the weekly | 11.06.24
certainty is a knife, election blues, and madness at the ballet
I preface today’s newsletter with some reflections in the reeling from a brutal election here in the United States. I thought about not posting the newsletter at all this week. But, I’d like to normalize the integration of politics into polite conversation. Keep it cool in the comments.
I’m exhausted. I can feel the lethargy in my bones creeping into the psyche. The echoes of the election leave a bad taste in my mouth. We will point fingers and play the blame game in an effort to… I don’t really know exactly. I try not to overcomplicate things. We shield ourselves from the nasty truths. We have created little islands of isolation that insulate us from the great horror of America’s political violence. It costs to exist in this country right now. We can’t afford groceries or integrity.
I’ve grown up in a sea of confused, white faces [wondering who the hell is she and what is she doing here]. So, I’ll tell you this much. They will never understand what it means to be marginalized. They will cry wolf on perceived limitations of their merit. They are being outpaced and abandoned and impressively, it is all our fault. Their privilege will always shield them from the true impact of their bad decisions. Their privilege will always be sexy. The others will abandon sabotage sacrifice us to get a piece of it. It will be hollow and they will regret it. It will not save them.
I will never be seen as capable or valuable to a [seemingly] large majority of people in this country simply on the basis of the color of my skin. This is not news to me. I’ve dealt with it my whole life. Equity in this country has been achieved — allegedly. And yet, it is only my people who are faced with bomb threats at their polling places.
America is racist. It is misogynistic. It is xenophobic. It is violent.
I remain joyful. It is radical for Black people in this country to enjoy the fruits of our labor. It is radical for us to graduate with advanced degrees and hold public office and own homes and see our families grow older. It is radical to show up in the face of adversity and verbalize what we want for the public record. I refuse to let prejudice darken my disposition. I refuse to be browbeaten into complacency. It is radical to be hopeful, persistent.
The people of New Jersey elected the first Korean American senator, Andy Kim. Missouri overturned an abortion ban that subjected women to unimaginable harm. Two Black women (Angela Alsobrooks and Lisa Blunt Rochester) will serve in the United States Senate together for the first time in our nation’s history. New York enshrined abortion rights in its State Constitution.
Democrats have been dealt a severe blow. People are unhappy. They do not trust them to govern effectively. They are not motivated to show up at the polls. It has been a growing sentiment over the past decade. It is time to reshuffle.
I feel antsy and unfocused and nervous.
I’m exhausted. But, I am not beaten.
It’s Election Night and my nerves are bad. The protocol is simple: consuming my weight in honey lavender stress relief tea, a [small] supply of Tate’s Bakery dark chocolate cookie bark, and a rotation of my favorite movies (see letterboxd). I’m feeling not great right now (10pm Tuesday night), but we’re also in the middle of the Red Mirage.
In the meantime, let’s get into the weekly: a collection of musings, reviews, and recommendations curated by me, for you. Let’s do ittttttt.
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting the weekly.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to oh eight to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.