Hey America, feeling great again yet?
By now you’ve at least partially processed the reality that you elected a slum lord-turned-reality-TV-star as commander-in-chief last night.
But if you’re still trying to figure out who to blame for this Twilight Zone scenario, let me save you the trouble. Just blame me.
No, it wasn’t my colleagues in the media’s fault. They did their best to warn you. Just understand that the countless independent broadcasters who compete to beam pictures and sounds into the sky are not part of an elaborate conspiracy intended to mislead the American people into the lamb’s slaughter.
Believe it or not, the media is made up of American people. So if the mostly liberal journalists and artists who curate our news and entertainment were remotely capable of pulling off such a conspiracy, they would have been able to dead Trump’s movement before the primaries.
https://twitter.com/coupcoup40cal/status/796213714412302338
The big bad media’s only power is sharing information, and no one was uninformed about the candidates. By Election Night, America was well aware of every blemish on Clinton’s record and every short circuit in Trump’s brain.
And you can’t turn your blame to the third party voters like Marc Lamont Hill, either. Or even the stay-at-home protesters like Colin Kaepernick.
The tired refrains that Clinton was the lesser of two evils and that ancestors died for the right to vote isn’t inspiring, it’s weak and depressing.
So can we all admit that there are centuries-deep issues with America’s political and social structures that can’t be fixed by the structures themselves? Issues that even an all Democratic president, congress and Supreme Court couldn’t resolve.
https://twitter.com/eveewing/status/796222947363090433
Every single minority group chose Clinton (White women, your minority status is officially revoked). But remember, the word minorities comes from the fact this nation is majority White.
https://twitter.com/shaunking/status/796254056972849152
These results aren’t about any particular group failing to support Clinton throughly enough. This was about White America reclaiming its privilege once and for all after eight years of lip-clenching.
Trump proved himself to be the only White man with the balls to double down on America’s racist roots. Any other explanation or attempt to place blame is irrelevant. This day was coming sooner or later.
So don’t blame the Mexicans who voted red or the millions of millennials who didn’t vote at all. No scapegoat can carry this burden.
A man like Trump was going to be President of this country sooner or later. He’s a lot more like the men who created it than anyone else who was running.
This destiny was manifested by forefathers who claimed to consider all men equal, except their subhuman slaves. Oh, and the freed Blacks, who were deemed just two-fifths short of humanity after fighting a war over slavery.
Ask the Natives, whose tragic past is still openly mocked in popular culture. Even as they hopelessly fight the world’s strongest military for the right to hang onto to one of the last pieces of America they can call their own.
Trump’s election should be the ultimate proof that this land doesn’t belong to us. And it likely never will. So blame me if you need someone to hold accountable. Because I was secretly praying for this all along.
I don’t feel the least bit guilty for inheriting a broken system. And I don’t feel obligated to participate in a rigged game. I registered to vote and had every intention of doing so. But circumstances out of my control prevented me from making it to the polls on Tuesday. I felt a little guilty for not thinking ahead and mailing it in, until I turned on CNN to watch the results come in.
https://twitter.com/cfpetrella/status/796434655738294272
As I watched the electoral map bleed red across middle America, I was reminded that this entire process is out of my control. From the overly-complicated fuckery of the electoral college, to the polarized bi-partisan system that gave us these clown-ass candidates, the energy I would have exerted getting to the poll wasn’t worth the trouble. New Jersey is gonna be blue no matter how I vote.
I just hope this election was a big enough shock to kill the myth of the American Dream once and for all. I pray it shakes us to our core and causes a true awakening to our powers and responsibilities as citizens of the free world.
Cynicism won’t solve anything, so I’ve been trying to picture the best case scenario of America after four years of Trump. Try it with me.
Imagine a diaspora of America’s minority groups traveling through Africa, South America and Asia to hand out goods and resources raided from Europe’s weakened Union.
Or picture America’s disgruntled youth discovering a world that doesn’t have to be reminded that Black Lives Matter or that they deserve job opportunities, health care and education no matter who their parents are.
I have faith that America will go from struggling to squeeze the last cents out of its greed-driven industries to investing in and exporting the fruits of our favorite labors: Research, technology and the arts. And that we can return to living simply and within our means instead of bowing to worship the Gods of consumerism.
Whatever your vision for America’s future is, we should be wise enough to start from scratch at this point. So in four years, please don’t waste my time or attention talking about a system that chose this doofus.
You can @ me if you need a scapegoat, but just know I’m relieved I didn’t vote. If I had spent my scarce time and money to cast a vote that doesn’t really count for two candidates I don’t really believe in, I would really feel powerless. Like a fan who keeps re-upping their season tickets, even though their team is clearly tanking for top draft picks.
But today, I woke up feeling empowered. I believe Kendrick more than ever. Worst case scenario and we’re still alright.
I don’t want to run away to Canada or go James Wilkes-Booth on the Donald. I’m just thinking about getting my degree. And getting out of debt and stamping my passport up. And building my credit. And spending more time with my mom and sister. And serving my local community. And I gotta stop smoking rellos.
I’m not thinking about making America great, because I didn’t make America in the first place. My forefathers did, but not with feather pens, powdered wigs or voting ballots. They made it great with their blood, sweat and tears. And I have a feeling they’re looking forward to watching the Donald burn White Supremacy’s greatest masterpiece to the ground over the next four years using his good old American arrogance and ignorance as fuel.
So yeah, America, I’m feeling great again. How are you?
I Didn’t Vote And Here’s Why I Don’t Regret It was originally published on globalgrind.com
