Sad day

[dreamflower]

I was literally sick this morning, mainly because I did not sleep a wink last night, not at all.

What happened? It was all so hopeful, and then...I just can't explain how I feel. It's frustrating, but more than that. I feel like once more a dream of things getting better in the world has been totally crushed by a juggernaut. It's disappointing, but that seems like a very lame word. I feel betrayed and let down.

I have to accept the way things are. I have to move on. But I don't think I will have a lick of interest in DT's administration or his speeches or anything at all to do with him. We'll be in for four years of chaos and the Republicans running roughshod over all the progress of the last eight years.

In fact, I will probably just bury my head in the sand. Get on with my own interests, and my personal life, and my fandom. I've always been one to watch the news and stay informed; I don't suppose I can give that up, but no more politics for me. I'll try to vote him out in four years--hopefully by then all the people who think he's so great will realize what a bad mistake they made.

Comments

[danae_b]

Betrayed, yes. That's what I feel too

*hugs*

[dreamflower]

((((hugs back))))

[shirebound]

*quietly takes your hand and looks to the future*

[dreamflower]

*holds on tightly*

[baranduin.livejournal.com]

It was a hard night to live through and it's a hard day today. I can't say I'm very surprised, it's felt like it's been coming. The surprise to me is how surprised everyone is.

It's just the patriarchy doing what it does -- making the world safe for white men and the women who apparently willingly support their menfolk.

[dreamflower]

Even more than that, it's also a lack of education.

Hilary won the popular vote, just like Gore did in 2000.

But most of Trump's supporters were poorly educated, and they swallowed his conman act whole. They've never been taught how to discern between truth and candy-coated lies.

College educated people, both men and women, but especially women, overwhelmingly voted for Hilary.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

The stats haven't all been parsed yet, but all along a very large part of Trump's constituency has been wealthy whites, many but not all of whom are educated. They are the same constituency who votes for whomever the Republicans pop forth and whose main objective is to pay less taxes and keep all their stuff. I think it has been a mistake of the press for various reasons, but one of them is classism that has made them wrongly say it's the white working class that has been Trump's largest constituency. It's possible they were in the end, but all along, stats were showing that his largest constituency was well-off whites. The way education and wealth correspond in this country is also very uneven. So I'd wait to see more stats on income, college education, and who voted for whom to come out and how those stats were gathered.

[dreamflower]

I don't deny that a bunch of rich Republicans who are of Donald Trump's own ilk probably made a good chunk of his constituency. And I'm quite sure they made up a lot of his financial support.

But his populist message was aimed at people who were the opposite of him. He constructed a whole persona who was "for the little guy" (and doesn't that just stink of privilege?) and while we do need to look at the final stats, I can tell you that anecdotally and in the place where I live, people who felt disenfranchised fell for his bait, hook, line and sinker.

(And of course there was the subtext from Trump and the upper echelons with the outright statements from his target vote, something I heard here over and over ad nauseum. "Don't tell me nothing bad about Trump. I'm voting for him because I hate Obama. He's a Muslim terrorist.")

Of course, part of that may be my own bitterness at the politics of the state where I live now. Education can fix ignorance, unless the person does not want his ignorance fixed.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

I agree totally with you about his target audience.

Having spent a lot of time in academia, it isn't always the liberal bastion people suppose. I lost my faith that institutional education makes people better over my years in it. The corporate model and amount of money to be made off modern education sure doesn't help. There's many kinds of education, and our institutional models have some classist assumptions built into them that are antithetical to some forms of learning, but can provide you with some pretty powerful tools to better defend your own assumptions and privileges, and batten down your mental hatches. In other words, it can cut both ways. And the work of being caring and more empathetic people is very complicated.

[dreamflower]

Have you ever read Dark Money by Jane Meyer? It's the story of how big money, led by the Koch brothers, has infiltrated our politics.

In one part it tells just how money from the right was insinuated into colleges and universities through judicious donations with strings attached.

What needs to happen is for more education in the lower schools, even as young as grade school in logic and reasoning and how to understand how political propaganda and commercial advertising try to manipulate people. People who are on to the tricks are much less likely to be fooled into surrendering either their vote or their money too easily.

What happened...

[(Anonymous)]

If you got your campaign news from the mainstream media outlets, the truth was withheld from you. They ignored the "movement" that was taking place. Donald Trump's rallies drew thousands of people daily - not reported on by mainstream media. Do you honestly think people who wait in line for hours to see the man are not going to vote for the man? Well, that question was answered on 11/8. Also, his campaign did an excellent job of predicting how many votes they needed in the box, state by state. If you were surprised by the outcome, you were uninformed. Sorry, didn't mean to be "anonymous." This is your conservative friend in NC, Janice. Sorry for your pain and disappointment, but give the man a chance.

RE: What happened...

[dreamflower]

First of all, Hi Jan! It's good to hear from you whatever your political side.

Actually got my news from a lot of sources, not only mainstream, but clearly most of them were not taking everything into account somehow.

[ysilme]

*hugs*

[dreamflower]

(((Hugs back)))

[savageseraph.livejournal.com]

I slept very little, and I'm just soulsick today.

[dreamflower]

I'm starting to feel better physically, but it's going to hurt my spirit for a while.

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

SUch a very sad day. I feel devastated on a level I don't think I've ever felt in an election result.

[dreamflower]

Never, not even in 2000,

[piplover.livejournal.com]

I barely slept last night, and was feeling sick, too, today. I've been crying on and off all day, and, admittedly, getting into fights on FB, lol. I just want the world to stop being so scary.

[dreamflower]

Thankfully I don't go on Facebook much. (((Hugs))) hope you feel better today.

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

Hugs. A sad day for the USA and the world.

[dreamflower]

(((hugs back)))

[engarian.livejournal.com]

I suspect there will be a lot of us sharing that sand. *sigh*

- Erulisse (one L)

[dreamflower]

At least for a while.

[fantasy-fan.livejournal.com]

I really understand the wanting to never watch the news again, to completely tune out anything political and pretend he doesn't have anything to do with our real lives. I will most likely do the same thing. But my real life includes people of color, people who are not of cis hetero sexuality, people who are not rich white males, people who are not christian, and lots and lots of women, and I feel like I've got to work harder somehow so we can all hold together against what is going to be a terrible four years. (Or two. Can we hope that in two years another election will balance things some?) I don't know how. I guess I have to go through a few more stages of grief before I can think of anything constructive.

[dreamflower]

I guess I can't tune the news out altogether, but I'm looking at it with new eyes. For example, when they showed HIM making his speech, I really noticed how sad and frightened his wife and little boy look.

The demonstrations were a surprise to me--I would not have been surprised at such a reaction from his side, but to have those who were for Hilary react so violently was a shock. If we want to make our voices heard, we can't meet hate with hate.

No one, none of the experts, have ANY idea of what he's going to do. We know what he said he wants to do, but is he going to be able to?

Two years from now is our chance to try and take back Congress. Maybe by that time those who chose HIM will see the error of their choice and be ready to make a real change.

And four years till we have a chance get rid of HIM. Unless he does something so egregious he has to take the Nixon route. Pence's views are awful, but at least he is not as crude and insensitive as HIM.

[ceshaughnessy.livejournal.com]

I totally agree, Barbara. I too lost a lot of sleep that night and delayed turning on the TV the next morning because of that sense of foreboding. I feel ashamed of this bully my country has "elected"! Let's go back to making our vote count and drop this stupid electoral crap. God help us with this narcissistic bully as president!!!

[dreamflower]

I know, but maybe when he's actually faced with the job? What choice do we have now but to hope he'll see the error of his ways.

[frodosweetstuff.livejournal.com]

Please don't bury your head in the sand. Now is the time to act and show opposition and stand by those who will suffer the most from the consequences. :( But I know that isn't easy!

[dreamflower]

Right now my faith in accomplishing anything is shattered. But maybe after a few weeks or months I may be able to see light at the end of the tunnel.

[frodosweetstuff.livejournal.com]

I know. I'm currently taking solace from a lot of things that people on Tumblr are posting. Like the petition that Addie posted about or a march that is being organised etc. Little steps but I think it must feel good to be doing something right now rather than do nothing and despair.

Anyway! *hugs*