Gird Your Loins →
Below are excerpts from an email I sent to some of the best and brightest progressive minds in my contact list during the inauguration of Donald John Trump. It is the springboard for the conversations that shall follow hereafter. . .
As you know (and perhaps at the moment are observing), today we receive our new orange lord and overseer. So. I went into my contacts and have sent this to some of the best and brightest ladies I know who may be spending today. . . sighing a lot.
Back when I was on facebook, you may recall that I listed this Bill Maher quotation as one of my favorites: "Freedom isn't free. It shouldn't be a bragging point that 'Oh, I don't get involved in politics,' as if that makes someone cleaner. No, that makes you derelict of duty in a republic. Liars and panderers in government would have a much harder time of it if so many people didn't insist on their right to remain ignorant and blindly agreeable."
I've been thinking about that quote a lot lately. In (dis?)honor of today I wanted to send along this information from an NYU Women's Initiative event I went to this past Wednesday (coming in another blog post). It was a great meeting and discussion (the champagne/dessert reception wasn't bad either #PunchAndPie #ThatIsASouthParkJoke #LookItUp).
I appreciated that the presenter created at take away document that I found very insightful. I appreciated that they were concrete actions to take rather than falling to pieces.
As a mini rant, I would like to say I do think some of our "liberal" reactions to this are a tad bit. . .how shall I say. . . overblown? Last night I was watching cable news and saw this lady full-stop SOBBING. I mean. I guess I get it, but the time for that was, um, well - November. Let's not be so pre-occupied with hand-wringing when we should be strategizing for the future!
Also, maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't give anyone the satisfaction of sobbing (in public no less!). Pull it together, girls! As our great national treasure Beyonce once said, "Suicide before you see this tear fall down my eye." Or let us knot forget the great 90s poet Tupack Shakur's wise lines "Please don't cry, dry your eyes never let up. Forgive, but don't forget -girl, keep ya head up." My apologies for all the pop culture references, but I like a little levity in serious moments. Get used to that if you're going to stick around!
Our next steps should be to put our heads down and get to work on the local levels. Register people to vote! Only 40% of Americans voted in that catastrophe that led to Agent Orange a few months back. Midterm elections MATTER. I specifically would like you all to check out flippable.org. Orange may be the new black, but as Heidi Klum (who according to our new president is "no longer a 10") says, "One day in fashion you are in, and in the next, you are out!" Let's make it our business to make blue the new red.
As a serious note, I'd like to leave you with this quote from Senator Elizabeth Warren: "Others have said it before me. If you don't have a seat at the table, you're probably on the menu. And so it is important that we have women in the United States Senate - strong women, women who are there to help advance an agenda that is important to women."
On that note, I shall leave you. Love you all. Mean it. Stay woke in these streets.