70 Days Until President Trump
Aaron Sorkin’s letter to his daughters after the Trump victory has been making the rounds today. It’s worth a read, especially now that we’ve had a full twenty-four hours to digest the news and decide whether or not we’re moving to Canada.
We’re not. All our stuff is here. Canada is cold and friendly and full of plaid. Bacon is not round. Everyone knows that.
It would be easier for Trump if we’d go, which is reason enough to stay. Trump wants people out: he’s building a wall and deporting people and turning away refugees and putting a stop to Muslim immigration. His America is better if we’re not in it. If we start wearing suspenders while drinking maple syrup from the bottle, we’re just handing him another victory built on toupees and bile.
But come on, nobody’s really, honestly talking about moving to Canada, even though Justin Trudeau is dreamy:
Don’t you heart Canada?
Because Justin Trudeau isn’t forever, and neither is Donald Trump. And if we aren’t going to move to Canada, then we owe it to ourselves —to the America that is made up of you and me — to do everything we can to make Trump’s life hell until he quits.
If Trump can’t kick us out, he’s going to do the other thing he’s really good at: he’ll try to make us feel small. He’ll put his orange face right up in ours and talk down to us with the certainty that we are weak, that we are nothing. Didn’t he just show the world how strong he is?
I can hear him now, shouting at one of his rallies to “get him out of here”. And when that doesn’t work, what’s he going to say?
He’ll sneer, and tell us to sit down.
Stand up.
Always stand up.
Stand up for the kid who gets mocked on the playground because now our children know that it’s OK to make fun of people with disabilities.
Stand up for the woman in the hijab getting harassed by some idiot on the bus.
Stand up for the woman at work who has to endure unwanted compliments about her physical appearance, since she’s at least an eight.
Eight? Yeah, that’s how many rounds I've got left. Did you have something to add?
They’ll try to knock you back down for it. Some of them will look like you, talk like you, and act almost like you. Hell, some of them might have voted for Bernie. Doesn’t matter: it’s a slap in the face to be called a sexist for saying things you’d never say about a man, especially when they’re nice things. When you stand up, they’ll try to beat you down.
Stand up.
And know that there are others who are standing with you, all over the country. You’re not alone. More than half of us voted for Hillary, after all! You don’t stand alone.
And when you stand up, we’ll see you better. That will give us the courage to get to our feet right beside you.
When we’re all standing, shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, a human wall of decency and tolerance and kindness and love… let’s just see him try to knock that down.