By Stephen Shumaker
The last presidential election changed me, as I imagine, it
changed a lot of people.
My change was wholly unexpected, and wildly out of character
for me. I went from being slightly political to rabidly political. The closer
the election came was like watching a car accident as it happened over a period
of months. I watched it the same way I watch horror movies—with an anxious
trepidation that becomes overwhelming if I let it.
Once the crash finally happened, and we got the result that
everyone feared, I couldn’t stop watching this horror movie that had become
American politics. Is that an exaggeration? I don’t think so. I turn on Rachel
Maddow or Seth Meyers with the same nervousness that I feel when I watch
American Horror Story or those cheesy movies about demonic possession. I want
to be scared; I like that feeling, enjoy the thrill.
The difference is that this new thrill that I tune into
could—and likely will—hurt the people that I love, in ways that I don’t know
how to stop.
The thing that is attached to this new old thrill that I
have when I watch these political shows, that I try to fight every day, is a
sense of helplessness that is so deep it threatens to paralyze me. In a few
ways, it has paralyzed me; writing
hasn’t exactly been nonexistent, but it’s been so much harder. It’s so easy to
get lost in the political mire of Trump said this, Trump did that. So much
easier to watch the horror show unfolding across the country, with the latest “what
our President-elect Tweeted” and the chaos unfolding in North Carolina and the
attacks on people of color or LGBTQ running rampant because our incoming Chief
approves such actions. So much easier to lose myself in the horror show than to
focus on doing something.
Disconnecting from these horrible things is the better
option, of course. It’s undeniably better to focus on making something that
will bring joy and fun into the world than it is to lose myself in the chaos
and the negativity. After all, if I don’t stop paying attention to the world
and focus on these goals of mine, I’ll never get anywhere. I’ll never push
myself to become better and get my crap together.
My wife took the direct opposite approach for her election
hangover; she couldn’t watch anything about it, and gets angry at the random
exposure to what Trump’s doing next that she sees on Facebook. My reaction—to
focus more on politics—confuses her, and probably scares her a little. She and
I have been about as apolitical as we could get. Part of my knee-jerk reaction
is because I’m scared to death that some moron is going to do something random
and horrible to her because she’s Asian-American.
But it’s not healthy to use the time that I have—the small
amount that I have available to me that I can use to better myself—to lose
myself in political bullshit. And that’s what so much of this is; half of
Trump’s actions are a thin veneer of smokescreen to try and distract anyone
looking from what he’s really doing. The other half is straight up power grab.
Five steps backwards for anyone in the US with a genuinely well-meaning agenda;
one gigantic step forward for neo-Nazis and billionaires across the country.
The anger that I feel at the people who voted for him is
useless. Here we are. There isn’t anything that we can do except figure out the
best course forward. I have to figure out the best way to put more good in the
world in order to counteract the hate and bigotry broadcast across the world by
a powerful man-baby’s use of media.
In the end, that’s all anyone can do to fight such a thing.
Take the idea that “Love Trumps Hate” to new heights. One of my heroes, Kevin
Smith, was faced several months ago with an internet troll who attacked his
daughter, and responded with such great wisdom that it has stuck with me. “…If
you hate me (or my kid) this much, the better use of your time is to make YOUR
dreams come true, instead of slamming others for doing the same. The best
revenge is living insanely well…Don't bitch or punish the world: just create.”
While I understand that this is a simplistic solution to a
complicated problem, it’s also a solution that is more accessible than ever.
I’m writing this piece for a blog that I know only some people will read. I am
also a firm believer that we are all born creators. Some of us create
documents, some create books, and some create healthy environments for children
to be raised in. We all create what we see in our heads. If we all envision a
happier world, and aim to bring that world into our reality, that’s what
creation is. We can all make the world a better place, even if it seems bleak
and cruel. All it takes is the right perspective. And creating that perspective
is easier today than it ever has been before.
---------Stephen Shumaker lives in the Silicon Valley with his wife and two daughters, studying technology and writing science fiction and fantasy. He hopes to own a house and live off his writing, and that whatever world his girls get is worth their time. And is not post-apocalyptic. He can be found on Twitter ReTweeting The Muppets and Bruce Campbell: @sshumaker2149
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