It is late, and in just a few hours my two-year-old son, who is just trying to understand Daylight Savings Time, will wake up and he will expect things to be business as usual. And for him, it will be, thankfully. I am so very thankful that he is not old enough to know what has taken place tonight.
But for many of us, the world has been forever altered. Many of us feel scared, unsafe, repulsed, angry, depressed, sad, and hopeless. Many of us are less safe, and have reason to be scared.
And yet, I know we must keep on. We must not be defeated, not for long.
In the days and weeks to come, there will be many important subjects to write about and actions to take, and The Rumpus will do our very best to make sure that we are on the front lines, that we are having those conversations, and that we are listening to and supporting the people who will be most affected by this tragedy of an election.
We live in a country that is deeply troubled, that is sick. We will not look away.
13 responses
Thank you Marisa. I am devastated. But like you, tomorrow I will not be defeated. You’re right. I look forward to The Rumpus in the days and weeks ahead.
I am saddened, angered, disgusted, and, oh yeah, deeply deeply afraid. I simply cannot believe this good ol’ boy country has seen fit to elect a misogynistic, xenophobic, adulterous, bigoted, pig. I cannot believe we could not get a politician into the highest office in the world and that America chose a failed businessman with 74 pending lawsuits, some class action. I cannot believe we have opened ourselves up to world wide ridicule and danger. I cannot believe we had so many Kool-Aid drinkers. But I will not leave. I cannot skip this country that I love. I cannot run away mostly because I am so in debt that no country would have me. I am so outspoken that no other country would want me. I am so ornery that no other country would consider me acceptable. But my country will, and deep down, that makes me want to stay and fight this clusterfuck we have created. And fight I will. Through my poverty, my words, my self and my deeds.
I had been listening to “Winter In America”, a song by Gil Scott-Heron. It’s pretty gloomy, and reflected my feelings. But after watching Hillary’s great concession speech, I remembered another 1970’s protest song, here it is, and to everyone who cares – keep the faith!
“Sunshine”(with a little editing) by Jonathan Edwards
Sunshine go away today
I don’t feel much like dancing.
Some man’s come
He’s trying to run my life
He don’t know what he’s asking.
When he tells me I’d better get in line
I can’t hear what he’s saying.
If he can’t even run his own life,
I’ll be damned if he’ll run mine.
Sunshine come on back another day
I promise you I’ll be singing.
This old world, she’s gonna turn around,
Brand new bells will be ringing!
everywhere I’ve gone today, there has been a pall. in whole foods, for example, shoppers were nearly silent. I noticed it as soon as I entered. the normal buzz and hum wasn’t present. it feels surreal. I am having trouble concentrating. I woke up at 4a.m. to check my phone to see if anything had miraculously changed. we just elected the biggest fucktard ever.
Greetings from a shocked Australian. In 1996 I woke to a similar situation when a negative and divisive person was elected Prime Minister. For weeks we watched in disbelief as a raft of offensive polices were rolled out all under the banner of “mandate”. I am already reading that same word for your new President. And yet, it seems that the result will be that more people voted for his opponent than for him, hardly a resounding success despite winning the college system. Our concern is that the message this sends to the racist, homophobic, sexist, etc. minority is, “hey, everything you stand for is totally legitimate, feel free to run amok with impunity”. We can only hope that the people that surround the new President can impose moderation & restraint. If not, the world is in for a testing and difficult 4 years.
I woke up this morning, happy, but then I remembered what had happened last night and I felt a heaviness, similar to remembering that a loved one had recently died. Of course I’m afraid of what this man can do to our country and the world, but my biggest fear is wondering who are these people that elected this man? I don’t get it and that scares me.
How ’bout hoping the new president does a good job? At every stop, Trump was dismissed, counted out, and marginalized. He was the biggest underdog you could imagine. A true American, and a true liberal, supports the underdog. His odds of winning were infinitesimal and if his campaign showed anything it was someone who never gave up, and who worked incredibly hard. Never giving up and working hard are to be valued. That’s what you tell your children. Disagree with the vote as much as you want.
BTW, Betsy’s line “in whole foods, for example, shoppers were nearly silent,” was absolutely hilarious. It goes back to the whole Pauline Kael line about knowing only one person who voted for Nixon. If you’re not TOLERANT of views you disagree with, you’re not a liberal, you’re just a hypocrite. If you surround yourself only with people who are exactly like you, what’s DIVERSE about that?
At The Rumpus, we allow all readers to share their opinions as long as they do so respectfully. This means your comment will be here, even though it is very ignorant in light of the facts surrounding this election and Donald Trump. (Unfortunately, our President-elect Donald Trump does not agree, and is already curtailing the freedom of the press and along with it, freedom of speech.)
Donald Trump is a rich white man from New York, and has never been “marginalized.” He also knows very little about his base of supporters, and does not intend to support them. He only wanted to win. There is no justification for electing to the highest office in this country a man who is fully unqualified to serve. He is dangerous. He capitalized on a white supremacist movement that is now further galvanized by his win. The KKK is marching in celebration across the South, there are swastikas being drawn on walls, and PoC and women are being harassed even in “liberal strongholds” and major cities.
The only people living in a bubble are the people who think that Trump is a man who will bring good for our country. He has promised to undo eight years of progress. And yes, by definition, progress means forward movement. It means change, and more freedoms for those have truly been marginalized: PoC, especially women, Native Americans, LGBTQ, and others who still fight for basic rights every day.
Lastly, Donald Trump is unequivocally guilty of sexual harassment, and likely much worse. It is unacceptable that we’ve elected a criminal, a man who physically assaults women, to be our president. An so, we will fight this at every turn.
@Mr.Whining…We will see what he “does a good job” at, and the first indications are who (t)Rump surrounds himself with. As for your claim that (t)Rump is a Liberal, I still can’t figure out why the Southern States voted for a loud mouth Yankee from N.Y.C. with a sinful wife who wants to tell them what to do (States Rights). Best of luck to Y’all.
Thank you, Marisa, I have little to add to the comments above, aside from saying that I salute you for your honesty in your earlier, pre-election editorial about Trump, and now your clarion call on behalf of The Rumpus and its writers: We Will not look away. This is what we do, isn’t it, if we claim to be writers and passionate readers? I’m having my eyeglasses upgraded next week! I join you in keeping ourselves wide awake in the dark times to come.
I have an op ed piece I would like to share. It’s about post election anxiety as observed by a Muslim American. I would appreciate if you would give it a look.
Hi Yasmine,
You can send that me at marisa@therumpus.net.
This short statement from Senator Sanders is worth a read – BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 9 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Wednesday after Donald Trump was elected president of the United States:
“Donald Trump tapped into the anger of a declining middle class that is sick and tired of establishment economics, establishment politics and the establishment media. People are tired of working longer hours for lower wages, of seeing decent paying jobs go to China and other low-wage countries, of billionaires not paying any federal income taxes and of not being able to afford a college education for their kids – all while the very rich become much richer.
“To the degree that Mr. Trump is serious about pursuing policies that improve the lives of working families in this country, I and other progressives are prepared to work with him. To the degree that he pursues racist, sexist, xenophobic and anti-environment policies, we will vigorously oppose him.â€
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