This is why we grieve....politics

I don't think you understand us right now.

I think you think this is about politics.

I think you believe this is all just sour grapes; the crocodile tears of the losing locker room with the scoreboard going against us at the buzzer.

I can only tell you that you're wrong. This is not about losing an election. This isn't about not winning a contest. This is about two very different ways of seeing the world.

Hillary supporters believe in a diverse America; one where religion or skin color or sexual orientation or place of birth aren't liabilities or deficiencies or moral defects. Her campaign was one of inclusion and connection and interdependency. It was about building bridges and breaking ceilings. It was about going high.

Trump supporters believe in a very selective America; one that is largely white and straight and Christian, and the voting verified this. Donald Trump has never made any assertions otherwise. He ran a campaign of fear and exclusion and isolation--and that's the vision of the world those who voted for him have endorsed.

They have aligned with the wall-builder and the professed p*ssy-grabber, and they have co-signed his body of work, regardless of the reasons they give for their vote:

Every horrible thing Donald Trump ever said about women or Muslims or people of color has now been validated.
Every profanity-laced press conference and every call to bully protestors and every ignorant diatribe has been endorsed.
Every piece of anti-LGBTQ legislation Mike Pence has championed has been signed-off on.

Half of our country has declared these things acceptable, noble, American.

This is the disconnect and the source of our grief today. It isn't a political defeat that we're lamenting, it's a defeat for Humanity.

We're not angry that our candidate lost. We're angry because our candidate's losing means this country will be less safe, less kind, and less available to a huge segment of its population, and that's just the truth.

Those who have always felt vulnerable are now left more so. Those whose voices have been silenced will be further quieted. Those who always felt marginalized will be pushed further to the periphery. Those who feared they were seen as inferior now have confirmation in actual percentages.

Those things have essentially been campaign promises of Donald Trump, and so many of our fellow citizens have said this is what they want too.

This has never been about politics.
This is not about one candidate over the other.
It's not about one's ideas over another's.
It is not blue vs. red.
It's not her emails vs. his bad language.
It's not her dishonesty vs. his indecency.

It's about overt racism and hostility toward minorities.
It's about religion being weaponized.
It's about crassness and vulgarity and disregard for women.
It's about a barricaded, militarized, bully nation.
It's about an unapologetic, open-faced ugliness.

And it is not only that these things have been ratified by our nation that grieve us; all this hatred, fear, racism, bigotry, and intolerance--it's knowing that these things have been amen-ed by our neighbors, our families, our friends, those we work with and worship alongside. That is the most horrific thing of all. We now know how close this.

It feels like living in enemy territory being here now, and there's no way around that. We wake up today in a home we no longer recognize. We are grieving the loss of a place we used to love but no longer do. This may be America today but it is not the America we believe in or recognize or want.

This is not about a difference of political opinion, as that's far too small to mourn over. It's about a fundamental difference in how we view the worth of all people--not just those who look or talk or think or vote the way we do.

Grief always laments what might have been, the future we were robbed of, the tomorrow that we won't get to see, and that is what we walk through today. As a nation we had an opportunity to affirm the beauty of our diversity this day, to choose ideas over sound bytes, to let everyone know they had a place at the table, to be the beacon of goodness and decency we imagine that we are--and we said no.

The Scriptures say that weeping endures for a night but joy comes in the morning. We can't see that dawn coming any time soon.

And this is why we grieve.

 

http://johnpavlovitz.com/2016/11/09/heres-why-we-grieve-toda y/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=facebook_page&utm_medi um=John+Pavlovitz&utm_content=Here%27s+Why+We+Grieve+Today

Above is the link, I didn't write it, but I think it's a good article & wraps up how a lot of us are feeling. I didn't find the article, this was something that was posted on a different board.

Hope we survive the next 4 years. Peace people  

 

And here, of all places, we should remember the fat phobia as well.  

I was once a nice white, stay at home mom, married to a not-so-nice white man, and now, I married to a person, who when we married was a woman, now a trans man, and having a almost 15yo son that recently came out as a gay teenage boy,  an almost 17yo teenage girl that I want to grow up with confidence and feel safe in her workplace environment, living in a rural community , I really connect with this. (wow, talk about a run on sentence!)

I have always been socially Liberal. But I sat on a different side of the fence. I was never judged for the (cheating, mentally abusive, dickhead of a man) marriage I had before. Now, while I fill my life with tolerant people, I know I am judged by others that just don't understand. When I was on the other side of the fence, I didn't worry about talking about my weekend with my family, because my family was Lilly white, straight, and for the most part looked like the winning family - even though it wasn't. But, when I started my job at an energy company, in Oklahoma, I lied. I lied by not talking about my life. I lied, and never used gender specific titles when talking about my spouse. I hid it, in fear. We've been through 5 layoffs because of the economy here... I made it through all of them. I just really honestly believe I wouldn't have, had I discussed my same sex marriage, and even more so, had I discussed my Trans-man husband!

With the possibility of HRC being elected, I was feeling good about where my husband goes to the bathroom... now I don't. He actually laments every time he has to pee when we are out and in public. When I was married to the born-man, this issue never crossed my mind.

I had 2 abortions when I was a teenager. One my parents never even knew about. I now have two growing teenage children that I am very grateful to have, and to have had my teenage years and my twenties growing up without children. Sure, I made bad decisions as a teenager, I got pregnant, I had sex! But I didn't have to be forced to raise two children when I was just a child myself. And I was able to get GOOD SAFE medical help for it! To think that abortion could be illegal again, and that some teenage girl is going to go down to some black market abortion clinic without clean utensils, pain/antibiotic medication, OR WORSE, try it at home herself, makes me almost want to cry! 

Why are my perceived sins anyone else's business?! I don't think God will be asking anyone else to atone for my perceived sins, so get over it.

BUT... I awoke today deciding that all is not lost. Trump really isn't the conservative that so many people think he is. He will not be able to do 90% of the things that those that voted for him hope he will. Unfortunately he will replace the supreme court judge(s), and that stinks. But I really hope he lives through his term in office and thinks for himself... because if Pence gets in, I will worry more. And our younger generation has little tolerance for this type of behavior, and they WILL make changes. Just have the faith, keep your heart int he game, and don't give up hope on that! Oh, and don't be quiet! Start in your local area of treating people like you want, and that will grow.

Thanks for sharing your story. 

Being quiet will never be an option.

I did have to move out of Oklahoma though.

We know our American brothers and sisters will survive a Trump presidency.  I think he will be overwhelmed and ineffective.  We Canadians survived a fairly right winged Prime Minister in Harper and swung to the left with cutie Trudeau.  Hang in and keep organized.  

I am very excited by not having another 4 years of Hillary. At lease we will have a president who will listen to the people and not allow refugees from countries who have serious issues wth terrorism (who at least 1/2 hour country did not want to come into this country) in without proper vetting, I remember a few months ago when his son compared the refugees saying "that you wouldn't eat a bowl of skittles if you knew 3 were poisionous and could kill you", and people were posting on facebook they'd eat a bowl of poisoned skittles...Great....that is a decision you make for yourself....but as someone who lived through 9-11...i think keeping out terrorists should be the highest priority.

What this shows is that the democratic party is out of touch with most of America, and that a bias media is even more out of touch.

I disagree that Trump is anti-gay or anti anyone...he's smart. He said what he needed to say to get elected, but when all is said and done.., I bet he will turn out to be more liberal then Hillary.

If nothing else...people should take away this...you can only push a liberal agenda on people so long.....Oh for the days of a nice 1990s Clinton! I could have voted for that any day!!!!

It makes sense you would "like" your own post.

You've chosen the perfect screen name.  

Thank you. It is the perfect name. It was changed a long time ago...when people stopped listening to reason-medical research, and long term data that has been published in peer reviewed journals, and started posting what they "felt" was right. Kind of like what happens today.

I can't wait for Trump to get into office and shake things up a bit....possibly reverse some of President Obama's unilateral decisions.....etc. I can't wait till he stops men from using women's bathrooms ....and gets ride of Obamacare, and statuary cities.

I guess a lot of people feel that way too.....hence his election as president.

Scott

But not the majority of voters.