To say that everyone is bone tired wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration. Where I work, a senior living organization, we’ve been battling COVID for almost a year. I’m not on the front lines so mine is a different type of weariness but weary all the same. After all, it’s not a competition. We’re all tired. It’s a lot for everyone to carry for as long as they have. 10-months. Ten months is a long time to wait for help that shows in the form of a vaccine. A long time to hope. To believe that things will get better. All the while, watching people get COVID. Hoping they make a full recovery.
As last weekend drew to a close, Andrea looked sad and said, “The holidays went so fast. And now they’re over and what is there to look forward to? It’s back to quarantine life.” Not that we actually did anything - but the acts of putting up the tree and sending cards punctuated a long stretch of monotony leading up to the holidays.
This past Wednesday, an attempted coup took place when domestic terrorists overtook the capitol. To answer the question of how they got in, you have to look inside the White House. Not everyone sees this the way I do - but many do.
In January 2016, during a campaign rally in Iowa, Donald Trump said, “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters.” I think I ruefully snorted at the time. Five years later, I know this to be true.
Some people say, “I’m not into politics.” I’m sure people felt that way in 1923 when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party led a coalition group in an attempt to overthrow the German government. That attempt, later referred to as the Beer Hall Putsch, failed. Of course, Hitler later came into power anyway. The first Concentration camps were established in March of 1933 - the same year that Hitler came into power.
There is a myth that German people were terrorized into compliance by Nazi totalitarianism. However, Robert Gellately, a Canadian academic who is one of the leading historians of modern Europe, particularly during World War II and the Cold War era, argues, "the Germans generally turned out to be proud and pleased that Hitler and his henchmen were putting away certain kinds of people who did not fit in, or who were regarded as ‘outsiders’, ‘asocials’, ‘useless eaters’, or ‘criminals’."
While texting friends today, I said I was going on a self-imposed Facebook timeout.
Anne quickly reminds me that I joined a fitness challenge that begins on January 18th and the group is on Facebook.
“Oh goddamn. Thanks for reminding me.”
Facebook hurts my heart - so many people there who aren’t political or who are and still support a dangerous, hateful madman for president.
I’m no fool - I’m not going to change anyone’s mind. If Wednesday’s events didn’t, I’m not naive enough to believe I’ll be the one who leads them to an aha moment.
I enraged someone by introducing them to Ibram Kendi. Someone read Kendi’s Facebook posts and pronounced him a racist. This isn’t the first time that Kendi’s been labeled as such. When in reality, Kendi argues that policy outcomes are central in measuring and effecting racial equity. He has said, “All along we've been trying to change people, when we really need to change policies." Which makes it sound simple enough but people write the policies. Flawed people.
I’m tired. I’m tired of COVID. I’m tired of this President and afraid for the newly elected President - who some people believe wasn’t legally elected in spite of no evidence in support of that. I don’t remember these people being angry over election fraud when Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
I’m traveling for work tomorrow and taking the first of the COVID vaccine on Monday - another controversial topic. If I can wear a mask and get a vaccine to maybe keep someone else healthy, than that’s the least I can do.
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