I haven’t been watching too much of the election fallout, but from what I’ve seen, it looks like Biden is going to take the win and be the next president. Normally, seeing a Republican getting punted from the oval office would bring a smile to my face, but this time it’s different. It’s different because right now, it doesn’t matter who the next president will be. None of it matters.
It doesn’t matter because right now, the country is still going to burn.
The divisions between people will not heal in our lifetimes. I can only hope that in another generation’s time that this whole era will be forgotten, or at the most acknowledged as part of history, but something from the past. Right now though, I can’t see any healing coming from this. The ugliness of people has been exposed and it breaks my heart to see it.
People I’ve known for years…people I believed to be inherently good have become rabid zealots, braying their support of their preferred leader to the heavens. Normally I’m OK with this, but what’s worse is the way they treat those who don’t agree wholly with their opinions. Suddenly you’re a racist because you support a n alleged racist. Or, your a commie because you support someone with more socialist/community-centric ideals. A heated disagreement is one thing, but I’ve seen and heard insults thrown that cut like knives. I’ve heard patronizing tones used to place themselves above those they talk to. It’s sickening, and it makes me want to distance myself from all of them.
What makes it worse is I think they know how disappointed I am in them, but they’re willing to continue because it will all work out in the end. Just get through this, be an asshole until Biden wins, then we can all go back to normal, right?
Wrong.
Maybe I’m a little thin-skinned, but when my ex-wife and I got into it, she would sometimes blame it on her period. I never said anything, but the memory of how she acted never left me. So it is with my ‘friends.’ these days. Seeing them call others racist or sexist, or calling them Nazis just because the media says so just sickens me. It makes me wonder how anyone can love someone so ugly. I wonder if they know how others see them, or if they’re so wrapped up in their own fervor that they’re just blind to it. I can understand them being concerned over the direction in which their country’s going, but when the dust settles, they still have to deal with those who voted for the other guy. It’s not like when Biden wins that they flip a switch and suddenly everyone starts yelling ‘Build Back Better.’ Same with Trump. His victory will not turn the entire country into MAGA-land. Red will still be red, and blue will be blue. After everything that’s been said, is there any hope at peace?
I hope so, but I’m not overly optimistic. Words can hurt, and the sting of them can last a lot longer than a punch or slap. We will remember the ugliness of people, win or lose. We will remember the sides each person took in this time, and we will remember the words we all said.
Remember, remember the 3rd of November…and all the days that led up to it.