Welcome to the nightmare, writ large in the greasy crayons of greed, hate, ignorance, and fear. This is not my country, I stand without one. I don’t know what this place is anymore, outside of a place where terror resides and flourishes, a place where people are proud to be stupid and violent. I’ve felt broken many times in the past, but I don’t know that it’s ever bit quite as deep as this day does.
It took us an extra 32 years, but we finally reached 1984.
mother of god
Well-chosen picture. As always.
It’s going to be a great year for nightmare imagery.
I hear you. Feeling the same way. Anger and sadness all at once.
This was such a simple, basic test for white Americans and they failed horribly. If only they would have to bear the brunt of the damage too.
Saad:
Yes, if only. Unfortunately, those of us who have been made to pay and have been stomped on always, it’s about to get worse. Every gain we made, gone. This was a vote for white authoritarian fascism.
Fuck. I don’t know what to say, I don’t even know what to feel right now. Still in shock.
On NPR this morning, or is that more properly mourning, a Standing Rock protester said that ‘because Hillary failed to take a strong stance on Standing Rock he wrote in Sanders’.
My next-door neighbor said she was not voting because Hillary was part of the system and the system hasn’t addressed Black Lives Matter firmly enough. Evidently she didn’t hear about, or didn’t think it serous enough, that Trump is pushing a Law and Order agenda and nationwide stop-and-frisk policies.
I could go on. .
I don’t wish to cast blame, it is too late for that now, but what was the logic in those two cases? Did the young man think Tump will be more likely to Stand against the pipeline? Does my neighbor thing Trump is more compatible with BLMs concerns than Clinton?
It seems that a whole lot of people just turned away because they were offended by Clinton’s lack of attention or effusive enough praise for their particular cause. As if the wider issues simply didn’t matter. We liberals are like cats, sensitive to slights and resistant to going along on even the most basic and vital causes. Sigh.
Four years of total control of all houses of the federal, state and local governments. One, possibly three, seats on the supreme court with a legacy from that that could easily last for a century. But Clinton wasn’t sufficiently deferential to each of their narrow interests. I don’t know if I want to laugh or cry.
I, too, was appalled at the thought of what is to come. Not only that, but we have to listen to that annoying voice of The Orange One for four fucking years. I was SO looking forward to him being shut the fuck up. I sympathize with all my friends who are not white, cis, het, and male. I am sure with the republicans in charge of the executive and legislative branch, and soon to be the judicial branch as well, that the rights of all my friends will be trampled.
I know I am a first timer here, and my opinion might not carry weight, but I wanted to share this with you. I frequent your blog and value your insight:
“The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed -- the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people.” Charlie Chaplin -- the Great Dictator
Every phase comes with back tracks, and all progress with regress. I myself am a lily-white mutt of some unknown European ancestry -- I know I haven’t got much to fear from this regression personally, though my wife and her family (who are mixed race) do. I fear for non-white people of every kind, especially undocumented immigrants who will face the full force government repression but also those citizens who will face the inevitable upswing in racist and white-nationalist violence. I fear for back-treads in government responses to police violence and a failure to meet our obligations to the least fortunate among us, a failure which will fall disproportionately on communities of color (though I wonder how long it will take the rural white communities to recognize how little the President-elect will actually do for them).
But so many Trump supporters have said “we’re taking our country back”. Aside from the obvious racist dog whistle (exactly from whom is the country being reclaimed?), these people are delusional. Many of the cultural shifts they do not like -- that racism, sexism, and transphobia are called out for what they are, that religious dominance on our morals is choking, that they have to guard their speech for fear of public opinion -- these aren’t governmental. They’re cultural, a true shift coming about due to the increased tools of communication and the activism and speech emboldened by them. Obama did nothing to speak out for marriage equality until the cultural shift was blindingly apparent. This won’t be backtracked by an electoral win by a proud bigot (since every indicator is saying that Clinton will win the popular vote at the final tally).
The uncomfortable truth for Trump supporters is that “their” country is lost. The dominance of white men will break: the demographic shift towards non-whites has already occurred. The exit polls will almost certainly show the dependence of the Republican party on elderly white voters, who are dying. Many voters simply wanted to yell, “a brick thrown at the windows of the elite who have left them behind” as one writer said. They will shy away when his empty promises are made clear. The rest, the true racists and patriarchs and dominionists, have confused the bleat of dying hog for the roar of a lion. I can’t say I won’t enjoy watching them realize this. I don’t fear whether or not this regime (that is, the historical hegemony of racism and sexism) will fall, I only fear the amount of suffering which will be encountered on the way there.
There is only one thing to do: dig in and get ready to fight. That or rend our clothing and cover our heads in ashes, but I’ve never been one for empty displays of repentance. I’ll see you out there, bending the long arc of history towards justice.
lorn:
That’s exactly what you did, and you chose to cast blame on oppressed peoples, you fucking assclown. Remove yourself from this thread, and do not come back for a good long while, because I am in no mood for your bigoted stunts today, of all godsdamn days. FUCK OFF.
Dirtdoc @ 8:
Welcome to Affinity! Pleased to have you here. I can’t dispute anything, but things are going to get very, very bad. I think everyone knows this was a desperate grab by all those white people who feel the sting of lost power and control, but it was a grab that succeeded, and we’re all in for a nightmare ride. People will now lose what little health insurance they had; people who can get pregnant have just lost any ability to terminate, we can all kiss bodily autonomy away. The queer community? Oh, we’re fucked right into the ground. Us Indians? Oh Christ, I can’t even. I didn’t exactly trust white people before, and now? No. How could I possibly? As for rural folk, well, I live rural, deep rural. It’s gonna be a while before it all sinks in. A lot of people, white people, will be happy though, because this means they can get back that important business of white, Christian domination of all other people.
Fascism has indeed marched in, with a loaded gun, a bible, and flag wrapped cross. Maybe if we’re lucky, we won’t get nuked.
Inside the U.S. it will be bad. I’m also afraid of what Russia can do in the unpredictable situation as Trump isn’t very committed to any allies or treaties. Baltic states and Finland are in greater danger now.
Ice Swimmer:
There’s plenty to worry about, across the world. Geert Wilders, and other nationalists, in France, and Germany, and other places, are absolutely gleeful about this -- they see it as the beginning of white nationalism taking hold everywhere again.
@Caine
Thanks for the welcome.
And of course you’re right. I certainly did not mean to dismiss anyone’s fear or anger. I remain optimistic that he will be to unfocused and alienating to even his nominal allies to be as dangerous as someone with the same beliefs but more guile.
I just hope we’re wrong about how effective the fascists will be.
Dirtdoc @ 13:
Oh yes, I hope that with all my heart. Right now though, I’m just afraid.
And for the record, no, I’m not in the least bit fucking impressed by anyone who decided to abstain, or do the 3rd party voting shit, and there are a whole lot of white liberals to blame for that one, along with the tiny sprinkling of non-white persons.
Wrote in Sanders? You should be fucking ashamed.
I have ptsd. I had a panic attack and dissociated last night. That has not happened for a while. I fear for my mental health. I’m frightened today. How soon will I get kicked off disability and have no means of support? And I hardly have it the worst. I feel like I don’t know my country at all. I’m furious at white people, and I’m white. How can people be so hateful? It hurts that so many people think racism, sexism, and bigotry are totally OK.
Stellatree:
I have ptsd too, and it feels like I’m fighting dissociation right now. Fuck, you know you have to take care of yourself, first, always. Do you have support? Anyone you can call?
I’m going to be posting a ‘how to get help’ post from raw story, it will be up in a few. If you need someone, have to talk, email me, okay?
I wonder how long it will take the rural white communities to recognize how little the President-elect will actually do for them
This is one of the things that scares me the most. Trump obviously has neither, the imagination to come up with solutions to the problems that afflict his followers, nor the savvy to enact any solutions he did come up with, nor the executive ability to administer them, nor the basic compassion to care much one way whether their lives get better or not.
But there is one ability that he really does have in spades, and that’s the ability to point his finger. As things keep getting worse and worse in this country due to his epic mismanagement, that is what he will bend all of his talents on doing, just as he has done throughout the campaign. All of your problems are the Mexicans’ fault. The blacks’ fault. The media’s fault. Womens’ fault. Environmentalists’ fault. Democrats’ fault. And if his followers couldn’t see through that BS during the campaign, I worry that they’ll fall even deeper under his control as the country spirals down.
Basically, he won the election by whipping up a mob and then getting in front of it. But mobs need to be aimed if you’re their leader and you don’t want them to turn against you.
The first sentence of that was supposed to be a quote from 8.
Thanks, Caine. I am lucky to have good friends to support me. I wish I had a therapist right now, though!
Thank you so much for working to create this space. I’m going to self care by looking at the daily bird ;-) Be well and care for yourself, too. Hugs to anyone who needs them.
That was clear four years ago, and the Republicans had a choice: do we try to broaden our appeal to other groups, or do we try to focus on stopping their ability to vote? They chose the second option. Since it’s worked so well for them, I’m sure they will double and triple their efforts for the next four years. What is there that can stop them?
Brucegee @ 21:
Exactly. They had their opportunity to seize control and they took it. We’ve already marched fascism in, and apparently, the majority of white people in this country don’t even fucking realize that, and now we get to look forward to the possibility of tyranny. Yay usa and all that crap.
@21 brucegee and Caine:
The demographics of the nation will stop them. The Republican party is and has been buoyed on a the backs of the white baby boomers. Their tactics worked because this is the largest single voting block in the country, but the youngest boomer is 60+, they are beginning to die out.
And I am sorry, I will end my rebuttals here. Its not my intent to be deliberately argumentative or tell you your wrong and I feel I am coming along that way. I had a much longer response typed up. I remain solidly hopeful that we’ll all live to see this untangled and surpassed, and wanted to offer that as best I could. Not to pacify, but to help solidify. Good luck, stay safe, stay healthy, and let me know if I can help (though I understand I probably can’t do much).
Dirtdoc:
Unfortunately, that’s not true. There was a great deal of support for Trump among young white males, and more.
As for us older types, I’ll be 59 this month. Hopefully, I still have at least 20 years ahead of me. 20 to 30 more years is a long time, it’s certainly long enough to irrevocably ruin a number of things.
I understand you’re trying to find optimism, and that’s okay, but I’m flat out of it today. Oh, and you can post as much as you like.