Pence at Hamilton

The views and beliefs Pence has and tries to impart are archaic.  They hearken back to a time when we were so far removed from a time of cultural and personal understanding. 

Trump and Pence are bringing back a time we fought hard to leave behind.  Make America Great Again implies that the days behind us were better than the days ahead of us.  That the level of respect and acceptance for our fellow man was better.

But was it?

I remember a time right before Trump was running (2014).  All the progress we made.  The tolerance.  Mental wellness was being championed.  Now it's a punchline.  Racists were afraid to step into the light, now they're marching down our streets.  Hate was still breeding, but we had no problem uniting against it... Now it's splitting our nation. 

Honestly... How are we supposed to come together against hate when it's two months from leading the country?

Trump wasn't a vote for a better America... He was a protest vote.  People knew he was a terrible choice.  People agreed he was horrifying.  But he "wasn't Hillary" and he "wasn't government."  So essentially, he wasn't voted in for who he was... He was voted in for who he wasn't.

Now look at us. 

We are definitely heading back to an older version of America.   But that version was definitely not a great one.

When Trump said he would "Make America Great Again," we should have asked him which era he considered the great one.

This Goes Beyond Godwin's Law.

Trump said he doesn't need to be paid as President.

Hitler also refused a salary.

And the allusions don't stop there.

Hitler viciously attacked any person that tried to stand against him.  He smeared their character and said truly hateful things to defame them.

He also discredited the media that reported anything unfavorable, praised those that didnt, and he even went so far as to stop the Freedom of the Press.

After this, he started to disseminate propaganda that turned his public's opinion to that of a more favorable nature. 

He was the final authority on truth. 

If he was 1 of 100 people, and the other 99 said he was a violent sociopath and provided evidence supporting it, he need only say "These 99 are wrong."  This instantly made their claim invalid. 

He was the absolute authority.  He didn't just control a country.  He controlled the minds of a country.

And it didn't start with him saying "I'm going to kill 6 million Jews, run this country through fear and violence, and start a devastating World War."

It started with a promise to fix all the things plaguing the nation and blaming a group of people.

Attacking people:  Attacking Rosie O'Donnell and Jon Stewart via Twitter...

Attacking free press:  Banning media outlets from conferences and smearing their reputation in retaliation to unfavorable articles

Propaganda:  Starting a news station, Trump TV, to combat all the fake news stories.  These will be handled by his team and will paint a favorable opinion of him for the public.

His truth is the only truth:  Politicians, reporters, Americans, employees, assaulted women, and more can say anything about him... And yet his word is taken over theirs... Regardless of any evidence presented.

Promises and rise to power:  He has promised to fix the problems our nation faces and uses immigrants and Muslims as scapegoats.

If you step back and look at this with even a modicum of objectivity, a pattern arises.

In fact, it's not just allusions of a dictator.

It's a carbon copy.

Mental Health and the Election

As a bipolar person, I feel the need to comment in response to the insensitivity that seems to be reoccurring when mental health and this election come up.

With this disorder?

It doesn't take much.

On a great day, when the sun is up, when everything is going our way, when 23 of the 24 hours was perfect...

One slight.  One word.  One moment in time.

It doesn't take much.

Could be a joke at our expense.  A harsh criticism.  An insult that we could brush off 99.9% of the time...

But today... We couldn't.

Now, there are other things that make handling life's disappointments even harder.

Stressful situations.  Huge changes.  Even the season (the winter months especially) can cause great distress to those with mental disorders.

We just elected a new President.  Huge change.

Many disagree with his platform, policies, and are fearful of the future.  Stressful situations.

Even the month, November, is causing a profound effect on me.

Now, add all of these things together...

Can you see why many may need resources like this?

I'm glad there are those who aren't crippled by this development.  But the fact that you don't need help shouldn't mean those who do are silly, weak, or wrong.  It isn't about maturity or the "pussification of a nation" either.  To predicate this is to regress understanding of these disorders.

I Can't Believe This

I can't believe this...

You won.

For the love of God...

Stop spreading the hate.

If Trump was everything you said he was and we were wrong... Why haven't you even tried to prove it?  Why haven't you stopped?  If he isn't those things why are you being those things?

You're preaching tolerance and unification with one breath and then using sanctimonious platitudes with the next.

You won!  You got your champion!

Why isn't that enough?

You keep telling us to be this example of a dignified American...

Lead by that example.  Why not BE the example that you so desperately demand?

Let us mourn what we consider a loss.  Let us recognize what we consider a disservice to this nation in peace.

Try empathy, compassion, and understanding.

Put yourself in our shoes for five seconds and simply consider this:

If Hillary would have won... Would you have been silent?

Everything we feared would follow a Trump victory, many are justifying.

You got what you want...

And now you are demanding more.

You want our silence under the guise of dignity.  You want our obedience under the guise of peace.

How is that "Making America Great Again?"

All that does is exhibit and demand the very antithesis of America.

If you want us to be something, BE that something yourself.

Today?

Let us voice our discontent.  We are afforded it.  We deserve it.  We should be allowed it.

Let the bullying desist and take this time to revel in your success.

And let us take this time to recognize and lament our losses.

Today- Why We Should Be Concerned And Why We Shouldn't

So the results are in and the next four years have been decided.

Our President is Donald J Trump.

The reaction to this was as swift as it was shocking.

Is this real?  How could so many vote for a man who ran on a platform of despair, fear, and hatred?  Why do I feel sick and genuinely terrified? 

Then, there's the biggest question...

Where do we go from here?

It's an interesting question and one that needs deliberate consideration.