A Letter To My Tribe

 

    Well my friends, today is the day, the most important election of our lifetime. I don’t know about the rest of you, but despite my optimism, I am preparing myself for the possibility that it may not turn out in our favor. I can’t imagine how anyone can still vote for this lunatic, but after a weekend of crazy Qanon Trump caravans blocking voting sites and driving a Biden bus off the highway, I realize the cult is strong, and there are more of them than I thought possible. And even if we do win, those unhinged people are still out there, and that’s what scares me the most. It’s what has eaten me alive the last 4 years--how so many people in this country think this p*ssy grabbing, racist, narcissistic orange faced liar in chief is capable of leadership. But I need to stay positive today and remember that for as many lunatics I see wearing MAGA hats, there are as many or more wearing Black Lives Matter t-shirts and Ridin with Biden masks.  Even if we don’t win (but we will right?), I have to remember that there are GOOD people out there making a difference, and that is invaluable.

     It’s been an insane 4 years, and as much as I’d like to say I wouldn’t trade a minute of it, we all know that’s not true. I’d trade it all for 4 more years of Obama….or 4 years in Canada…or 4 years on Mars.  But, I wouldn’t trade the friendships I’ve made or the lessons I’ve learned or the laughs we’ve all had (I have to admit, WHEN we win, I will miss the Trump bashing memes and the late-night show host jokes).  A lot of people over these last 4 years have asked me how it is I became such a progressive, after being raised in a conservative family, and why it is I then chose to unleash my liberal views on Facebook.  Well, let me just say, the most important thing a person can do is get out of their hometown and their comfort zone.  I was raised in a neighborhood where everyone ate the same white bread mayonnaise sandwich, in a culture where if you didn’t have anything nice to say you didn’t say it at all, and if you didn’t vote Republican all across the board then you may as well hang your head in shame. I never questioned my upbringing, but when I got out into the real world and discovered that you wouldn’t get anywhere if you didn’t stand up for yourself, and that diversity is the mainstream, and that Democrats were actually the nicer party; well, that changed my whole perspective.  I am proud of who I’ve become, even though it may have cost me a few Facebook friends, and even though my Dad thinks I’m the anti-Christ (true story).  I think one really great thing that has come from this nightmare administration is that it opened my eyes to all the injustices in this country, and it also opened my eyes to the people I want to align myself with.  A friend told me one time that a really good way to deal with depression and anxiety (which we all suffer from to some extent), is to look outside yourself and do something for the community. Truer words have never been spoken, and this unhinged presidency triggered so many of my old wounds, that the only thing for me to do was to take it away from me and unload it on to all of you. Haha, just kidding, I hope you all don’t see it that way. I hope you see that with all my political ranting and raving, what I’ve really been trying to say is, “This is NOT RIGHT!”  Suddenly the plight of the immigrants, the racial inequalities, the sexism and misogyny, the narcissism, and the MeToo movement, all became precious, eminent, issues to me--not just because I’ve experienced some of them, but because things we all thought we’d put behind us are resurfacing. Barbaric, abusive, terrible things we thought were decades behind us are still alive and well. I’m not a good debater by nature, but the things that have happened in this administration are so far beyond debate it just boggles my mind. When the “Trumpsters” insist on debating me, they are questioning my values, my intelligence, my livelihood, my hopes and dreams. They are taking everything I hold dear and tearing it to shreds. They are saying, well maybe you were brought up this way, to be kind and caring and considerate and generous and fair and to treat everyone equally, but NOW we want you to be selfish and gross and racist and bigoted and narcissistic. Not gonna happen. I am holding on to who I am with all of my might and by debating a Trump supporter I would be abandoning my integrity. 

     I think a lot of us are re-living trauma; be it sexual assault or violence or racist attacks or sexist attitudes or just feeling like we are unworthy. Life is hard enough without the orange man worshipers bringing up past trauma and then questioning our right to hurt and to want more, to feel equal. And their condescending attitudes towards our freedom of expression are just a reflection of the narcissist in chief.  If this election ends in another victory for him, I think I will lose all my faith in humanity. That being said, I’m grateful to be a part of change, and honestly if Trump wouldn’t have become President, I might not have ever gotten out of my comfort zone. I am proud to be part of an era that is making history, and despite today’s outcome, whichever way it goes, I will continue to fight for what’s right. I will continue to hold tight to my tribe, and I will forever be proud that I have found my voice. I hope that I have made somewhat of a difference over the past few years, and I thank  those of you who still follow me from the bottom of my great big passionate heart. 

 

Peace, Love, and Namaste,

Sunnie