It's five days until voting ends (though who knows how long until we know the results of this intense election), and I'm finding myself seesawing between hopefulness and despair. Despite reducing my use of social media (to the point where I deactivated my FB account), I feel the urge to check the news regularly on my phone and look at Twitter occasionally--hence, the doomscroll reference.
On the other hand, some days the articles I read give me hope: despite the intense polarization of partisan politics, Biden is up in the polls. But, we are all scarred by 2016 where a Clinton presidency seemed a sure bet. It was so hard to go to bed that night 4 years ago, when it seemed unlikely that she would win, so I'm trying not to feel too hopeful, especially given the ways the current administration has created a weirdly rabid following who can't see through the bullshit.
Anyway.
One thing that's also giving me hope are the many many Biden signs I see in my neighborhood. Sure, Boise is the blue dot in a generally red state, but it's still reassuring. I go for walks, and I see a Biden/Harris flag flying, a homemade Biden/Harris sign, and lots of yard signs popping out. They far outnumber the other signs, and that makes me feel slightly more optimistic.
This sign was hilarious because it's calling out sign stealers. Also, there's another Biden/Harris yard sign right across the street, so ha!
Anyway, at this point, it's all about finding a little peace and hope where I can. Even if we win, I recognize that things won't magically be better...but at least we'll be on the road to repairing all of the harm of the last four years. And I've found a new level of engagement with politics that I hope to hold onto because we cannot get complacent.
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