I know that this is a blog that people read to laugh for a few minutes, so a post like this is rather off-brand for us. But America is rather off-brand right now. I imagine some people could use a bit of reassurance.
I live in New York City and I went to one of the protests that happened today, and it was the first time all day that I stopped feeling alone. There are many, many people who feel the way I do – and I would presume many of our readers do – about what has happened to our country. And people are angry.
There are almost certainly much better pictures of this or other protests than the ones that I took, but I wanted to share what I was able to see, and hopefully reassure someone that you are not alone right now.
Trump got into office by stirring up anger and fear. This is what he deals in and this is all he knows. But now it’s spreading. What I saw today was that someday – maybe not tomorrow, maybe not four years from now, but someday – anger and fear are coming right back for him.
There’s a lot that could be said and will be said about unity and coming together. It would be delightful – human, even – if our next president understood what those ideas meant. But until then, there are still many people to wait with and to fight alongside.
As this is ordinarily a blog about the arts and how they reach us (in a sense), I’d like to end this thought with an A Softer World comic that feels particularly relevant right now.
My heart goes out to you all.
-Matthew
Thank you.
thanks fellow blogger. i tried to make it union square tonight, but was too late :(. i normally write humor pieces…some snarking at djt. but…not sure i am ready for laughter right now. i think i will be posting a serious piece like you have. time to be thoughtful and persevere.
Thanks Matthew!
Thank you, Matthew. This does help just a little bit, and I need every little bit of reassurance I can get right now.
While I appreciate your right to feel upset about the election results, this is when I choose to unfollow your page. Just as I don’t go to sports pages for political commentary, I don’t come here for it either. Save posts like this for your personal blog and leave this for a much needed distraction away from what’s happening in the real world.
I’m sorry to have lost you over this. I understand where you’re coming from, because I was very conflicted over posting this myself. Ultimately I felt it was more important to say something in a dedicated post than to let it permeate through our normal content, which I want to keep funnier and lighter, for the reasons you said. Escapism and distraction matter, but given how much of our jokes and criticism do draw on social justice, I didn’t see how ignoring political events was sustainable, or the right call. I respect that you felt it was the wrong call.
I hope you’ll reconsider, Kristin. I have really loved having you as part of this community and you will be very missed.
Seems a bit extreme? I agree with you in principal, but Matt’s written one post about what is probably one of the most devastating political events in our lifetimes. It’s not like BBGT is going to start writing politically motivated posts on a regular basis.
Thanks for everything you do. I woke up feeling like a stranger in the country where I was born and raised.
While I understand why people might not want to see political commentary here, personally I’m glad to know this blog is not a dangerous place for people like me. [I kind of already knew that, but at the moment I’ll take all the reassurance I can get.]
Thank you Matthew. Your post means a lot. I am disabled or I would have gone to the protest where I live. It’s nice to see there are others who feel the level of dissipointment and disgust I do for current political events.