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On Election Night and Beyond, One Woman’s Perspective

By on January 15, 2017
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By Beth Humphreys

November 9, 2016, I felt as if I was in a dull trance, a state of shock after the event of the previous night’s US election, as many of us were.  Two months on, I am still trying to come to terms the results of an election that held so much promise, and so much hatred and fear. The following is an essay that I wrote the day after the election.  Now, with the inauguration less than one week from today, I reflect on these words and find that they still ring true. We face challenges as a planet and society and I am hopeful that all of our governments are up for that challenge.  Each of us needs to dig deep within ourselves as we watch our world and we must use every ounce of our intelligence, intuition and strength to determine truth from misinformation, and decide how we as individuals will react and contribute to our world.

I am trying to process all of the emotions that I feel.  I am numb, I am afraid, I am sad and I am angry. But perhaps I can also be hopeful, and I can push past my feelings to a better place.

I am numb, still in denial, because I can’t quite believe that this has happened.  I have lived in many different places, in both Canada and the USA, four provinces and two states. I have travelled across both countries, met and talked to many people, both in person and online. I have good friends who have ideologies that are both similar and different from my own.  My American friends include both staunch Republicans and Democrats and many in between.  I have also been fortunate to have worked for companies with co-workers from many parts of the globe, including Europe, Africa, Asia and the Mideast. This is what I believe: that we are all intelligent people who love our families and want the best for them, and for society in general. I have always had faith in the intelligence of people to make good choices.

When I looked at the horrible things that Mr. Trump has said during and before this campaign, I thought surely people would not be able to ignore the clear evidence of his misogynistic and racist views.  Surely the people of America would see that he is not one of them, but a narcissistic entitled rich guy who inherited billions and has never had to make the difficult choices to provide for his family. Surely people would see through the name-calling and sound bites to see the type of person that he was and the danger that his brand of politics posed.  Surely the American people are not so distrustful of their system of government, so fearful, angry and disenfranchised that they would vote for him. Surely hatred, anger and fear would not prevail, and light would win.  Clearly I was in denial about where so many people were resonating.

I am afraid for our world.  I fear a backlash against women, people of colour, and most of all Muslims and immigrants.  I fear that those who subscribe to the angry mob mentality that was apparent at many rallies will feel vindicated and that they now have the right to attack people in these minorities.  I was not shocked when I saw a tweet today from a woman who said that her devout Muslim mother is pleading with her to not wear her hijab in fear of her being faced with aggression and violence.  I fear for her, and for her family.  I fear for the many immigrants and refugees in this world whose hopes for coming to America to escape the violence in their homes has evaporated. I fear that this could become a terrorist recruiting opportunity if a backlash begins to occur.  I fear that the isolationist attitude will infect the country and the world, leading us into a darkness that we have not seen in more than 80 years. I fear what could happen next.

I fear for the LGBT community who have fought for so long for their rights, and now face the possibility of losing those rights.  I know many in that community who still don’t feel that they can openly express their affection for their partners for fear of reprisal, who were finally beginning to feel safe.  Where do they go from here?

I fear for the women of this world, who have once again been told that they do not matter.  They have been told that no matter how qualified, hard working or intelligent you are, you will never get ahead when faced with a society that is so overwhelmingly misogynistic and sexist.  Women have been told once again that men who believe that they can comment on their looks, grab at their bodies, slap them down, keep them down and demean them can do so without consequence for their actions, and even be elevated to the highest office in the country while displaying and bragging about this behaviour.  The Brock Turners of this world are rejoicing today as they have re-affirmed the belief that women are lesser beings, and do not have a voice. All of us who have lived through sexism, abuse and the challenges of being a woman in a man’s world feel this very deeply today.  I told my husband, who was having a difficult time comprehending the depth of my upset today that I feel like we have taken a collective punch to the gut.

I am sad for all of the good people who fought so hard to make sure that this wouldn’t happen and lost anyway.  I am sad for the millions of Americans who voted for Secretary Clinton and won the popular vote but lost the election due to an antiquated electoral system that should be reformed but probably will not be.  And I am sad for Secretary Clinton, who has devoted her life to public service and the betterment of this society only to lose the chance to serve in the highest office to a much less qualified and man.  I want SO much more for women and for all of us.

So now I am angry.  How dare you elevate a man who has been so disrespectful to women, to the disabled, to minorities and to anyone who is different? How dare you say that this is acceptable in our society?  I say OUR society, because society does not end at political borders.  Our society is all of North America, all of the English speaking world, and everywhere else as well.  It is everything within the reach of the media, the internet and email. This is so much more than an American problem.  How dare you say that your anger at Washington is more important than the global economy, more important than the environment or than the health of this planet that we all share and our children and grandchildren will inherit? How dare you say that bullying is bad, and yet put a bully into the highest office in your country, where he will be able to throw his weight around on an international stage and risk destroying years of diplomacy that keeps all of us safe? How dare you let your anger infect us all?

I know that it is difficult to be hopeful right now, but I know that we must.  I listened to Secretary Clinton’s words as she spoke today, about how proud she was to have been the champion of so many women, and I feel proud to have supported her, if only from afar.  When she talked about having successes and setbacks, and the value of fighting for what is right, I am proud. I take courage in her continued resolve to keep working to heal the world, and her faith that the glass ceiling will one day be broken.  And I had hope when she addressed the young girls out there and affirmed their value and power, deserving of every chance to pursue their dreams.

Perhaps now is when the real work begins. We all must now rise above our fear and anger.  We must be careful to not allow ourselves to be dragged down into the apathy and fear that threatens us right now. We must use our anger to propel us into pride and courage, and to give us the strength to make things better for all of the world.  We must accept what is, and ask what we need to do to make this world a better place.  How can we, as a society and as women, rise above the fear and anger and gather the courage to accept each other and our differences, including those that elected this man.  How can we reach out to all of the people who feel so fearful, angry and disenfranchised that they would vote for Donald Trump, and give them our hands in love and friendship, even if we do not agree with them? What can we do to better understand their concerns?

I read an article today that spoke about the large groups of rural American who have seen their way of erode over the last few decades.  These are not stupid, heartless people who have no care for the rest of the world, they are people just like all of us.  These are people outside of urban areas, in the so-called heartland of America, who feel that they have been largely ignored for years as their jobs were lost to industry closings and economic downturns, and their towns are slowly fading into decay.  They have watched as the economic recovery happened in the cities, but somehow passed them by.  They have seen corporations make record profits as they face losing their homes and being forced to move to cities where the high cost of living means that they cannot afford decent lives for their families.  They have seen too many elections over the years where the politicians speak about the cities and ignore their plight, because the cities are where the money and the votes are.  It’s no wonder that they voted for change – any change is better than what they are feeling now.  These are not bad people.  Most of these are not people with hatred in their hearts, they, like us, feel that they have had no voice.

So now we all need to move forward as a society.  America has a monumental task ahead of itself to try to heal the deep divisions in their country.   While I am concerned about the current leadership’s ability to do that, I remain hopeful.  All that we can do now is remain hopeful, and ask ourselves what can I do to help raise the resonance of the world?  We need to ask ourselves what do we want, and also ask each other what do you need?  How can we help soothe your fears?  How can we work together to make all of our lives better?  How can we build a more just society for everyone?  Before we can heal the great wounds in the world, we need to understand why the wounds are here.  We need to look at the ideological divisions and seek to understand the fears and beliefs that are behind them.  We need to look at the huge economical differences and seek to find solutions that work for all of us. Then we need to have the courage to work together to bring the world to a higher level of understanding where we can soothe those fears, rise above the anger and move  towards love and acceptance.

I pray to all the goddesses that we are up for that challenge.

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bethBeth Humphreys is a writer, designer and a Master Empowerment Coach Student with the S.W.A.T. Institute.  She has realized the importance of following your heart and passions to create your ideal life.  Through her career, Beth has worked in corporate environments, small business as well as been a full time parent, and understands many of the challenges that women face in today’s society.  With a Bachelor’s degree in Information Science and additional education in Business, Art and Communications, Beth divides her time between professional writing, knitwear design and her coaching studies.   Beth lives on Vancouver Island with her family and multiple pets.  She can be found on facebook at at www.facebook.com/beth.humphreys.9 or Twitter at https://twitter.com/Creativ_Healthy

 

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