Geez indeed.
As I walk through / This wicked world / Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity.
I ask myself / Is all hope lost? / Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?
—Nick Lowe, "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding"
Is all hope lost?
Our country has just elected a man who ran on outright misogyny, xenophobia and racism. A man who has done nothing on behalf of anyone but himself. A man who is ignorant of our country’s laws and how our government works. A man who encouraged his followers to beat up protesters while saying nothing about the countless threats and hate crimes committed in his name. A man who threatened to jail his opponent if he won, and who encouraged his followers to shoot and kill his opponent if he lost.
Oh, and his policies (to the extent that he has them) are completely odious.
And yet… hope isn’t lost. There’s just a lot of work to do.
Here’s how I'm fighting back. If you’re upset about the election, I hope you’ll join me:
-Supporting the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU fights to protect immigrants’ rights. It fights to protect religious liberties. It fights to protect press freedom. It’s gonna be very busy for the foreseeable future. You can support the ACLU here.
-Supporting the Southern Poverty Law Center. The SPLC tracks hate crimes and fights hate groups, among other important things. Sadly, they’re gonna be busy for the foreseeable future, too. You can support the SPLC here.
-Supporting the National Resources Defense Council. It was easy to miss during our incoming president’s odious campaign of personal insults: his policies, such as they are, along with those of the majorities in Congress, will decimate our environment. You can support the NRDC here.
-Supporting Planned Parenthood. Women’s health matters. And this is unacceptable. Stand with Planned Parenthood here.
-Renewing my subscription to The New York Times. The finest news organization in the world. Subscribe here.
-Renewing my subscription to The New Yorker. Astonishing reporting, impeccably written. (Also: whimsical cartoons.) Subscribe here.
-Renewing my subscription to the Austin American-Statesman. If you want to understand a national election, start at the local level. Support your local paper here.
-Supporting National Public Radio. I don’t think anyone does a better job of bringing fresh perspectives into my life as Morning Edition. Steve Inskeep is a national treasure. Support NPR here.
-Supporting community radio. Stations (like Nashville’s WXNA, where I pick music for Rick Pecoraro Talks to Himself), aren’t built on news or speaking truth to power, but they do provide local citizens a voice and an outlet for art, music, etc. In a divisive time, they bring people together.
-Posting hilarious and/or insightful tweets and retweets. Obviously.
-Remembering that those of us who oppose this guy are on the right side of history, and that a majority of the country’s voters did not want this man as their president.
-Embracing those old-fashioned virtues of peace, love and understanding. Because there’s nothing funny about that.