Paradigm shifts build slowly and arrive suddenly.
It has become abundantly clear that we live in a world where entire populations boldly and gleefully celebrate violence against women. Populations who see members of the LGBTQIA+ community as unworthy of protection. Millions of people who think only the able-bodied should be granted comfort and opportunity.
Millions more believe, fully, that once they have had their own, they should pull up the ladder to prosperity and close the door on those following. Finally, there are millions among us who believe, unequivocally, that they should always be exempt from any and all consequences of their awful actions.
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We live in a world today where the majority of white women in the United States of America voted for an adjudicated rapist. Many of them rather gleefully, too. The USA being the world’s superpower, this egregious moral failure cannot be underestimated. How are these women raising their sons and daughters? What horrors are they witnessing daily and allowing to continue with their silence? What violences do they continuously support without any qualms whatsoever? And what does that mean for the rest of us in the years to come?
The mind is boggled. The heart is horrified. The soul is disturbed.
The hypocrisy is breathtaking (do look up the “me exception“).
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We live in a world today where those who benefit from marginalised communities actively betrayed said communities with joy and delight, all with the certain faith that they would not be touched by the consequences of their cruel choice.
Consider the fact that “tariffs” has been one of the most searched terms since November 5. This level of ignorance and callousness is what we are now dealing with (check Google Trends for more data).
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We live in a world today where too many people at the helm of global power are morally degenerate at best. These millions of voters do not see sexual violence, racial hatred, treason, fraud, and malignancy as dealbreakers with regard to holding the highest office in the land. Rather, these voters celebrate the degeneracy and want more of it. And seem very upset that their families and friends despise them for this utter moral failure.
Meanwhile, Black women in the United States have put down their cape and turned it into a blanket. They are now on vacation with the Do Not Disturb sign on, spending time with their own. This is to be expected. Malicious betrayal will lead to such an outcome. So, if Black women’s silence and refusal to accommodate malice and cowardice upsets you: Sit with it, for what is to come is a problem of your own making.
Leave Black women alone. They have done their work and require rest and recuperation.
If this annoys you, enrages you, disappoints you, or otherwise triggers a negative emotion in you, here’s what you do:
- Ask yourself why you are so angry.
Write down the answers if you have to, that can help clarify the different angers you’re feeling. - Ask yourself what you want to see happen.
Again, write it down if you need to. - Answer honestly why you want Black women to work overtime and without pay for you.
Do this without any coddling. No ifs, no buts, no what abouts. Look that ugliness in the face and see it for what it is. - Once you understand what lurks within you, work from there.
Find those among your people and Do The Work. And most importantly: Don’t go asking Black women to help you, or worse, do the work for you. If you must accost Black women in their lives or on their social media pages, do as the line goes: “Shut up and listen.” That also means: Do not interrupt. Do not center yourself. Do not expect to know everything already. Sit down and eat your food. - Don’t expect immediate results. This is a marathon.
You will cry. Your toenails will fall off, metaphorically speaking. And you better tape your metaphorical nipps, because this race is slow and long and a slog. You will probably collapse at the finish line, thanking whatever deity you pray to. It is, however, absolutely worth it. Stability, Equity and Peace are a continuous effort. They cannot be bought or performed. They have to be lived, continuously. - You are not alone.
You do not have to do this alone. Find your people. Ask them for help. Listen to their advice. You know who speaks your language. Figure out your own rhythm and what works best for you in your life. Do that and you will have your own unique style.
- Start now, not tomorrow.
Take that first step. And remember to stay hydrated. Put on your sunscreen and stay moisturised. Unclench your jaw. Remember to breathe.
The work is hard. The work is difficult. The work is exhausting.
There will be tears, there will be pain. It will be an uphill battle and you will experience (heavy) losses. What we are facing now is a conflict of morals, of certainties, a conflict of what is good and true and must be protected: all in opposition to what shatters goodness, what wrecks truth, and what destroys all protections.
You have to do the work yourself, since you are the “spawn point” of all the negativity that is accepted and embedded in our daily lives. You are also the seed-root of all the positivity that will help you and those around you not only survive but thrive, regardless of their race, their sexual orientation, their creed, their internal wiring, or their color.
Needless to say, this US presidential election is a horrible shock to very many, and not only in the United States. It is also a sobering and clarifying moment. The old enemies are still alive and kicking. If we do not prepare for the onslaught to come, we will have a hard time surviving it.
Which is why all of us who wish for a future of true stability, genuine equity, and lasting peace are taking our time to process what has happened (breathe), gather our bearings (rest), so that we can do the hard work of building safety nets (prepare).
We will need secure spaces to speak among ourselves.
We will require secure networks to communicate well.
And we will want bright beacons to reach those who are alone in the dark. For there are many who are surrounded by adversity and we should not abandon them.
TL;DR: Break is Over. Class is in session.
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As for reading recommendations for this Historic Moment, one book stands out: Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower. In the slew of responses to this pivotal change in our collective status quo, an avid social media poster uploaded the page “Wednesday, November 6, 2024” in Parable:
There are those among us who understand the world we live in with a depth and clarity that is profound. Now is the time to truly consider the clarity of sight inherent in their words – and use that clarity towards one’s own transformative action.
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Finally, to my fellow Sisters. To the Ladies, the Girlies, and the fly Aunties, to the Baddies, the Homebodies, and that one friend you call when things get dire, you know who I mean: We have us. And that is a fantastic thing.
Don’t give up.
Keep on writing.
Maya @ VR
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Title Card: Art by André Pereira
von reuth 