So, They Elected a Monster - Deuxième Partie 

Eight years ago, I wrote a blog post regarding the results of the 2016 election. There may be some overlap from that original post, but this time I will expand on what's relative today. Please read the original post, here.

Regardless of where you fall relative to the outcome of the 2024 election; you have more than likely witnessed, viewed, and read the emotional outpour by many people. The majority; myself included, are very unhappy. Truthfully, we are terrified. I have read and heard countless commentary from insensitive people mocking that very sentiment. 

Let's respond to those callous statements.

"Well, he was elected President, so, he's 'Our President'."

Quite plainly; NO. He is not 'Our President'. If you voted for him, did not vote, voted third party, voted via write in, he is YOUR president. While it is true that he has been elected President of the United States via popular and electoral college majority, he is NOT an advocate for the country as a whole. I did not vote for him because I do not support anything that he stands for. He is pathologically self absorbed, selfish, pedantic, and maniacally evil. Regardless of antipathetic belief, you cannot deny what he willfully, and gleefully displayed to the public. It is NOT rhetoric, he IS that person; and much, much worse.

"Not everyone who voted for him is a racist/sexist/misogynist/xenophobe/homophobe/transphobe."

Perhaps, but they are perfectly fine that HE IS. If you are not convinced that he is, you transcend cognitive dissonance. Again, it's not rhetoric; he is very much those horrible adjectives, and much more. As a Black Man in the United States, I already have to be prepared for a myriad of bad, if not fatal, outcomes just by merely existing. I also have to have unnecessary, scary conversations with my 16 and 10 year old sons.  The danger to our lives has now exponentially increased. As of this writing, Republicans have a Senate majority, and the House of Representatives is leaning towards that as well. The Supreme Court is a conservative majority. Only naiveté would allow you to conclude there is not a clear and present danger for me, my sons, women, LGBTQIA+, people of color, and immigrants. This leads to a comment I am quite tired of hearing...

"Calm down snowflake!" 

Fuck you, Asshole. I could leave it at that, but let's drill down. Imagine the irony of people being offended right now. Likening our grievance to hysteria, and overreaction proves our viewpoint. Those who share the 'snowflake' sentiment lack humanity. As I stated in the previous paragraph, his rise back to power is an existential threat to me and my family. He plaintively stated that he would give police and police departments federal immunity, deport people, criminally go after his detractors and political opponents, shut down news and media outlets at whim; the list is essentially limited by his imagination. That should scare anyone; and if it doesn't, time will reveal.

"We need to come together and move forward."

This may be the most patronizing of these gaslighting statements. The sentiment from most of his supporters are that democrats are overly woke, elitist, and consider them a touch beneath imbecilic. This is laughable since a great majority of them, including their pundits gleefully refer to democrats as "libtards". I do not believe this statement when I hear it from those who voted for him. What I hear is, "He won, get over it". Their mindset is very much, "Get on board, or suffer consequences". Retribution and "owning the libs" is their agenda. They have no intention of forging a path forward through compromise, understanding, nor love of country.

"There's very high inflation, and no jobs!"

Macro perspective; the economy is doing very well; stocks have risen significantly, inflation is down, and the job market is booming. Micro perspective; very few people are feeling the benefit of the aforementioned boons. Everyday items for everyday people are more expensive. Utilities are more expensive, housing is scarce and expensive. This is further exacerbated by the sinister practice of Shrinkflation. Many companies took advantage of the pandemic mania by adjusting the amount of product, but selling at the same or slightly increased price. Changes are generally subtle; such as increasing the height, yet decreasing the width and volume of a cereal box or bottled beverage. Giving 3 less items in packaged foods, 1 less pair of underwear, lower quality textiles; etc. While that may be obvious to many, it is not to most. They just see their everyday stuff rising in costs.

What's Next (What can we do)?

If you are upset or dismayed by the results of the 2024 election, then your next step is to Take Action. We've rested on our laurels. They are now wilted, with thorns. For lack of a better phrase; "We need to get off our ass." As a left leaning liberal, I can recognize that we've taken many things for granted. We've also assumed many things. Sitting with your anger and/or disillusionment is unacceptable. It's time to hold our elected officials accountable; it's time for them to realize who really holds the power, and that their jobs are at our discretion.

Hopefully, you voted for Kamala Harris for reasons other than she "wasn't Trump". Think of those reasons, think of the direction you'd like the see the country go in, think of the future you'd like for your children and our youth to have, think of body autonomy, think of civility, compassion, and empathy; overall, think about a life that makes it easier for everyone to pursue their dreams, and prosperity.

Keep all of that in mind when making your action plan. Get more involved in local politics. Find out who your judges, sheriffs, attorney generals, and other non high profile elected officials are. Build a coalition. We cannot do this alone; we need each other. Remember Legos, IKEA, and puzzles; every piece matters and has a purpose. Follow the plan to the letter. 

Lastly, and most importantly, Have Patience. The change we seek may not happen in our lifetime. We need to accept that possibility. The road ahead will be tough, treacherous, and heartbreaking. Knowing this going in is imperative, because that awareness is necessary. We've received our catalyst; now it's up to us to foster that spark into the fire of change. Utilize our resources and resilience to ensure the embers of our movement never diminish, and can never be extinguished. 

Let's Get To Work. 

No More Chances: Your Actions Will Either Bolster or Nullify Your Words

Election night 2016 has come and gone. Similar to a great number of people, I was stunned when Donald Trump became the President-Elect. Since election night, I have gone through the various stages of mourning. I'm sure some of you are quick to mock me, however, take the advice that a number of your compatriots are giving my fellow electorate; give me a chance...to explain my mindset.

Despite the efforts of denial and indifference by many, the future president has made, heinous, hurtful, and dangerous comments and observations. These cannot be forgotten and brushed away; nor is it easy for me to reconcile. His actions have emboldened a portion of the country that no longer feels bound by humanity nor are they afraid to expressly showcase their bigotry, misogyny, and blatant hatred for a great majority of their fellow citizens and more. Rather than continuing to focus on what I and many people feel about the President-Elect, let me spell out what concerns me.

Normalization of Racism, Xenophobia, Homophobia, and Sexism
"The United States of America has been besieged by a plague; 'political correctness'." This was one of the common sentiments throughout the next president's campaign. Many of his supporters believe that their freedom of speech has been stifled. They want to be able to freely express their disgust and distaste with multi-ethnic families, demonize people of different ethnicity, religions, citizenship, and sexual identity. As a father with multi-ethnic children, I am worried about how they will be treated and targeted by bigoted peers and faculty. I have family, friends and colleagues who are Mexican, from countries in Central and South America, LGBTQ, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Atheist, Immigrants-legal and otherwise. I am deeply concerned at the blank check these eugenic enthusiasts believe they've been given due to the dystopian rhetoric of their noncommittal puppet master. I fear that violence and torment of people who have been othered will increase and become commonplace and therefore normal.

Rogue Law Enforcement
As a black man in the U.S., this is a very real concern. Given that Rudy Giuliani will be part of the new administration, his recommendations will carry weight regardless of his role. During his tenure as mayor of New York, the NYPD had many instances of police brutality, excessive force, breach of constitutional rights and spurious charges. My fear is that officers will no longer be required to wear body cameras and officers with racist and xenophobic views will be emboldened to act out through no fear of reprisal or accountability.

Rollback of Roe v. Wade
Honestly, I don't believe I should do anything than automatically and emphatically support a woman's right to choose what she believes is her best option relative to her values, and health; because, you know, I'm a man. I'll never become pregnant, have the ability to carry a child, or give birth; so my only thoughts and actions should be supportive ones. That notwithstanding, this law is in jeopardy. If it is repealed or if supplementary laws are passed to weaken it, a dangerous precedent will be set, causing an inevitable cascading domino effect. Birth control could become harder to attain, sex education would only focus on abstinence rather than exploring all healthy available options, and rape culture would be exponentially exacerbated.

White Nationalism, Separatism, and Isolationism

Pride in your country, or solidarity with a particular group of people is not wrong. The ethos becomes dangerous when people leverage that into a platform of hate and ethnic/ideological homogeneity. Propagating a view where white men are losing their identity, country, freedoms, and divine destiny creates a falsehood that leads to those who have adopted the ideology into a state of survival at all costs. Bolstered by their irrational and fabricated fear,  I believe that many in this faction will call to withdraw from the global community and enact laws that further strip the rights of non white men. We cannot move toward a viewpoint and policy that supports isolating the U.S. from the global community; shirking its obligation as a global citizen in the hopes of fulfilling the false hope of American white nationalism.

Erosion of Environment Preservation 
Climate change is real. As global citizens, it is our responsibility to take care of our planet the best way possible. The new administration may have someone who denies climate change as head of the EPA. Though Flint, MI was due to the actions of the Governor and his lackeys, having someone who denies climate change, and is in favor of deregulating environmental standards for corporations set policy is dangerous and too steep a price to pay. Lax regulations will lead to an increase of allegiance to an ethos of dollar over global citizenry which in turn grossly affects us - the non corporate citizen.

Denouncement of Science

There has been an uptick in the derision of science and facts. Notably, a recording artist got into a heated debate with renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson about the veracity of Earth not being flat. The recording artist believes the Earth is flat despite evidence to the contrary, physics, and facts from an astrophysicist! Unfortunately, this attitude toward science and those who use the scientific method professionally has been percolating for a while. Climate change deniers with their snowball in Congress antics or people who refuse to vaccinate their children pose a major risk to society. They equate science to government intervention, and therefore make dangerous decisions based on that belief. The soon to be President was dismissive of facts and protocols he didn't agree with and I believe many of the people who voted for him share a similar sentiment.

An Increase of Intellectual Snobbery

A very good friend -  who shares many of my views - once called me an intellectual snob. The observation still brings a smile to my face because I recognize what she meant. Rather than using my knowledge and acumen as a tool, I was using them as weapons. My patience pool was tepid at best and nonexistent at worst for people who refused to elaborate on their viewpoints, failed to acknowledge mine, or refused to engage in a healthy discussion altogether. I would passive aggressively express my disdain for these individuals because I was too caught up in being right and looking at issues on a macro (society/the world) level rather than a micro (individual) level. This is constant, but necessary work for me. I can't expect to change and uplift our society if I'm unwilling to understand the people who make up our society.

I have more concerns that I will undoubtedly write about; however, the main purpose of this piece is to give you insight on my point of view and also to spark conversation - meaningful conversation, debate, and an openness to hear other perspectives. In my view, the purpose of debate is not to convince or persuade your adversary to agree with you, but to offer up differing perspectives of a topic or issue so that we may truly enrich our knowledgebase and understanding of each other.