issue #41: it's the vaginas, stupid

I went into yesterday nauseously optimistic, as they were saying. I was filled with hope, pride, excitement, anxiety. I remembered 2016 vividly, but eight years later, I thought we had started to turn a corner. That collectively we would decide that we had had enough, finally, of the hatred, vitriol, rage, demonization. I had faith that together as Americans we would do the right thing. We would stand up to a facist wannabe dictator that regularly spoke about his desire to defy all laws and norms, jail his enemies, cause havoc on the environment, disregard all science, spread racist beliefs, and round up anyone he thinks shouldn’t be here.

I was wrong.

There is that old saying - “It’s the economy, stupid.” When the economy feels bad, the people demand a change in leadership by voting in a new party. That people vote based on the economy, and the economy only. This, in this election, cannot be true. Sure, the vibes of the economy don’t feel great now for most people, I get that, groceries are expensive! But on paper, the economy is good. And on paper, every single one of Trump’s proposed economic policies would actually make the economy, much, MUCH, worse, inflation higher, prices out of control, the national debt skyrocket, and our ability to buy goods greatly restricted due to tariffs.

So yeah, it’s not the economy.

It’s women.

In the days and weeks leading up to election day we heard over and over how this was the “gender election”. That so much of what happens will be determined along gender lines, and the gender gap will play a starring role in who gets elected President.

Well. The men won.

The fear and distrust of having a woman in charge was so strong, the desire to limit the power of women to have agency over their body so deep, the anger at women for gaining more traction in society and rising through the ranks and refusing to back down and finding our voices and taking our power and fighting for an equal - not even a better - just an equal place in society was so incomprehensible to men that they came out in droves to elect a convicted felon and sex pest that we all know is an actual rapist to the highest office in the land.

And I am angry. I am angry for a society that has told men that they should be the leaders of the household, that they should hold the power, that they should be the breadwinners. Because we failed them, in letting them believe that. We failed them, because now they can’t see what it would like to not be that. I am angry for everyone that looks at their mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, and, in their vote, says you are less than and your opinions, autonomy, and life don’t matter. I am angry that we have decided there isn’t enough room for everyone. That with this election we have stood up and said that certain people, preferences, races, genders, do not belong, or are not important.

I am sad. I am so sad that we are here, again. That no lessons seems to be learned. That in fact, we went so much further in the opposite direction from progress than I ever thought we could.

My faith in our American people has been eroded. And I am lucky to live in New York City, where I am generally surrounded by likeminded people. Like in 2016, many of us will be crying on our way to work, wordlessly commiserating with our neighbors on the subway. I went on a long, hard run this morning, and made knowing eye contact with everyone else out there. We all had shit to work through, we all don’t know what comes next.

I am still struggling to find words, and I am waiting to see what’s next. Last time, we were told we were being dramatic, that nothing would really change, that things wouldn’t be so bad. Yet, we were right. Women are literally dying because of Trump’s past actions, so there is reason to be afraid now, too. I cannot predict the future, and I would love to look back on this post in a few years and think wow, how dramatic, it wasn’t that bad. But I also know that we have reason to be scared, we have reason to be sad, we have reason to be angry, and, above all, we have reason to fight. Again. And again and again and again.

time to dig up those pink pussy hats, don the pantsuits, take a few deep breaths, and get to work.

take care of yourselves.

xx

jen