel like a peaceful transfer of power, the kind on which our country was founded. It feels like my illusions about the nature of my country have been shattered. It feels like the voters chose other issues over MY issues. The voters chose issues of economy over equality, of rights for guns over rights for gay people, of pro-life over pro-choice for life. My side lost, but that isn’t all. It feels like the voters sanctioned racist comments, sexist comments, hateful comments, and I’m shocked. I am shocked that by the hatred and vitriol I see towards people who aren’t straight and white. My gay friends aren’t surprised; they have lived this most of their life.
The straight, white, ivory tower in which I’ve lived my life has crumbled, and so have my assumptions. I’ve been lucky; I have the peculiar privilege of a white liberal. I can speak passionately about social justice, I can teach diverse children, I can write blog posts and share memes about equality and social justice, but nothing actually touches me. If things get too heated, it’s easy enough to retreat into civility. I am quite skilled at appearing armless and noncompetitive; I know how to make nice. I don’t actually have to live through the conflict--that’s what privilege does for me. But that privilege feels different now.
I can no longer assume that justice will be done if I don’t speak up. I’ve spent too many years making nice and hoping that things will be work out if we can all just get along. I can no longer assume that my LGBTQ friends, my minority friends, or my poor friends will be cared for by society without my action. I’ve spent too much of my time assuming that other people agree that society should strive for equality for all people. I can no longer assume that most of society is working for equality and justice. I can no longer passively move through life, protected by my own privilege, education, and peacefulness.
I can no longer passively look to the government to save us. Maybe that is my lesson, the lesson that my Republican friends mean when they tell me that WE are the ones to make change, that we cannot rely on a President, a Congress, or any government to build our country. Maybe my lesson is to take off the blinders and see, truly see, the need in my community and my country, and to meet that need where I find it. Maybe my lesson is to stand up for what I believe in, even in the midst of conflict. I expect I will find allies from across the political spectrum, from the right and from the left. I expect that my friends will join me, and I expect that it will NOT be easy. The time has come to wipe away the tears and get to work.
No comments:
Post a Comment