Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Like nearly 74 million Americans and hundreds of millions of other people worldwide, I have spent a lot of energy over the past week and a half processing the election results and wondering, “What now?” I have lost sleep over the anxiety of uncertainty. I have wondered what life will look like over the next four (or more) years. I cried when I heard women were told, “Your body, my choice” (a rape threat) by boys and young men, and black people were summoned via text to report to a plantation to pick cotton, a slavery reference. These are just a few of the instances of aggression against women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQIA community that have occurred since the election.
I also said “fuck” a lot.
I recently realized how much my life relied on settled law. We are in a liminal space, unsure of what will happen next. The transition between administrations has always been a liminal space, but this time is very different. Never before have we had a president who tried to overthrow the government due to an election outcome. Never before have we had a felon elected to the highest office in the nation. Never before have we had a president-elect who openly discusses retaliating against his opposition or who has challenged the criminal justice system and the democratic tradition to this extent. The president-elect’s comments and behaviors make many people concerned about their safety.
No amount of planning or preparation can ready us for what is coming. History can show us what has occurred before, but we only know what will happen once it happens. Things may not be as bad as we think, and they may also be far worse. We can’t know what the future holds. We never could, but we at least had an idea that laws would be relatively consistent and that the economy was overall stable. Political leaders were held accountable (for the most part) when they didn’t follow the law. None of us can say that now. The idea that things were stable and that there was any certainty was a fallacy, but it allowed us to function more easily.
The Constitution and the Bill of Rights mean nothing if our leaders don’t want to follow them. All of our laws and policies mean nothing if the people in charge no longer choose to honor them. Our entire government was built on an honor system. When the leaders no longer have honor, it can all come crumbling down, even an institution that has stood for 248 years. The president-elect is already challenging this by discussing using recess appointments to circumvent the Senate to install cabinet members, removing a check on the president.
The behaviors of the president-elect outlined above (plus many, many more not discussed here) do not demonstrate to me that he is a person with high character who wants to uphold the ideals of the founding fathers and honor his oath of office. There can be no stability or certainty when the elected leaders are unstable and without honor.
Need to brush up on your knowledge of the checks and balances on the three branches of government in the U.S.? Watch this video.
“I solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” – The Presidential Oath of Office, Article II, Section 1, Clause 8 of the U.S. Constitution
Back to my question at the top of this blog: “What now?” I have felt powerless since the election results were announced. This feeling is a lie. I am not powerless, and neither are you. Below is a brief outline of what I am doing now:
1. I am staying informed but not getting sucked into the news cycle. I rely on trusted news outlets such as the NYT, the AP, NPR, PBS, Reuters, and the BBC to get my news. I also use websites like Politifact and Snopes to fact-check information I read on social media. If I identify something as misinformation or disinformation, I call it out. I also only share information if I have confirmed its accuracy. I don’t want to contribute further to the giant game of silo telephone going on in the nation. I am also learning more about how our government and different types of political systems work so I can ensure I am using terms correctly and understand the checks and balances built into our government.
2. I am not getting outraged or letting my brain go down the doomsday rabbit hole. This only drains my energy and contributes to the chaos. If I am exhausted and burned out because I got outraged or let my imagination run wild, then I am not ready when the world needs me.
3. I am being kind and setting boundaries. There are some people who I can’t talk to right now, particularly if it involves discussing politics, and that is ok. I wish them well, and I recognize that I can’t converse with someone at this time who has voted against my rights and the rights of those I love. Maybe I can talk with them sometime in the future, but not right now. I am also being extra kind and gracious with others because everyone is fighting an invisible battle I likely know nothing about. I don’t need to make their day any more challenging.
4. I am looking at how I can influence my community and sphere of the world. One of those ways is writing this blog. I am spending time with friends and engaging in conversations to bridge gaps, not widen them. I will continue to give my students the best educational experience I can in my classes. I am looking for more ways to get involved in my community. I will continue to stand up for human rights, work for justice, and support my community’s historically marginalized and underserved. I will always speak truth to bullshit.
“Speaking truth to bullshit and practicing civility start with knowing ourselves and knowing the behaviors and issues that both push into our own BS or get in the way of being civil.” – Brene Brown, Braving the Wilderness
5. I am taking care of myself and practicing gratitude. I am intentional about how I spend my time and who I spend it with. I have been sending more thank you cards lately. I make more time to walk in nature. I am careful not to doom scroll. I am also reading more. I like having fiction books read to me, especially if the voice actor is good. I listen to audiobooks through my local library, Spotify (premium members get 15 free audiobook hours each month), and Libro.fm (a corporation that shares its profits with a local bookstore of your choosing). I am being careful of what I spend my money on and where I spend it; this means looking for ways to keep my money locally and purchasing from small businesses.
All of this boils down to showing up every day, giving my all, and doing my best. There is a lot of power in just showing up. Apathy is our own worst enemy.
This will be a challenging time for most of us. Don’t let this harden you. Don’t let fear and worry consume you. If you are part of a privileged group, now more than ever, we must stand up for what we know is right. It is our responsibility to protect the marginalized, ostracized, and persecuted. We have not lost our right to assemble or to speak our minds. We must not surrender our rights prematurely.
Uncertainty may loom heavily, but we are not powerless, and the great democratic experiment is not over. We need to be careful so we don’t succumb to despair.
I did a lot of research for this piece. Some of my sources are linked directly in the article where they apply. All of my sources are listed below. I encourage you to read them and take a deeper dive into the facts behind what I wrote above.
References
Balk, T. & Green, E.L. (2024, November 10). Wave of Racist Texts After Election Prompts FBI’s Scrutiny. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/07/us/politics/racist-texts-election-fbi.html
Bellinger, J.B., Doss, C.J., Freedman, J.A. Jeffress, A. & Joseph, J.P. (2024 November 13). Presidential Appointments and Senate Confirmations: A Guide for Prospective Trump Political Appointees. Arnold and Porter. https://www.arnoldporter.com/en/perspectives/advisories/2024/11/a-guide-for-prospective-trump-administration-political-appointees
Brown, B. (2017). Braving the Wilderness. (1st Ed). Random House.
Crash Course. (2015, February 6). Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances. [Video]. Crash Course Government and Politics. https://youtu.be/0bf3CwYCxXw?si=s1C7GvBvbc_fFo24
Cooper, J.J. (2024, October 26). Who Does Trump See As “Enemies From Within’?. The Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-enemies-from-within-5c4a34776469a55e71d3ba4d4e68cf62
Glass, I. (Host). (2024, November 8). This Is the Cake We Baked. (No. 846) [Audio podcast episode]. In This American Life. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/846/this-is-the-cake-we-baked/act-three-7
Jalonick, M.A., Licon, A.G. (2024, November 11). Trump Demands Senate Let Him Appoint Cabinet Nominees Without a Vote, Bypassing Confirmation Process. Fortune. https://fortune.com/2024/11/11/trump-demands-senate-appoint-cabinet-nominees-without-vote-confirmation-process/
Kitanaka, A. (2024, November 8). ‘Your Body, My Choice’: Harrassment Toward Women Surges Online After Election Day. Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-08/online-abuse-toward-women-spikes-after-trump-wins-us-election
The National Archives. (2023, June 5) America’s Founding Documents. The National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs
Mascaro, L. (2024, November 15). Trump Test Limits of Republican-led Congress With Controversial Cabinet Picks. PBS News. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-test-limits-of-republican-led-congress-with-controversial-cabinet-picks
McGee, K. (2024, November 7). Texas State University Condemns Demonstrators Who Brought Offensive Signs to Campus. The Texas Tribune. https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/07/texas-state-president-offensive-signs/
Reuters. (2024, November 9). Authorities Probing Bigoted Text Messages That Spread Alarm Across US. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/naacp-condemns-racist-texts-black-americans-slavery-2024-11-08/
Riccardi, N. & Fields, G. (2023, June 15). Trump’s Promise of Payback For Prosecution Following Years of Attacking Democratic Traditions. The Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/trump-retribution-indictment-documents-biden-american-democracy-5a8ec37b359fee85d0f0956139d79f51
Yilek, C. (2024, November 14). Can Trump Appoint Matt Gaetz Without Senate Confirmation? Here’s What To Know About Recess Appointments. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-matt-gaetz-recess-appointments-senate/