Politics | foxyeverafter

I’ll be honest, I woke up this morning, looked at the news, and cried. This election has been exhausted and I think we were all hoping for a swift and definitive result, even though we’ve been told repeatedly that a long drawn out counting process was the more likely scenario. Like being awake during your own surgery, falling asleep, and then waking up to learn that the surgery is still in progress. So be warned…I wrote this post this morning – it is not following my normal process of writing, re-reading, editing, publishing. So things might be a little raw.

There’s one thing has been bothering me the past few days and I’m assuming it will continue for the foreseeable future. People on social media have been posting well-meaning platitudes about “no matter who wins the election, we just need to be kind to each other and that will fix all our problems!” And the messaging just hasn’t been sitting well with me.

Now, I’ve got no problem with kindness. In fact, I agree that being kind to other people can be life changing for them and for you. However, kindness alone isn’t going to fix systemic racism. It isn’t going to ensure quality health care for our vulnerable populations. Kindness isn’t going to ensure that the LGBTQ+ community has equal rights. So yes, let’s be kind but let’s make sure that definition of kindness includes protest and challenge and voting in each other’s best interests.

I also think that toxic positivity needs to be addressed here. I have a lot more thoughts about this topic that I can explore at a future date, but the idea is that not all positivity is truly positive. It can become toxic when it asks people to ignore their pain in favor of a “just get over it” mentality. And there’s definitely an undercurrent of toxic positivity running through my social media feed for the past several weeks of this election. In addition to the idea that simple kindness can cure all ills, the message is delivered in a way that says you shouldn’t be hurt or frustrated or angry…just be kind to people! It leaves little space for people’s true, authentic and valid feelings.

As we continue through the next few days, I would encourage you to check your privilege when making statements about how people should act or feel as a result of this election. Be kind? Yes, of course, if you have the capacity. But some people may be running on fear, stress, and pain. Give people space to feel their feelings and don’t make them feel less than if they feel differently than you.

The 2020 election is right around the corner and we cannot stay silent this year. You cannot let this opportunity to make your voice heard pass you by. It is SO important to exercise your right to vote. As President Obama said, every vote matters. This is true where you feel it or not.

Recently, I had a virtual happy hour with some ladies. And we were asked by the organizer to avoid discussing politics. I 100% understand her reason for asking and respected the request during that time. I joked that I’d have to look up other topics for conversation, but the truth is we have so much going on in our lives that it was pretty easy to avoid any controversial topics. And I really did want to hear about new jobs, new babies, new marriages, etc… I didn’t want to spend the time talking about Trump’s handling of COVID, or how Biden isn’t quite as progressive as I’d like, or my opinions on Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearing so far. I wanted to just catch up with my girlfriends.

However, it did get me thinking about how much of my daily thoughts and conversations would be considered political. And the truth is, I’m okay with that! I’m okay being political. Especially right now.

This year feels so much more urgent than other elections. With a pandemic ravaging communities, our country’s history of systemic racism being put in the spotlight (and then being denied by the highest office), and the continued struggle for healthcare, women’s rights, the economy on the line, this is a BIG year to make some important decisions. And these are not decisions that any of us should be taking lightly.

The fact of the matter is that I strongly believe we cannot allow another four years of a Trump presidency. I believe there are groups of people who will be at high risk if he is voted in for another term. We’ve already seen instances of domestic terrorist groups latching on to his words as mantras, permission to do unthinkable harm to other Americans. I worry for young girls who will grow up without access to healthcare that will allow them to make safe and informed decisions about their bodies and their futures. I worry about the safety and well-being of immigrants who comes to our country hoping for a better life. I worry about the homeless who are treated as less than, about those struggling with addiction who will have increasingly limited options to get help.

I hope my impassioned words don’t come across as disingenuous because I truly believe there is so much at stake this year. We all have an obligation to look at the whole picture and make a decision that will move our country in the right direction. And not for some abstract idea of what makes America great. Because what makes America great is it’s people. If we continue to ignore that there are people in danger and hurting…we will never be great.