I have always been a believer in voice. Your voice is who you are. How you use it is a demonstration of your personal power.
Wars have been waged over voice—who has it, who doesn’t, how it is used.
I was always taught and been taught that silence is assent.
And this year, that is true.
In fact, I can’t think of another time in my life when it has been truer.
Just under half of the voting electorate voted for someone who seems to share very few of my beliefs or values.
Half.
It’s kind of like those old sayings when you go to college: Look to your left. Now, look to your right. One of those folks won’t be there at graduation.
Instead, now, the ending goes: One of those folks voted for the guy openly praised and endorsed by hate groups and restrictive regimes around the world.
So, you say, that you don’t share those beliefs?
Tell me.
Show me.
Stand with me.
Tell me, show me and stand with me.
Reblogged…
If you voted for him, I really need you to hear something right now: I believe you. I believe you when you say that you’re not a racist. I believe you when you say that you’re not a bigot. I believe you when you say you’re not homophobic. I believe you when you say you’re……
AdoptiveBlackMom 
November 18th, 2016 at 3:47 pm
I love what you wrote, and the small OP clip that was previewed here. The OP itself was troubling, because it’s so acontextual. The opposing candidate has made choices that killed millions of people–literally millions–while being caught on tape, among a million other things, advocating rigging (Israeli) elections and having actually worked to rig this election. You know all about my conclusions, of course, and how I reached them, so there’s not much point belaboring them.
I’ll be posting something tomorrow in a like vein to what you wrote. I won’t fault either primary parties’ voters, though both chilled me and I could condone neither with my vote … but I sure as hell will fault people for what they do or don’t do now, and encourag them every way I know to do the right thing.
November 18th, 2016 at 4:14 pm
Thanks Deborah. Yes, I know you had a lot of issues with the opposing candidate; believe me I wasn’t a super fan, but, you know, we just had very different priorities. 🙂
In the final days of the election, I found that I had to limit my exposure to “news.” Here nearly two weeks later, I’m back to that place as I see the prospective appointees. They chill me to the bone. I just can’t. Yeah, I’m holding folks accountable for alladis!
November 18th, 2016 at 5:23 pm
Husband and I have been wracking our heads about what to do in the wake of all this. Donate to orgs that share our values? Okay, we can pick one or two but we can’t fund them all. Volunteer with them? That’s less feasible, considering how all-encompassing other areas of life are for us (especially the teenage girl). March? Um, maybe, but I am so damn skeptical about what that could actually accomplish. I’m feeling powerless, dismayed, and disappointed in myself for not doing anything. And there is no clear cut path to making things better, especially when just under half of this country (and increasing portions of the world) think we’re heading in the right direction.