This presidency has destroyed my idealism. I used to feel joy frequently, and optimism. That's gone now.
It is not just the president's actions, though those are bad enough. It's disillusioning to see all the Republicans who support him, and the others who shake their head but then go right back to their daily lives.
On several occasions, male acquaintances said to me, "It really isn't that bad. I feared the worst after the 2016 election, but nothing too bad has happened."
I said, "Nothing bad has happened to you. Immigrants are being deported. Gay people are afraid that gay marriage will be revoked. Visas are much harder to get. Our climate is being destroyed. You haven't suffered consequences because you are not a woman, or a minority."
...
Is it all going to feel better after the 2020 election? Do I just need to hold out for another year, and this daily weight of dread and sadness will lift?
I worry that there is an innocence that is permanently gone.
It is not just the president's actions, though those are bad enough. It's disillusioning to see all the Republicans who support him, and the others who shake their head but then go right back to their daily lives.
On several occasions, male acquaintances said to me, "It really isn't that bad. I feared the worst after the 2016 election, but nothing too bad has happened."
I said, "Nothing bad has happened to you. Immigrants are being deported. Gay people are afraid that gay marriage will be revoked. Visas are much harder to get. Our climate is being destroyed. You haven't suffered consequences because you are not a woman, or a minority."
...
Is it all going to feel better after the 2020 election? Do I just need to hold out for another year, and this daily weight of dread and sadness will lift?
I worry that there is an innocence that is permanently gone.