How Do We Unite After This?

I don’t know how we unite after this mess. I’ve never believed the results of the 2016 Presidential election. As far as I’m concerned, the undercover videos of the guys from Cambridge Analytica tell the entire story. They lied and deceived everyone on behalf of Donald J. Trump. And now we have a lunatic in the White House. They spoke to the demons within these people, they claim. They lied and threw as much red meat as they could muster on social media that any truth would be drowned out by their lies, calling anything true, Fake News. It explains much, the sing-song, hypnotic propaganda Trump repeated continually on the campaign trail. They gave him the words to use again and again to drive the lies home. Voters were hoodwinked by his hypnotic mantra, but here’s the thing. They went willingly.

I found out that my brother voted for Trump during a text conversation I had with him the other day. We hadn’t spoken since long before the election and I was left speechless when he told me. He had his own issues and believed Trump’s lies. I remain shocked and saddened by his revelation.

But for me, I just don’t believe the election results and I never have. And I never will. I believe the truth will all come out one day but by then it will be too late. The endlessly nasty comments I’ve heard republicans make over the years toward liberals will blow up in their respective faces, but again, it will be too late.

As a woman, I see all of this from the perspective of an incest survivor as well as a woman on whom men have put their hands without consent or who have spent time describing my body to me using all sorts of skeevy language. Trump represents every man who has ever hurt me and anyone who would vote for a man like this, who thought he was entitled to not only put his hands on adult women but who also entered the dressing area of teen pageant contestants in all manner of undress. Nothing to see here, folks. Seen it all before.

The thought of anyone I know, let alone anyone I’m related to, voting for a predator like this man leaves me ill. Seriously ill. I find that I can’t breathe when I’m around these people, knowing they looked past all of his predatory behavior and voted for him anyway.

He confuses draining the swamp with simply not filling necessary staff positions, instead filling it to the brim with billionaires and billionaire wannabes who think nothing of using taxpayer dollars to fly first class on private and military planes or furnishing their offices with expensive furniture. They take their wives on vacations at the expense of our tax dollars and republicans say nothing. He believes tiki-torch wielding white nationalists are good people. Well, why not? They voted for him. In fact, at some point, as more and more republicans stand up and find their sensibility, the tiki-torch crowd may be all he has left.

How do I even speak to my neighbors who voted for him as more and more facts come out? It’s not as if I have any shame over my own vote, so why should I care how uncomfortable it becomes? I’ve never derided them for their beliefs, the way they’ve derided me all these years. The comments made were cruel and pathetic, but even with that, I can’t return their nastiness with more nastiness. But then, I’m not a republican.

I suppose when this all ends, I’ll look past their choice as something that brought us so much truth that no one could ignore it anymore. Maybe that level of a catalyst is necessary for humanity to wake up. It’s not a weakness to see humanity as one. It’s not a weakness to live in harmony and peace with others. And it’s not a weakness to want the best for everyone, even for those who can’t seem to wish that for others.

No, we’ll all have to suck it up and forgive all who trespassed and thank them for providing each one of us a front row seat to what has never worked and never will. It won’t be easy. But it will be nonetheless. We have no choice.

Trump may never see the inside of a prison cell, or he may die in one. But the country will go on and if we’re smart about it, we’ll move past the betrayals, real or perceived, quickly, and get back to work righting the ship while we let what’s left of Trump’s ship of fools sink themselves. After all, if we simply step out of their way, and give them enough rope, they’ll do it to themselves.

Blessings