[ˈnärsəsəst]
NOUN
- a person who has an excessive interest in or admiration of themselves:
I've had a few days to think about this and I was starting to think that I was a closeted narcissist and didn't realize it. Why did I feel the need to tell my friends to vote democrat so much this fall? Why did it feel so personal? I didn't feel that way with McCain, Romney, or Bush. I've voted independent before with the 2008 election after Clinton lost and voted for Obama's reelection in 2012. However....there is more on the line. We can't go back to a social experiment that we did in 1999/2000 with the Bush/Gore Florida incident.
There is no such thing as throwing away a vote. I've firmly believed that my whole life, unless of course you don't vote at all which is surrender. Then it dawned on me, that I'm not narcissist when it comes to begging and pleading for people to vote for Clinton this fall. Its not all about me. I simply don't have the privilege in this election to vote in any direction. We are at a crossroads for the first time in a long time; where we can let a fascist, narcissist, misogynist, islamophobic, homophobic, transaphobic, bankrupt ceo, game show host have control of the United States of America.
Never before has a candidate for President had zero experience in the 21st century and made it so far. Never before has someone who has more experience bankrupting corporations than measure of success than Trump. Nobody goes on record as often as Trump through lying about his past, his experience or about politics. Never had a candidate openly been endorsed by the KKK, Russia, and actively solicited our enemies to hack American documents (which is a violation of the Logan Act). Its been since Jackson that a candidate wanted to 'register" and get rid of Americans because their beliefs don't match their own. Jackson was famous for murdering millions of Native Americans and sending them to concentration camps, now known as 'reservations."
He also wants to overturn decades of work for the gay, and lesbian community. Taking us back to the 20th century where only certain folks are allowed to marry. He's also an outspoken opponent of Transgender civil rights and wants to police bathrooms, identity and medical statuses.
In the 2000 election I voted for Gore, 2004 I voted for Kerry, 2008 I voted independent, 2012 I supported Obama, and I'd like to have the ability to say wishy washy things like 'its all politics', and 'nobodys perfect'. But there's more on the line than ever before. We are at nerve center where we decide the future of so many minorities, including women, people of color, LGBT folk, future education standards, mental health, reasonable gun regulation, environmental issues, and the supreme court nominees.
I know how I'll vote this fall because I realize we have a two party system. Is it broken? Sure. Its broken from within, then the best people suited to fix it, leave. Why? Because its easier to build a new building than it is to renovate every room, every floor, change out employee's, and implement new ideas. Its easy to throw your hands up, stomp your feet, throw a fit and go hide in the corner. Instead I implore you to work. I ask that you take the road with more resistance. I beg that you put aside your hurt feelings and help heal the democratic party. We have a flawed system because its flawed people who run it.
At one time we believed in America certain individuals were considered property. We said that interracial relationships were not okay, that women were to remain silent and never vote. We took on child labor laws, because at one time if you were old enough to walk, you were old enough to work. If you were considered Asian you could be sent to a camp to live out your days. If you didn't convert to a chosen religion or set standard you were murdered or sent to a 'reservation." Parents were allowed to institutionalize gay, lesbian, and transgender folks for 'mental illness' because of their deviant 'chosen' lifestyle. We once had a set standard for one race, at a water fountain or bus and a substandard for other races. We proudly burned crosses in yards to intimidate minorities and make them feel inferior. It wasn't too long ago if you fell on the autism spectrum you could be locked up away in an institution for the rest of your life.
I don't remind you of these things because I'm a bleeding heart liberal but because none of these things have changed in the past because people ran off to join other parties. We wouldn't be here today in societies standards if Rosa Parks would have said, 'ehhh let someone else work from within," or if the Loving family would have not contested their right to marry interracially. Or if women wouldn't have stood up, been sent to jail, publically beaten and humiliated to demonstrate the right to vote. I could use dozens of examples over time but the fact remains that everything that is good in America happened because people worked from within the system. A flawed system and said, 'no we can do better.' We can hold people accountable and not act like toddlers.
I have no interest in debating the qualifications for the other people who ran for president because the truth is we only have two candidates. Trump or Clinton. The most qualified person to ever run for president in the 21st century, or someone who has filed for bankruptcy 4 times, married 3 different women, and has no experience. I also have no interest in sabotaging the election process by voting for 3rd party candidates. If they wanted to make a legitimate change within America, they'd join the two major parties and work from within because that's what American's do. We work with each other and not against one another. We don't take the easy road. We take the sustainable, hard fought, long lasting, and effective change that helps as many people as possible.
In 2016 we don't have any room for narcissist voting practices or people who want to go have 'tea'. We either live together, or die alone in the gas chambers. Dark image, but in this election, more than ever before.....its totally plausible.
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