To Liberal White People: Now What?-Written by a fellow liberal white person that doesnt know shit but is trying

So.

Tuesday happened.

From here on out Tuesdays will just be a reminder of the 7th circle of insanity hell my mind went through Tuesday night into Wed morning as I sat on my couch alternating between ugly crying and utter disbelief and angry yelling at the tv. I waited until PBS called it around 1:40am because even though I started to have the anxious shits at 8pm that evening, and by 10pm I was seriously concerned, and by midnight I knew, but pretended I didnt, I still wanted to wait until it came directly out of someone's mouth:

Donald Trump has won the election for president of the United States.

 Weve already all done this rehashing of trauma a shitton the past week. It sucked, he sucks, America sucks, everyone sucks, Im going to go live in a remote mountain hill with my family and social circle and we will learn how to make our own spirits from hillside grown barley and bramble berries and we will all live in peace with everyone in the glorious sunshine. Glorious yes, but that aint happening.

This election has shaken people to their core, and maybe more than ever, it has shaken liberal whites to their core. We who have said this could never happen in our america, because how could the people of this country elect someone who is backed by the KKK??? That said he will support a platform to repeal gay marriages? Who wants us to build a literal fucking wall separating our country from mexico? Who will overturn Roe v Wade?? This is 2016 for fucks sake!!! And our gay, and Muslim, feminist, and POC friends just sadly smile and pat us on the head like the giant dumb puppies we are, because they knew, and have always known what the underbelly of America looks like. Because they are the ones for whom that underbelly sneaks out of dark corners to bare its fangs when no one else is looking. They who know that liberal white America's silence on matters of racist/sexist/xenophobic/homophobic injustice isnt a statement of hatred, but an outcry of apathy. We dont care, because we dont have to care. It stops being an issue for many of us when we turn off the tv, or set down our phones. It never stops for them.

I have seen white friends and acquaintances throughout the last week that save social media for only happy uplifting basic stuff, begin to tentatively dip their toes into the waters of dissent and speak up and as a fellow white person I have mentally shouted THANK YOU!!  and then have told them so. I also see the blowback from people saying that these gestures arent genuine, are an attempt to garner social media points, dont mean shit if you arent actually out there on the line. That perspective is valid, as it comes from a place of decades and decades of disappointment in how nice liberal white people dont seem to give a shit enough to actually do any of the real work for change. So I get it. As a white person, I think its my job to encourage those of us that are just beginning to be brave enough to get involved. Sure, dont expect a thank you from your black coworker for saying you think its wrong that Steve Bannon (RAGE STROKE skdjfaldskjfa) will be a white house adviser, but I can say thank you and talk to you about what else we can do to let our government know we dont accept this walking shit stain as a whisper in our new president's ear.

So what can you do?

*Continue to post article and videos and pictures on social media that show you dont support the kind of America Trump built his platform on. Dont be afraid to rile up your family. These are the conversations we need to start having and it CAN be done in a way that doesnt result in someone losing a limb (most of the time)

*Talk to the moderate people closest to you in person that dont agree with what you are saying. This will probably result in rage and shouting. Thats ok. Nothing worth doing is easy. Dont give up. Take breaks, come back to it at another time. These conversations are marathons not sprints. We are working on getting people to want to change whats in their hearts and that takes lots and lots of time and energy.

*If you have people in your life that are openly racist/sexist/homophobic because they have been embolden to be since the election, CUT THEM THE FUCK OUT. Your acceptance of their behavior is what perpetuates the cycle.  (I get the last two points seem contradictory, but you will know if someone is a lost cause or not)

*Contact your congress people!! Seems silly at first but this can be very effective in enacting them to take a side. Huffpost just did an article about this, which is better than what I could tell you.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/contacting-your-congressional-representative_us_582a0965e4b060adb56f8e95?zc5s5ozyi3eszia4i%3Futm_hp_ref=black-voices&ir=Black%2BVoices&section=black-voices&ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000047

http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

*Give your money to organizations that are helping to fight in a meaningful way. Ask people who know more than you who they give to. Thats what I do. The ACLU is a good place to start.
https://www.aclu.org/

*Show visibly that you dont support Trump's platform of hate. Pins, buttons, shirts, hats, bumper stickers, flags. Be a walking billboard for justice. IMO I find this especially important in conservative areas. My city went Trump all the way, it wasnt even close. It is more important for me to be brave enough to show people in my city that I dont agree with their indifference or hate than it is for someone on a college campus surrounded by like minded individuals.

*Attend meetings and rallies in your area that promote social justice. Go to a protest. Does that seem daunting and scary? It feels that way to me too. But push that fear aside, tell it to fuck off, and go anyway. If you dont have anything going on in your area, talk to people and figure out how to start something.

*ASK QUESTIONS to other people that are actively involved in social justice movements and who know what they are doing. I dont consider myself one of those people, but I am talking to those people to figure out my place in all of this and how to help.


If you made it this far, thank you. Know that I wrote this from the best place in my heart, and that I am open to being told what I got wrong, or any sources you think I should add, remove. Know that I appreciate and echo your anger for your POC, Muslim, gay, female friends and want us all to cultivate it into something powerful in a way the majority of liberal white people in this country have never done before. Now is the time to stand up and take action, even if you've been too scared in the past. Now is the time to be on the right side of history.

Etsy--SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY

I don't know at which point one of my asshole friends told me that the money pit called Etsy exists, but Id venture to bet its been a good 8 years that Ive been gracing people all over the world with my hard earned and now my husbands hard earned nickles and dimes. It began as a way for me to support my artist friends but then quickly steamrolled into my current status which Id call a bi-monthly fix. My relationship with this site borders on abusive in that it does things to me that cause me to scream at it, and throw my phone, but then theres this grace period where I cuddle back up to it, and present it with a fresh bouquet of roses and things are sweet and lovely for a while.

Etsy is the Target of the Internet because 100% of its inventory is shit I in no way actually need, but that my heart will tell me I cant live without and before I know it that tiny orange cart in the corner says 3 next to it when all I was trying to do was look up what time TGI Fridays closes on Tuesday nights.

No, Etsy Ap on my phone, ( whats wrong with me ) I do NOT need a "here's more shit we recommend you buy so that your husband flips a table when the credit card bills comes" section. Its not necessary. Knock it off. I already have a problem without you giving me the crack for free.


My main areas of concern:

1) Rings. I have so many silver Etsy rings that Ive run out of fingers to put them on and soon will need to start wearing them on my toes in case I want to look even more like a  Gypsie than I already do.

2) Pendant necklaces that I feel represent me as a person to the extent that if I was forced in a hostage situation to be identified by the jewelry I was wearing anyone who knows me would instantly says "yes, yes they have Maria, that's so something she'd wear".

3) ALL THE WALL ART. PUT IT ALL OVER ME. IF I WAS A STRIPPER ID ASK PEOPLE TO MAKE IT RAIN WITH WALL ART.

4) Tiny animal statues made of anything. I have 2 kids under 5 I cant have nice tiny things, what is wrong with me? I need a room just filled with animal statues I can go meditate in forever.

5)  A kintsugi cup I'm not supposed to actually use. Again, where do I display this without fear of it being destroyed or someone spitting a mouthful of chewed bacon into it (a thing that actually happened in my house)

6) GRAPHIC TEES because I refuse to dress like an actual human adult and I need these shirts to let everyone know how I feel about GoT or Duck Duck Grey Duck.

7) Moscow Mule cups so I can pretend I'm in a Renaissance storyline when I'm drinking ice water

8) Tarot cards to become a fortune teller when I grow up

9) Enough Ceramic/Pottery to open up my own Etsy shop selling other peoples Ceramic//Pottery Ive collected

10) Front back earrings that I will inevitably lose the back to and then have to spend the next 3-4 days frantically searching for and hoping not to find it in my baby's diaper.

11) Hooded sweatshirts with mythical creatures printed on them

12) A spoon with a saying embossed on the scoop that truly serves no purpose whatsoever other than being able to say, hey did you see this cool spoon I own that has words on it?

13) A mermaid tail blanket. I shouldn't have to explain this to you if you don't get it, get on this level.

14) 8 small Japanese glass terrariums that I will for sure end up killing because I never read the directions

15) This fucking sweet lamp made out of a gourd

16) A custom pet portrait

17) A rhino or reindeer mounted head made out of corrugated cardboard that my husband and I will never agree upon a place to hang it so it will sit in my closet sadly for 4 years.


18) Gifts for others...?? Right that's why I logged in the first place



Etsy--I hate you I love you I hate that I love you.

Etsy Sellers--Stop being so creative and beautiful and glorious and way over charging me for something that literally cost you 1/10th of what I bought it for without question.

Husband--I'm sorry. It could be worse, I could be addicted to meth or Kate Spade bags (are those a thing, I think so?) Thanks for working so hard and being so smart that we have expendable income for me to be selfish with.


In conclusion, my Etsy life motto:

Hey NRA....FUCK YOU

So here we are again. At this place that doesn't seem to be going away no matter how many times we rage against it internally, out loud, on social media, while holding a sign at a protest, in an impassioned email or voicemail left for a political representative. Here we are again.
And here we continue to be.

It doesn't seem to matter who we are. We can be a friend or relative of a victim, or a famous person, or an average citizen that's just tired, so so tired of this continuing to happen over and over and over and OVER without any actual changes being made. We are the collective Sisyphus but instead of at least getting to enjoy the accomplishment of getting the boulder up the hill in the first place, our fucking boulder doesn't even budge. Its immovable. Its cemented to the fucking earth with iron pylons a mile deep. We have dug deep trenches and grooves with our feet because even though we know this boulder is stuck, we are driven to at least keep trying because we know that our errand is right. It is just. Something has to change; we must keep trying until our feet wear away and all the muscles in our back break from the strain. But here we are. Here we continue to be.

I am not saying I have the answer locked away in my head. I do not claim to be a magician. In fact, I am aware enough to know that this problem, this disease, this implanted parasite needs a solution far more detailed than a group of people in a tiny room could come up with given the time and money and resources. I get that its become a part of the social structure of America and that dissecting it and cutting away the bad parts and making it new again will take more social momentum than I can imagine right now. But that doesn't mean we don't try. It doesn't mean we simply give up and walk away because the solution to the problem is too hard.

Let me make this very clear--We are fighting against an enemy that does not care about you or your family or me and mine.  Even though they may claim otherwise, they do not see the importance and need for unity and community on any level within our country. They do not understand why being a collective of different kinds of people working together is always better than an individual working alone and against. Their culture is a breeding ground for the very people they say they are trying to stop. The ideology of the NRA has more in common with the ideology of ISIS than it does with whatever moral code you live by, I promise you that. Fear mongering, emphasis on only looking out for yourself, absolute devotion without question, irrationality when presented with logic and facts, incalculable stubbornness, an overall psychological need to be RIGHT, and most importantly, money. Money money money, bitch. They control the money, so they control the laws. The cycle of power and wealth that loops and never ends. Any change to the system means a loss of control or income or both, so they will continue to be immovable and irrational and unyielding until their last breath in order to protect the fortress they have created for themselves. Their fucking motto is "From my cold dead hands" and you can bet your ass they mean that. Because to lose their power is akin to death.

THAT is what we are up against. That is why we are sitting here today, 2 days after a man walked into a nightclub at 2am and killed 50 people just trying to have a good time in a place they felt accepted and comfortable. Because a school full of babies wasn't enough. Because a room full of people peacefully discussing their religion together wasn't enough. Because a movie theater full of families wasn't enough. Because nothing will ever be enough to make the human garbage juice running the NRA ever want to relinquish their death grip of power and money on this country.

 We don't need AR-15s available to the public. We just fucking don't. Seriously, stop it, shut up, we don't. There are 3 million of these guns (MILLION!! ) lose in the united states right now. 3 MILLION. What the fuck. This is a gun the NRA continually fights to keep around, and after every mass shooting,this is a gun that more people go out and buy. Tell me again how more guns make us more safe? Go ahead tell me. I want you to say it to me with a straight face. But first take a look at these images and tell me how these people all died if there are 3 million AR-15s in this country keeping them safe?

I am tired of growing weary of death. I am tired of seeing the families and friends and communities destroyed by bullets that shouldn't have been there in the first place. I am tired of people dying. I do not give a solution because I don't know what it is. All I know is this--there are more good people in our country than bad. There is more love than hate. There is more positive than negative. The NRA wants you to forget that. Be your better self. Rise above your fears and get to know people. Build your community up so that you look out for each other. Be your own villages instead of heavily armed islands. They want you afraid and distrusting and unwelcoming to anyone that looks or sounds or dresses or acts or prays different than you. Don't you fucking give them that. Not anymore.


https://www.gofundme.com/PulseVictimsFund

https://www.oneblood.org/

http://www.preventioninstitute.org/focus-areas/preventing-violence-and-reducing-injury/preventing-violence-advocacy.html