With the state of the US being what is is right now, as a disabled queer person with mental illness and an unfortunate interest in political science, I think back to 2016…back when it was elected and I was so unbelievably upset & afraid.
I remember that my then-conservative family members mocked me and people like me, saying that we were getting worked up over nothing. “It’s not personal, I’m fiscally conservative but socially liberal.” (A lie many have told since Reagan to make themselves feel less at fault for the suffering of the people around them).
Those same people have gone stone cold silent now. Those same people cannot look me in the eye more often than not. Those same people are having to mourn the disappearances of their favorite baristas, their libraries, their neighbors, their friends. Once it directly began to impact them, they began to see.
And they are in a worse situation financially now than ever.
It all happened like I was certain it would, and quite honestly I’d say it’s even worse.
Was it worth it?