Look, we’re not here to add noise to a conversation that is happening on every corner of the Internet and beyond — that is never the intention at Man Repeller.
Last night, before the polls were officially closed, it was extraordinary (and I do mean outside ordinary) to see Instagram effectively go radio silent for several hours — to watch the gravity move over to Twitter, where voice surpasses photo, and to partake in a conversation with a community that maintains a common, important goal: the preservation of democracy.
Following Hillary Clinton’s loss, it was disheartening to rejigger the stories we had set to publish this morning — they would inaugurate her presidency — and hitting un-publish felt a lot like preparing a cemetery plot for someone that was still very much alive, but after a night of sleep, I have this to say:
It’s not over.
None of it, really.
We haven’t come as far as we think we have. Yes, we’re impacting change but not as much, or not as gravely as we may have thought we were. And frankly, I’d rather have a very clear idea of what the world looks like — no matter how grim — so that I know what I need to do to make it better. Isn’t that preferable to deluding ourselves into thinking that equality might be around the corner?
It is terrible and terrifying that we’re still so far away, that we’re a country largely governed by an overwhelming majority of white men but maybe instead of recoiling at this thought, instead of throwing our arms up in surrender and subsequently crashing Canada’s immigration website, we have to rescind our ability to “flight” and push ourselves into the fight. We’re at the helm of a revolution, people! The beginning, no doubt, of a stunning fourth wave of feminism.
Now, I wish I could say something that would actually provide comfort — that I could send the e-mail you’re probably frantically waiting for that provides some version of respite or inspiration, and I do hope that confronting reality can feel as invigorating for you as it does for me, but mostly, this letter is a reminder that we’re in this together. That I, personally, have never felt like I needed my community more and I wonder if its the same for you. If it is, good thing we’re members of the same club! Because I promise, I will not let you forget that we have each other. That we can and will fight, first by continuing to be who we are without apology. And we’ll be even more convicted in the navigation of our identities.
Trump’s presidency provides a real chance for our generation to fight for a critical system that unites us beyond skin color and gender, beyond sexual orientation and class.
It’s my belief that the human spirit responds better to community than it does to resistance, so for a minute this morning, let’s set him aside. Let’s put our hashtags down and remember that we — a large, inclusive number of individuals — are in this together. That we have each other and that it has never been so clear why we need each other. Of course we won’t forget how far we’ve come, but we also won’t deceive ourselves into thinking it’s far enough. So hear, hear, to us.
Photo via Getty Images.
