I think there needs to be a push to teach girls self-defense so they can take down gropers. And stop apologizing for it.

Co-Signed.

I think there needs to be a push to teach girls self-defense so they can take down gropers. And stop apologizing for it.

Absolutely.

And unfortunately, accept that some of said gropers may respond with violence. Accept you may get hurt, but hurt them back, hard, and press charges. Once assault has begun, the rules of the high road are out the window.

edit: I don't think Gandhi would have won in this day and age.

I just changed my profile picture to one of ltc in her white dress and blue sweater on election day, where she has a somewhat annoyed look on her face. It's my little rebellion for the day, and no one who disagrees with my politics will see anything but a cute baby.

The problem with reacting violently to gropers is that groping is socially acceptable and hitting gropers isn't. If I punched someone for touching me, I'm the one who's getting arrested.

Also, women are not trained to react that way. I've only been groped a few times, but my reaction is always one of surprise and shock, and I tend to freeze rather than take action. By the time I can comprehend what happened, the instance is over and the guy has moved on or whatever. There's no good way to react, in a world where women are supposed to be nice and polite, and we are trained to just bear it.

It sucks.

I wonder what's going to happen when he can't follow through with the promises that mean the most to his base? He can't build a border wall, certainly not in four years. He can repeal the ACA, but they have to replace it with something that gives their base healthcare at least as good as they're used to and cheaper or they'll turn against him. And they don't have anything. Can he bring good jobs back to the heartland? Well, if he can, that'll actually be a good thing, but I don't think he can. Practically he can't deport all Muslims and he knows it; I've read that that promise has been removed from his website already. He can tighten up immigration laws but that involves making laws and he can't do it on day one.

The people who voted for him, some of them are horrible bigots but most of them want good jobs and affordable housing and greater security against their fears, and I don't think either Trump or the Republican Congress has any idea how to give them those things. Beyond the bombastic unrealistic promises, he's got nothing.

So the Republicans got what they wanted, they've got it all. Now they have two choices. They can spend four years obstructing Trump the way they did Obama, and their base will revolt. Or, they have to actually govern. And if they do it badly, if the Republicans screw up and can't give the Heartland what it wants, there won't be anyone they can blame it on. Things are going to be horrible for us, but things may end up being pretty awful for them too. And I don't even know what to wish for - of course I want a competent government, but I also want the Trump administration to go down in metaphorical flames and put an end to the far-right Republican party.

I think there needs to be a push to teach girls self-defense so they can take down gropers. And stop apologizing for it.

I was musing the other day it would be a great Buffista Sprog gym class. BC it's not just girls.

In other news, 2016 is really working hard to make 2017 look appealing. RIP Leonard Cohen.

I kind of want to fight every fight right now.

unsurprisingly, me also. Bring it.

A woman called in an order today at work and after checking with people who knew more I made the comment "you can call her and let her know we can get her tomorrow". Normally that would be the type of comment I would be all over for the dbl entendre. But today when my male co-worker chuckled and repeated, "we can get her" - I just yelled - Yep, this is Trump's America, that's how it goes now. and everyone shut the hell up. I then yelled it would be a while before I had any sense of humor, so get used to it.,

RIP Leonard Cohen.

Holy shit.

"You voted for Trump! Damn right I'm thinking I'm smarter/better than you right now!"

Pretty much my feelings right now. But from what I can tell, based on the, um, screaming match I got into with one of my brothers on FB yesterday, is that people in quote-unquote flyover country feel like the elites of the country aren't listening to them, so they chose the ultimate outsider. And they may have a point about not being listened to...but to think Trump will help is stupid. If anything, what this country needs is a new New Deal, with infrastructure building and education to replace those mining and manufacturing jobs that just aren't. coming. back. But there's no political will in either party for that.

I was more functional at work today than yesterday. It helps that all of us, at least on my immediate team, feel the same way about the election--such divisions as we had were Bernie vs. Hillary back in the primary. They all thought it was the coolest thing ever that I got retweeted by Wil Wheaton...

I'm still in I'ma Fight This mode. Anger tends to be my default favorite stage of grief, so I'm going to ride that anger and actually commit to activism before my rage high wears off and my introversion takes over again.

And this isn't exactly activism, but I'm about to head out to a NaNoWriMo write-in to recommit myself to being a storyteller. (I'd written 13,600 words through Monday, and nothing since.) Part of me is like, "Who cares about your little fantasy novel? The fate of the world is at stake." But then I remember the first places Dylan and I went to try to express and push back at our despair Tuesday night was music--he played One Last Time, while I went for the Casablanca La Marseillaise scene. Art is part of the fight.