So many points in history that people look back upon and say, how did people let that happen? Well, now we all know.
Article after article and post after post, trying to find who to blame. But it’s not people who didn’t vote, or people who were Bernie-or-busters, or third parties, or the DNC, or Hillary, or the media, or whatever the fuck else…
It was us. Comfortable white people whose lives weren’t TOO bad, who saw things happening and posted links and videos and complained and argued online and shared memes and thought, okay, that was good enough. I made my stance public, so I’m in the clear now. Other people will get the harder work done.
It was me.
So now it’s not enough for us to be merely indignant or fearful or angry. People were ALREADY suffering. Now they will suffer even more, and we are only just now considering the self-involved, terrifying prospect that we, comfortable white people, might even begin to suffer, too. It’s time to do things. It’s time to act and be organized. And all of that is a lie because it is LONG-PAST time.
Lydon was right when he said anger is an energy. We just watched it happen. Anger is energy. But love is direction. Love doesn’t have to be passive. Love doesn’t have to be a word that is instantaneously dismissed as weak or naive. Empathy can run a nation as well as self-centeredness can. It’s harder, and we have to be involved.
We have to do more than talk. We have to make sacrifices for our fellow people. We have to step up and move. Join and donate. Make phone calls. Listen to and support those who are already suffering. Organize and act. Hell, run for office. These are all things, as a depressive, that terrify me. Maybe they terrify you, too. But this is the time. People will wonder how we allowed this to happen. Let’s show them we won’t.
Please, come with me. Help me try and I’ll help you try.
