Our collective to-do list

If you’re like me, you are drowning in a swamp of despair and dystopian confusion in the wake of presidential election. If you’re even more like me, you’re pissed as fuck, full of rage, and you don’t know what to do with that energy.* Here are some concrete ideas:

Donate to a non-profit that really needs it right now

Personally, I prefer to give within my community as opposed to national charities. If you can spare the extra dollars, here are a few election-specific ideas of non-profits you can donate to: A local food bank; your local chapter of Planned Parenthood; your local chapter of the ACLU; a local suicide hotline or mental health facility; your local women’s shelter. But really, whatever non-profit seems appropriate right now will do.

When you see discrimination, DON’T LET IT SLIDE

The current conventional wisdom is to not confront bigots, because getting angry in their faces supposedly helps to convince them that they are right. (Or some such shit.) So if you see someone obviously being hassled because of their race, religion or ideology, become that person’s new friend. You don’t even have to confront the bully. Just start up a conversation with the person being harassed, and maybe even encourage them to leave the space with you.

(Between you and me though, if I thought I could get away with it, without being physically threatened, I plan to video any harasser I encounter and then plaster that shit all over social media, because I still think that good ol' fashioned public shunning ain’t such a bad thang. People seem to have lost their shit and forgotten that being a bigot is a BAD thing. I don't mind reminding them.)

Volunteer

Become a Big Sister or Big Brother. Deliver food for Meals on Wheels. Lead a reading or study group at your local jail or prison. Volunteer in a classroom at your local school. Help out at a soup kitchen. Become an escort for women going into abortion clinics. Be there for your fellow American. Let’s show each other that we support each other regardless of our backgrounds.

Subscribe to a newspaper

#HerrCryBaby HATES the First Amendment and has threatened to chip away at it. The New York Times has vowed to fight tooth-and-nail to protect the First Amendment, and Americans need to join the fight. Purchasing a subscription for any newspaper that doesn’t buy into far-right rhetoric will do. We NEED our journalists in this frightening time, and journalists have to eat, too. The cool thing is that these days, a digital subscription means no pesky recycling.

Get familiar with your representatives and make them earn their salaries

According to a former staffer for a representative, phone calls are the most effective way of contacting the people who are supposed to represent you in the government. Emails and letters are easily ignored, but the phone ringing off the hook all day sends a clear message. They may not like your message, but they can’t pretend it doesn’t exist, either.

Run for office

Doesn’t have to be a national office. Far right extremists have quietly, and very effectively, taken over our city councils, county commissions, school boards and pretty much government at every level. If you are at all inclined to publicly support equality, now is the time.

Protest

Protesting is as American as apple pie, and with social media, finding your local protests is a piece of cake. Have you been thinking about joining your local Black Lives Matter group? Do it. There’s probably a Pantsuit Nation group in your city or state. Protests provide a visible illustration of our collective frustration. (Poetry!) Politicians and news outlets cannot ignore large gatherings of humans. Now is the time to channel your inner Mahatma Gandhi, Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. to let your unrest be known.

Be a friend to a human in the target group

Brown and black folks are getting the worst of the harassment right now. If you are a white person, let the people of color in your life know that you do not support the recent wave of bigotry sweeping the nation. Let them know you support them and mean it. Listen. Don't tell them how to feel or what to think. Just listen. And if they need you to physically be with them in public, do that, too. If you're a dude, listen to the women in your life who are hurting because once again, sexual crime is being normalized.

Talk and take care

Don’t be afraid to talk about these issues with your friends and family who will listen. None of this new madness can become the new normal. It is NOT normal, and we can’t assume everything will be okay. The next four years may be rough, and we’re all going to need each other.

DO THIS POSTCARD THING!

#HerrCryBaby has chosen actual white supremacist Stephen Bannon as his chief strategist. Let him know THIS IS NOT OKAY.

Join in and send a postcard directly to Trump! Here are the basic instructions to participate:

** IMPORTANT - Don't mail your card until NOV. 26th **

1. Get a postcard from your state - any picture that represents your state.
2. In the message section, write this simple message: NOT BANNON!
3. Sign your name if you wish
4. Address it as follows:
Donald Trump
c/o The Trump Organization
725 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10022
5. Affix a stamp - you can use a 35 cent postcard stamp, or a normal letter stamp.
6. Take a picture of your postcard that you can share on social media on Nov. 26-28th
7. Drop it in the mail between Saturday, Nov 26th and Monday, Nov. 28th to create a concentrated avalanche of postcards. 

8. On Nov. 26-28th, Tweet and share the heck out of your photo using the hashtags #postcardavalanche #stopbannon

*If you're NOT like me and you wanna go throw down in the parking lot, meet me outside.