Alternative facts, fake news, President Trump and other oxymorons
Where is REM when you need them? It certainly feels like the end of the world as we know it, but I do not feel fine. No, I feel a lot of different adjectives: angry, scared, shocked, overwhelmed, anxious, disappointed--but fine does not fall anywhere on that list. As of last Friday, we have officially entered the Trump presidency. I never thought I would actually be typing those words. "Trump presidency"--America, seriously, what have we done? Honestly, I feel so torn. I truly do not wish suffering upon on anyone, which would lead me to want to see the Trump administration to be successful. However, I just cannot bring myself to fully well-wish our new POTUS, for I feel that if he were successful, it would give other individuals permission to act like racist, sexist, immature bigots, just as he has acted throughout the election and thus far. And as much as I keep an inkling of hope that he will tone down his disgusting rhetoric, President Trump (grr what ugly words) continues to double down on it. Beyond his offensive comments, Trump has become the Liar in Chief. He can't seem to go one day without spouting some ridiculous statement. He seems to be under the impression that facts are mutable to fit his desires. Anything negative about him simply could not be true. I don't know what would be worse--if he actually believes the lies or if he is intentionally misleading the public. What would we rather have--an idiot or a psychopath? Which is more dangerous? Either direction seems ominous. The lies aren't limited to POTUS himself. On Sunday, Kellyanne Conway, Trump's girl-wonder, told Chuck Todd on NBC that the misstatements in press secretary Sean Spicer's responses to reporters on Saturday in re: crowd size at the Inauguration were "alternative facts". Let me set something straight. It is literally impossible to have "alternative facts". Facts are either correct or incorrect; there really isn't any grey area. 2+2=4, always. Just because you don't like the number 4, doesn't mean you can claim the answer is 5. Same goes for the concept of "fake news" that has been tossed around the last few months. News cannot be fake. If it is fake or false, it is NOT NEWS, by definition. This is not to say that Democrats/liberals are blameless in this mess. Clearly, we fucked up and lost the election in a huge way. As easy as it is to blame Comey or the media or Trump's deceptive tactics, we must also own our mistakes. This election should have been in the bag, but we all got cocky and missed the truths right in front of our noses. If we do not accept this fact, then we deserve every bit of the political torture we are to endure the next few years. We must not be petty, stop the in-fighting, find a cohesive message, and fight back. It is going to hard, and it will take some time, but fellow Dems, please, please, please lets get our shit together. So much is happening/has happened in the last few days that this blog post could go on forever, but I will wrap up here for tonight. We have officially stumbled into a new political era. As nervous as it makes me, I am hopeful that American democracy will prevail (albeit with some bumps and bruises along the way). I for one will not be silenced or stifled. In fact, if anything, I will be louder than ever. There is too much at stake to stand on the sidelines. Who's with me?