VOTE!

And now, some content.

In this election, I have seen a lot of things I never expected to – and I think we all need to remember one core fact.

We are all Americans.

Let that sink in. Regardless of who wins tomorrow, regardless of the bluster, remember we are all Americans.

I have seen people I respected devolve into raw assholes, I have seen what it looks like when someone is being mocked and attacked for simply disagreeing. I have seen people be their worst. All over the election.

All of you, and I suspect none of you actually read this stuff, need to grow the ever-loving fuck up. You have lost much of my respect, which may or may not have value to you. And that will be hard to regain. I have seen people I thought of as friends be petty, cruel, vicious, and hateful. I can’t unsee that. You can’t un-say it. Can’t undo the hurt you’ve caused. All over what? An election.

In a way, I hope you follow through on the threats to leave if your side loses. I know you won’t, that threat is infantile, and considering the side that makes it, as honest as the rest of their lies. But this time, go. Leave. If you have to act like this, we will not miss you. At. All.

I have friends on all sides of the spectrum, and have managed to have civil conversations about politics with them, without devolving into insult and bullying. I know it is possible. But it isn’t happening. Not this time. Really, not since sewers like Facebook and Twitter took over our interactions. In those echo chambers, the more hate and bile one spews, the more attention you get. And it feeds on itself like a demented ouroboros. I suggest that if you feel you need that kind of validation, you do need therapy. And to be urged to remove yourself from the platforms.

Politicians are, by the very job they seek, malignant narcissists, and among the worst of humanity. In no other avocation, vocation, or profession do we see the sole defining factor being a child-like need for approval from total strangers. Even actors don’t seek approval this desperately. Our enabling of this is why we are where we are – shit floats to the top, and as we have enabled these individuals over the centuries, well, shit floated.

So, I urge you to vote. For someone. For a ballot initiative only. For the least worst. But vote.

And then, once it is done, apologise to the people you have hurt. It won’t undo it, but they deserve it, and you damn sure need to.