THANK YOU, SCOTT; LIBERAL SLACKTIVISM

Last night on Saturday Night Live, Lewis CK performed the following skit, called, “Thank you, Scott.”

The skit hit close to home for many liberals today, myself included. After the election, an election where the majority of Americans did NOT vote for Trump, many liberals were left dumbfounded. How did Trump get elected? Was it the “forgotten” men and women in rural central America that elected him and why did they feel “forgotten”? Was the Democratic party out of touch with America? Was social liberalism declining in the face of nationalism? —–Nope, not really. Those things may have been variables, but they were not reason enough for an electoral win. I believe the real reason Hillary lost is that liberals became complacent. We had a lovely 8 years with a President who was educated, intelligent, who understood social service and foreign policy and we thought the 8 years with Bush were long behind us. We never thought it possible that a schmuck like Trump could be elected…and then the unthinkable happened.

We had grown complacent. I mean after all, we had seen the acceptance of gay marriage, “Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell” was repealed, affordable healthcare for all, economic growth at an all time high and unemployment at an all time low (especially significant post Bush administration), Osama bin laden was killed, Sonya Sotomayer was confirmed to the Supreme Court and countless other accomplishments. All of these accomplished without the assistance and support of the Republican Congress, who bad-mouthed and fought Obama tooth and nail. For many of us liberals, the hatred towards Obama felt racist which only further divided us from our right-leaning friends. We lived through an era where SCIENCE WAS REAL, facts mattered, black lives mattered, police mattered, climate mattered—-so this, this $hit show we now find ourselves in was unimaginable and most of us would gladly welcome Bush back into office. Well, if it meant we could get rid of Trump.

The majority of Americans, including Trump, thought his Presidential bid would never amount to a win. Everyday on the campaign trail as Trump displayed his severe character flaws for all the world to see, we became more secure with the idea that this buffoon could never be elected. A pussy grabbing, misogynistic, racist, incompetent businessman, adulterer, and narcissistic liar could never be President. We were firm in our belief that no one was dumb enough to vote for this shyster.

—Boy were we, was I, wrong. I actually had champagne chilling election night. I went to work that day early to vote. I left my house high on emotions, wearing my pantsuit, screaming, “I am off to vote for the FIRST female President” to my family as I headed out the door. I was excited and could not wait to watch the results. That night I must have asked my husband a hundred times as we started watching the results roll in, “There is no way, right, no way he can win.” As the night wore on, it became obvious that many Americans did not feel the same way I did. I went to bed early, champagne undrunk, only to wake at 2:30 am to check my phone. I remember waking my husband saying, “She conceded, she conceded; it is over.” He moaned and cried out in frustration and then rolled over and went to sleep. I did not sleep.

I know my conservative “friends” joke about us snowflakes crying about how Trump won, but I am not ashamed to admit it. I cried, I sobbed. I honestly don’t know how I made it through work the next day. I just wanted to go home and drink that champagne and get bloto. I am in the service industry, I am a nurse and my career is based on helping and supporting others, but my actions felt superficial, mundane and surreal that day. I found solace on Pantsuit Nation on Facebook. I had only found that group a few days before the election and I wish I had found it sooner. The day of election the posts from Americans going off to vote with their children, mothers, grandmothers, families—-made me “happy cry”. I was moved to tears by the thought of our older generation being able to vote for the first female President. I kept thinking about how much this must have meant to them. The photos and posts were my therapy after the election. Living in a Republican strong-hold in Monmouth County, NJ, I felt like I had no one to talk to, other than my husband. My husband is a banker and identified as a soft Republican when I met him but twenty years together has changed this man. His perspectives have changed. He always jokes that I would have divorced him if he voted for George W. Bush but thankfully we never had to test his theory out. As his views broadened, his empathy and willingness to fight for others grew. The narrow paradigm he grew up in changed; we changed together. He switched his affiliation from Independent to Democrat to vote in the 2008 Democratic Primary, as did I. I was always registered as an Independent prior to 2008, even though my policies and beliefs lean far left, as a young adult and even now, I believed I would always vote for the best, most qualified applicant. I guess in this election I was hoping others felt that way too regardless of their political affiliation but alas the most qualified, experienced candidate did not win.

After the election, I got more vocal. I realized in my own complacency that I had not stood up for Hillary. Sure, I voted for her but I did not scream it from the roof top. I did not talk about why I supported her or why I thought she was the better candidate? I did not want to discuss with the crazy person or my father (love ya, Dad, but not your politics) that Hillary did nothing illegal and we did not have to worry about “locking her up”? I did not want to confront my ignorant friend who believes climate change is a hoax, or that person I went to high school with that posted offensive memes that included things like, “Trump that Bitch” or rants that made no logical sense? I did not want to debate anyone and in the same sense, I did not want to offend anyone. I kept quite about my politics. When did talking politics become rude?

It was not like after the election, “the gloves came off” and I was willing to bring everyone to the mats. I would like to believe the awakening was more organic and less retaliatory. I knew that becoming vocal was not going to change the outcome of the election, but I was not willing to stay silent anymore. Silence is why I think Trump was elected, silence and complacency.

After the election I warned my Facebook friends that I was going to speak my mind, I would call out injustices, I would share stories I felt relevant, I would call out Trump on his bad behavior but I also protested, marched in DC and started making phone calls and sending postcards to my congressional representatives and Trump. I got active but as I hold the mirror up to myself, as Lewis CK suggested in his skit, I could do more—and I will continue to #RESIST.