I’ve been thinking about what to tell her.
What to tell her if she doesn’t win. What to tell her if it turns out that more than half of our country believes we’re better off as a society with chaos back in the White House.
Like, what do I say to my daughter? Really. Tell me.
Because I’m struggling.
How do I explain to her — and how does the rest of the country explain to all the girls who are watching this — that a convicted felon, who has vowed to initiate actions upon entering office that will destabilize our democracy, came out ahead of an accomplished, polished, ready, capable and, most importantly, rational female.
Do I say, that’s the way this world works? Does she get to see first-hand how her country feels about women? About women in leadership? About her?
I mean, the answer is yes.
If this country decides to elect a male (again) who openly brags about grabbing women by the “pussy,” who defames the women he has assaulted, who made it possible for women to no longer be in charge of their own bodies…all I can say to her is,
“Yes. This is how your world works. Right now.”
It is devastating to know that more than half of the country would believe that she is valued for the incubating power of her uterus and that alone.
Because once that runs out, she’s of no use — right, MAGA?
It doesn’t matter how well-read she is, how strong she is, how capable she is, how accomplished she is. Or, how honest she is.
Because if this country elects this specific male instead of this specific female, honesty does not matter. Integrity means nothing. Decorum is optional.
Vengeance. Anger. Retaliation. That’s what matters more.
“Fuck your feelings” is what a MAGA flag read as a truck drove past us the other day. But whose feelings is that flag referring to? The entire MAGA engine is fueled by tapping into the darkest grievances half the country has, even if the content of those grievances is entirely untrue.
It’s just not how we’re wired, us — at our house. So we don’t get it. And we don’t understand why others don’t. Why others would cast aside bombastic rhetoric as theater, when he’s already shown us what he’s capable of. And that’s only what we’ve seen so far. There is more to come, count on it.
The fact that someone who orchestrated a terrifying insurrection is even allowed the opportunity to earn the office of president again is one of the more surreal things I’ve seen in my lifetime. That he talks like a dictator and supporters applaud. That he threatens persecution, and supporters holler. That he offers up certifiably insane and outright false allegories and supporters spin it.
So, I don’t know what I will tell her.
I hope I don’t have to tell her anything. I hope she can watch this moment in history and know she is valued. I hope she gets to see that light can swallow darkness and know that rational thought and honesty can extinguish the insanity of malicious misinformation.
If that doesn’t happen, if the male wins this race, there are only a few words that come to mind that I could say.
“We have work to do,” I’ll tell her. “Let’s fucking go.”