I don’t even know where to begin. I’m trying to think back at 2016 and quite honestly I barely remember the last few months of it. Doesn’t it seem like the holidays were so long ago? 2017 is not even a full month old, yet instead of feeling hopeful like I did on January 1, I feel very…oh como si dice…unsettled?

My unofficial resolution for 2017 was to continue to be positive, or try to be more positive if I wasn’t trying to already. But I’m looking at the general vibe of our country, and it feels shaken. Especially after this past week, which was the new guy’s first full week as new leader of the free world. I can’t bring myself to address him by his official title, so I’m going to give you all the benefit of the doubt and consider you smart enough to know who I’m talking about.

Many of us are angry, others are afraid, or worried, and I think it’s safe to assume majority of us are shocked by what the first week of the new White House administration has chosen to focus on, and the decisions they’ve made that will impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of people today, in the future, and beyond our borders. I can’t even begin to fathom all of the repercussions that are going to occur from these new policies. I’m concerned that with these policies – and whatever new ones to come since we are only one measly week in – a lot of lives will be ruined, if not lost, as collateral damage until we right the ship.

I’ve been in and out of zombie mode since the holidays and while I do try to keep an eye on current events, I’m not as well-versed in politics as some people; I find that whenever I do start to read up and educate myself on politics and what not, I become overwhelmed with wrapping my head around all the info, and then depressed about what it all means, because I feel helpless.  The last time I ever had to delve into US politics was in 2004, during the first election I was ever old enough to vote in, and because it was required for a class I was taking.

I may not know all the details, but I know enough to know that none of this is right. I’ve lived in America all my life, and never have I felt like the country is self-destructing until now. This new guy has done too much, too soon, before most of us who have been wary of him from the beginning have had any legitimate, tangible reasons to trust him. And yes, he has to earn our trust. Or at least mine. These new executive orders he just signed this week appear to have been hastily put together, seemingly not giving any compassionate consideration about who could be negatively impacted. Instead it looks like he needed to make good on all his campaign promises to prove to his supporters that he can deliver, and deliver fast.

These executive orders are pacifiers. I feel they are intended to keep his supporters focused on the rhetoric from his campaign, rather than the criticisms, or even simple questions, raised by the media after campaigning days were over. Excuse me. As a Media Studies major, I am both critical and supportive of the general media. In the context of this presidency, I am supportive of the media, specifically journalism (and definitely investigative journalism). The media exists to represent the masses, to provide a means of communication between leaders and constituents, to shed light onto parts of life that we wouldn’t otherwise ever know about. Try not to let someone who easily gets butthurt on SOCIAL MEDIA tell you to not trust the media. Misery loves company and he’s just trying to make you as butthurt as he is. Be on guard. Or as the kids are saying these days, “stay woke.” (I’m annoyed that I included that there, but whatever.)

Thoughts I’ve had since January 20, 2017, in no particular order, and usually in response to actions or statements made by new guy, members of his administration, or his supporters:

• The Office of the President of the United States will ALWAYS be criticized, regardless of who holds that title. If you can’t handle the criticism, you shouldn’t have the job. Man up.

 

• Excuse me lady, don’t tell me to get used to it. I’m getting older, I don’t want to be led by immaturity. You’re enabling someone who could essentially ruin your daughter’s future. I was surprised to even learn you had a daughter considering you didn’t seem to care enough to learn what the Women’s March was all about. But, eh, we all have our dumb blond moments.

 

• We’ve become too PC? Ok, yes it can become tiresome. I don’t like walking on eggshells all the time. But that’s not what the past eight years were about. It was about people who had been marginalized FOR YEARS finally getting a chance at equality. It was about respect, human decency, and just doing right by each other. Why is that a hard concept to grasp?

 

• I couldn’t ever bring myself to get an abortion. I’m Catholic, and I would hope that any woman who is faced with the choice of terminating a pregnancy would consider putting the baby up for adoption if for whatever reason she could not raise the baby herself. However, I do not judge ANYONE for having an abortion. It’s not an easy choice to make, and it’s an excruciatingly painful process to go through, either surgically or by pill, not to mention the mental and emotional recovery that follows. While I don’t agree with killing an unborn child, I do agree that women – AND ONLY WOMEN – have the right to decide what to do with their bodies. I’ve never been pregnant, I’ve never had to decide to get an abortion. But there was a time in my life, before Obama was ever in office, when I could no longer be covered by my parents’ insurance, I didn’t have my own insurance, and I needed help continuing the medical care I had when I did have coverage. Planned Parenthood was there for me.

 

• I’m sick and tired of seeing men behaving like they have the power to create laws telling women what they can and cannot do. Really guys? If you weren’t so adamant about not wearing condoms, a lot of women wouldn’t be faced with these decisions. Also, if you’re not man enough to be there for your girl if you get her pregnant, get a damn vasectomy. Let me know how it feels putting your legs through those stirrups, we can swap notes and then shop for tampons together after your procedure. Because, wait, you know exactly what it’s like to be a woman, right? You’re the expert. Ooh just for fun, ask the doctor to show you a speculum! You won’t need it for a vasectomy, but just have them graze it against your nether regions. Don’t sweat it.

 

• Someone tell me the last time a grizzly bear entered a school, guns blazing.

 

• I visited the Museum of Tolerance twice back in college. There’s a part of the tour that depicts how countries were starting to turn blind eyes to the rise of Nazi Germany. I remember thinking, “No way is the world going to let something as horrific as the Holocaust happen again.” The new administration in the White House needs to take a field trip there, ASAP. Are you effectively choosing to turn a blind eye from countries who so badly need our help? Make America great again by making it the leader in kindness and compassion.

 

• Have we learned NOTHING from history?!

 

• Tell me how “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” only applies to you. Then read the history of the Declaration of Independence and tell me again how those unalienable rights only apply to you. (Psst! They don’t!)

 

• Ugh, don’t show photos for comparison, show VIDEO, it’s better proof.

 

• How the hell can I write a blog post about all this? It’s chaotic!

 

• Oh. I forgot you voted for someone only because you were against the other candidate because of ONE thing she supports, rather than assessing both their platforms as a whole. So because of that one thing, you’re going to overlook the rest. Face. Palm.

 

• Sigh. I wonder what the Obama family is doing right now.

 

• So by the current logic in the White House, it’s this: Earth is round = fake news. Earth is flat = alternative fact.

 

• Why the hell are people telling celebrities to shut up about politics? They have an excellent platform to promote hope, unity, and peace, why not use that?

 

• *glancing at other countries* Be honest guys, how bad do we look?

 

Do y0u see this? I can’t even properly sort out my thoughts. If my thoughts are any reflection of my impression of the current state of our country well then, you get it. And if anyone feels similar – if you’re feeling helpless, hopeless, overwhelmed, afraid, angry, etc., then talk about it. Write about it. Let your voice be heard. This is a critical time in history when we have the responsibility to prevent the ugly parts of our history from reincarnating themselves into even uglier ones. I’m not about to buy into the fear that is trying to be fed to us. I’m not about to turn to the person creating the fear for leadership and comfort, because he hasn’t proven he can give me that reassurance. Instead, I am going to buy into the fundamentals that make up my American pride. I am going to rely on my faith in humanity, in the human spirit, and most of all on God, to help me get through whatever tough times lay ahead.

Stay strong. Be inspired and inspiring. Our country has been through the wringer before, we can certainly do it again if need be. The year is young, and I can feel the determination. It can still be a happy new year.