I haven't posted a blog in a while. Most of the reason is that in the post 11/9 Trumpster fire I am channeling my activities into a Facebook-Live-recorded daily resistance where every weekday I call my Republican Senator and curate a list of actions I'm taking to try to have an impact in these troubled times. But to ignore the moment that started me on this journey would be not right. It would make my actions seem a little too angelic and altruistic. Whatever they seem to you I can assure you that I am not either.
The catalyst that got me started with my first Facebook live on calling my Senator was a white guy. A well-meaning but insistent white guy who after a congenial hour and a half coffee chat when I said "hey I have to go pick up some posters for the In Solidarity with Muslims March later" decided that was the time to try to talk about "the Resistance". He self-proclaims to be an independent who in real terms is liberal/progressive and the conversation stayed congenial so it was 5 or 10 minutes into it that I realized he was trying to argue with me. He was trying to correct me. He was trying to mansplain where the Women's March got it wrong. And the phrase that sticks with me is "you all have been so extreme and should find some policy goals and places to work together"...to which inside my head I said something to the effect of "what the fuck, are you kidding me???!? How do you not see what's happening right now" And out of my mouth I said "I think we have a fundamental disagreement about what is happening to our democracy right now. We are fighting for a return to first principles." But he didn't give it up. And so when I finally left, I went to the March and when I got back I was still stewing. It made me so angry. That this guy who placidly saw things, who wasn't personally impacted by the situation, who wasn't engaged in the struggle thought that instead of truly listening and learning that from his white ivory tower *he* knew what was best. A guy who never lived in DC like I had. A guy who had never been a Federal government contractor like I had been. A white guy with all the privilege that it entails in "Manver", the nickname of my new city Denver. Who the fuck does he think he is? And why does he think it OK to overwrite my much more knowledgeable voice on this situation?
Focus not on my anger dear reader, I channeled that in a positive and constructive manner like I usually do. It got me to do these daily resistance videos. But do focus the latter. My voice. I recorded that first Facebook video just as a one-off to show that with a call to my Republican Senator because I decided that I wouldn't let his ignorance be something that lessened me. That quieted me. I refused. I had the womens voices from January 21 still fresh in my head and they were so powerful, and they were so true, they called out to me like sirens, and I answered their call.
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