Expecting Democrats to gloat and cheer and celebrate? Wondering why so many aren't? Me too! I, of all people, should have been popping champagne and giddy with glee. I wasn't. And I've been waiting for a Biden presidency since 2007. I don't get it.
I heard the news yesterday in the morning as I was getting ready. Then I went thru my day, did what needed to be done, no real emotion of any kind. End of the night I had a drink, watched some tv, and went to bed early. I woke up and it didn't immediately hit me that I had not only slept almost 11 hours, but I didn't wake up in the night. Not once! That's more than a little different from my routine this year. Then I realized what was going on.
Over the past 4 years, and especially thru this year, so many of us are EXHAUSTED! We've turned on the news to an endless stream of WTF stories. We've been bombarded with memes and ads with absolutely ZERO basis in fact.
- We've just put our collective faces down in the palms of our hands when we heard how many local health departments got calls from people asking if it was safe to drink bleach.
- We've rolled our eyes when people started talking about how Tom Hanks is part of a powerful organization that worships the devil and breeds babies for pedophiliac purposes, or just for eating them and/or drinking their blood.
- We've despaired when we found out that one of the followers of this latest based-on-zero-evidence-bat-shit-crazy conspiracy theory is actually going to be sitting in the House of Congress next year.
- We've argued with friends, and coworkers, and family armed with facts only to have the conversation switched on us (seriously there were over 100 hearings about Benghazi and no one was even indicted - it's bullshit from people who probably can't spell Benghazi let alone find it on a map).
- We've been stunned that birtherism is still considered a "thing" these days. Especially since it wouldn't have mattered anyway. John McCain was born in Panama. Ted Cruz was born in Canada. If my mother had been vacationing in the the south of France when she went into labor with me - I'd still be an American citizen. Period. And I still wouldn't know how to speak more French than the one suggestive lyric in a hit song from the 70's.
- We've screamed at our televisions when not only blatant, but outright dangerous lies have been spread across the airwaves. On channels claiming to be "news" no less.
- Some of us experienced a sudden moment of realizing "This relationship is not going to last" during what we otherwise thought was an intelligent conversation, only to hear "Well, I read on Facebook ..." No, no, no. Just stop. Stop talking now. Damn, you were so much sexier 2 minutes ago.
- We've watched videos of people screaming about their perceived rights to shop in privately owned businesses. At minimum wage employees who not only don't make the policies, but don't have enough money to go to the doctor if someone infects them with a deadly AIRBORN virus. I'm so tired of having to remind people that the "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone" sign has been up in the bar for decades.
- We've been made dizzy by the roller coaster of ever changing alternative facts. Deep held believes and opinions that turn on a dime depending on the day and the person who's doing it. Some changes in "This is what I believe" so extreme that it's a wonder we don't all have whiplash.
- We've tired of trying to be walking dictionaries for people who already have one in their damned pocket! Yeah, that screen you use to send dick pics and post pictures of your dinner plate. That one. If you ask it what words like fascism, or socialism, or authoritarianism, or liberal actually mean - it will tell you!! It'll even tell you that Democrat is a fucking noun. Not an adjective (it will also tell you what an adjective is). Hell, it'll even fact check shit for you. "Siri, was one party shut out from the vote counting process in this precinct?" NO! No, not only were actual official poll watchers present from BOTH parties - it was even live streamed. Even YOU could just go online and watch it. Talk about an exciting Friday night, right? How did you miss that show?
- We've been worn down by a level of what-about-ism that we wouldn't tolerate from a 3rd grader. Mom: "Johnny, did you break my favorite lamp?" Johnny: "What about Suzie? She fed her vegetables to the dog under the dinner table." It didn't change the fact that Johnny was playing with a ball in the house after repeatedly being told not to. It changes nothing - even if we assume Suzie actually did get away with skipping her broccoli.
- We've tried to follow logical trains of thought.
- We've tried to get people on the train of critical thinking.
- We've stood mouths agape while people told us that wearing a mask was actually more dangerous than not wearing one. Yeah, so that's why all these doctors and nurses have been dropping dead from lack of oxygen for all these years? Must be a major cover up from the AMA, right?
- We've stood up for our fellow man. For our military. For people of color. For women. For our neighbors and our friends and complete strangers. For our rights. ALL of our rights for ALL of us.
- We've tried to explain the basics of why "Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it" is a cliché worth paying attention to. Even given specific examples of why we don't do certain things in this country. Shared actual historical facts and the cause and effect of catastrophic events around the world and over the centuries.
- We've been stunned by the hypocrisy of self proclaimed religious people who supposedly follow the teachings of Jesus Christ (even named the religion after him) who apparently have absolutely NO idea how to even guess about WWJD.
- We've watched as people chanted against a renowned infectious disease expert, but also retweeted opinions from a discredited radiologist or even the My Pillow guy.
- We've yelled, we've cried, we've shook our heads in disbelief. We've tried to share facts. We've tried to spread actual knowledge. We've watched as millions of people have gotten sick and hundreds of thousands of Americans have died.
I could go on and on and on and on. Seriously, more and more examples keep popping into my head. Indictments, and prison sentences, and tweets, and lies, and violence, and promoting violence, and hate, and misinformation, and destruction, and tweets, and lies, and scams, and ignorance, and adolescent nicknames, and treason, and racism, and kidnapping, and murders, and corruption, and lies, and greed, and hearings, and criminal acts, and more criminal acts, and more tweets, and, and …
We've been crushed by the realization that so very many of our fellow Americans don't care. Genuinely don't care about other people. Don't care about facts. Don't care about knowledge. Don't care about human suffering. Don't care about the sacred institutions that America are built on. Don't care about the things that actually made this country great. Don't care about murder. Don't care about the patriots serving in the military. Don't care about American rights. Don't care about kids in FUCKING CAGES. Don't care about people losing their health insurance. Don't care about people dying alone. Don't care about people losing their homes. As long as they are OTHER people. THOSE people. My 401K looks good this week, fuck everything else. DO care about the constitution, but just certain parts and only for themselves. MY right for freedom of speech, but not YOURS. MY right to protest, but not YOURS, especially if it's something I don't agree with. WTF?? WTF has happened to us??
So, I guess that's it. I'm exhausted. I could just scream and swear and throw things, but I'm too drained. I could just curl up in a ball and cry for my fellow man, but I'm too tired. I could rejoice and celebrate, but I'm just too damned fatigued. I am genuinely glad that Vice President Joe Biden is now President Elect Biden! I will and do breathe a sigh of relief. I do have some hope. I do see a light at the end of the tunnel. It's just that it's been a very long, very dark tunnel. So, I just haven’t managed to pull off “excited” or “happy” just yet.
And now, after writing this, and despite a night of 11 hours of uninterrupted sleep, I think I'll just take a nap. If only I could set my alarm to wake me up on inauguration day.
Hopefully but Exhaustedly,
Annette
Grown up in Charge at Luv Pure