This. Is. Not. Normal.
I will not stay quiet any longer.
I will not be a bystander.
I will not allow the “not normal” to become normalized.
The morning after the election, at 5:34AM PT, I tweeted the following:
Note the last sentence: But HOPE [is] what keeps me positive.
Just over a week into the Trump Administration and I’m losing hope.
That does not mean I’m giving up. That does not mean I’m normalizing Trump’s words and actions. That does not mean I’m going to stand by and do nothing. And it sure as hell does not mean I’m standing by quietly.
But I’m terrified.
I’m an (almost) 41-year old white guy living in Sacramento, California. My family and I have a house. We have cars. We have our health. Our children attend good schools. My wife and I are both employed and make a good living. We are living comfortably.
I’m not a minority. I’m not Muslim. I’m not black. I’m not a woman. I’m not LBGTQI.
I have it easy. My family has it easy. Most of Trump’s actions and words (so far, at least) will not negatively impact my family or me.
But I’m still terrified. Terrified. So are some Canadians.
And I don’t use the word “terrified” lightly. In fact, in my nearly 41 years on this planet, I can’t recall I time I was ever terrified.
And to be clear, I’m not terrified about immigrants. I’m not terrified about “mexican rapists” (Trump’s words). I’m not terrified about getting deported. I’m not terrified about being discriminated because of my sexual orientation or color of my skin. I’m not terrified of being killed by a refugee terrorist (in the US, that number is one in 3.64 billion, according to this article).
Instead, I’m terrified for where we are heading as a country under the Trump Administration.
We are a country founded and built by immigrants and women and minorities and gays and lesbians. A country being led by a man who — when challenged — fires you. A man who refers to elected officials as “Fake Tears Chuck Schumer.” A man who is obsessed with crowd size. A man whose chief strategist tells the media to “keep its mouths shut.” A man who reached majority disapproval rating in record time (8 days!).
This. Is. Not. Normal.
None of this is normal.
And it’s only the start of Week #2.
I flew from California to Washington, DC a few weeks ago to participate in the Women’s March.
I marched. I sang. I shouted. I was surrounded by love and promise and other human beings — of all colors and ages and races and sexual orientations — all who also were tired of remaining silent.
But that was just the start. The Women’s March was one day, an historic day, but just one day.
Real change comes from continued action. Every day.
My mom texts and/or emails me every day with a new action she is taking — from calling her NY State Representatives to writing letters and postcards to signing petitions. She has made the conscious choice to not sit by idly. My mom is all about action … just like Rep John Lewis (even though Trump incorrectly tweeted otherwise).
Taking action is tough.
It’s easy to just complain. To just post to Facebook. To just speak within your own political, like-minded bubble. It’s easy to just turn off the noise. I get it. I really really get it. After all, I haven’t called my Representatives or written a postcard or letter. Sure, I’ve signed a few online petitions and I marched in DC, but that’s just the start.
I recently launched a new website, ThisIsNotNormal.io, to document some of the “not normal” words and actions coming from the Trump Administration. Again, it’s just a start, but it’s something. Hopefully, it will build awareness.
Earlier today, I had a (mostly civil) conversation with a Trump supporter — the 75-year old (today was her birthday) mother of a friend of mine. I was talking with her about Trump’s #MuslimBan. She said, “it was not a Muslim ban.” I retorted, “well, that’s what Rudy Giuliani said it was.” She still didn’t believe me. I showed her this video.
She watched the video. She listened as Giuliana said, “When he first announced it he said ‘Muslim Ban.’ He called me up and said, ‘Put a commission together. Show me the right way to do it legally.’”
She paused. I could tell she was thinking. Hard to dispute the facts.
Baby steps.
Next up: Action.
Stay tuned …
This article was originally published on LinkedIn.
