Living in the Keystone state for the 2024 presidential election put us at the brunt of the American media circus show. Extra special treatment was taken to ensure all that occupied our minds was the presence of two politicians.
We all saw the constant stream of emails, political ads, billboards and flashy headlines that started their countdown a year ago. Each candidate had their own act.
We have seen every ad in which Kamala Harris or Donald Trump has positioned themselves as the savior the American people need. Words are shaped like promises, and throughout the last year we have had the pleasure of constant coverage and political analysis over them.
I swear, our surrounding media would have a field day just filming them sleep. Trump’s team would justify the inflammatory statements he would possibly say between snores and Harris’s would explain how her breathing patterns appeal to moderate republicans and centrists.
I do not mean to say that this election cycle was not important. Fears of fascism, transphobia, racism and misogyny on the institutional level are already becoming reality.
We live in a country in where policymakers see certain groups of people as body parts and stereotypes meant to be silenced rather than real people. The people surrounding us also may take similar stances.
There is a certain betrayal a lot of us knew was coming when certain relatives start spouting the dehumanizing rhetoric that is aimed at you and/or anyone marginalized. Yet, we knew it was coming.
Maybe my stance is a little bleak coming soon after the election and getting the result of another Trump presidency. Between the populist who puts targets on the backs of marginalized groups who defy himself, and the moderate who is a woman of color, I think we know what that says about the way the structure of the American political psyche shows its colors.
Who else would win such a circus?
If I thought I was banging my head on every surface trying to get this election cycle out of my head, the next four years are going to be even better.
A lot of us did what we were supposed to—going to our polling stations, filling out the ballot, and hoping for something substantial to result from it.
But as we have seen through the years, the real test of democracy and action comes after the election is over.
So much of what we hear about is the talking points of politicians and how we should react. There is so much coverage for an election, our feeds almost act like the world outside of it has stopped. Both candidates advertised that electing them would be the solutions to our “problems” whatever those problems may be.
I knew when I voted for Kamala Harris that I was voting for the conditions in which I want to do the work of progressive action. Even with a Donald Trump victory, that work continues despite the increased difficulty.
Palestine is still not free, and neither is the Congo. Across the nation, our access to abortion and gender affirming care has been under attack. These issues and more are so much larger than a singular politician, and action to combat the injustices we face must show just that.
For the people who have remained fighting for fairness and equity, I thank you, because that fight is never over. I only hope we aim our collective focuses to do that work rather than be complacent in the face of this show of an election.
