Thank you, Kate, for your honesty and the way you’re channeling everything into thoughtful action. It really resonates with me right now. I also believe that small steps - whether it's writing, supporting communities, or just listening more - can build into something meaningful. Your words are a good reminder that while we can't control everything, we can control what we contribute. https://eggycargame.com/
I have not watched TV news since 5 am last Wednesday morning. I realized what a bubble I lived in, or I would not have been so surprised by the results. Popping that bubble and zooming out, the situation is a lot clearer. I also deleted my Twitter account. I still think my family and about 75 million people voted against their own interests and they will realize that (and feel it) eventually. I am pretty numb at the moment and just weary of raging against the dying of the light.
I completely and wholeheartedly agree with your politics, Kate, but worry that posts like this just contribute to the problem, which is siloing and polarization. Assuming that most people who read your posts MUST agree with you is the kind of groupthink that drove many of our rational, kind, humane neighbors to abstain, vote for a third party, or vote for Trump despite their disgust. Yes, we all have to stand up for what we believe in, but what many people believe in wasn't on offer in the last election because our system is broken.
I feel the same way. Thank you so much for sharing. Now that the civil service is in danger of being eviscerated, I am more determined than ever to get my self-help memoir, CONNECTING SOULS: FROM LOSS TO PURPOSE IN THE DIGITAL AGE published and out into the world. It is in honor of my late husband who literally worked himself to death at the age of 54 keeping the peace as a civilian employees of the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA) , and in honor of all of the dedicated visionary civil servants and military personnel who brought us technologies such as the Internet. My husband could have made a lot more money with the companies who tried to hire him away from the Defense Department, but he wanted to stay and work for peace instead of profit. At the memorial service, an officer honored him for preventing a nuclear altercation with North Korea in 1982 with his technology. I am FURIOUS that the new administration wants to dishonor all of those dedicated civil servants like my husband.
Thank you, Kate! I always love your column, but found this one so especially helpful. Like so many of us, I'm reeling, trying to decide what to do to counteract what has happened. Your advice is as no nonsense and helpful as always. I appreciate it. (And to those who felt the need to complain about your call for Harris, your response was gracious and exemplary.) Thank you for the work you do in the world!
I don't know, but that "screw it" or "screw them" sentiment that is behind many a Trump vote might be a place to start. We need to shake up the country, though certainly not the way it's about to be done. But we need to defang the billionaires, get our money back, loosen the corporate grip on politics. If that, rather than fascism, is part of what drove this misguided vote, then, yeah.
Thanks for this, Kate. I ma in a blue county in a deep red state that's become even deeper red. I was hopeful,forVice President Harris and di all I could, but I was not, perhaps, as shocked as some. Stil, knowing is is a seismic shift in the country and in the world, still taking that in.
All that said, your plans (and planning in general) are wise, and I wish you the best with them. One of the things I do is turn to music -- that’s what I write about, and continuing to write about music that helps people think about how to navigate these times is one of the things I will do.
Yes! I'm going to keep reading and writing too just like you Kate!
I've enjoyed reading people's reactions and notes on the election - gives one a pulse about how things are going/what people are feeling, but at the end of the day, the reason I'm on substack is to write.
Your lane is whatever you want it to be. Writing about it has been helpful to me, but I've even seen other writers criticizing it, saying it doesn't help anything. Well, it helps me. It's part of my grieving process, so there. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you. It’s such a dismal time but I hope more people will be vocal about where they stand. I’m trying to read more authors I haven’t read before and fill my baby’s library with a range of diverse books. She’s only a few months old and every time she looks at the pages of a book with me, staring closely at the images, my heart melts. Next step: teaching her to turn the pages.
Perhaps I've gotten cynical, but I'm not surprised so many Americans choose a dim-witted bombastic misogenist over an intelligent and accomplished woman. Did I mention racist? Many Americans just can't stand a black/Indian person, and her being a woman on top of dark is too much.
Thank you, Kate, for your honesty and the way you’re channeling everything into thoughtful action. It really resonates with me right now. I also believe that small steps - whether it's writing, supporting communities, or just listening more - can build into something meaningful. Your words are a good reminder that while we can't control everything, we can control what we contribute. https://eggycargame.com/
I for one admire your courage and clarity. Writing is political. Life is political. And lives are at risk. Keep speaking your truth. I am grateful.
I have not watched TV news since 5 am last Wednesday morning. I realized what a bubble I lived in, or I would not have been so surprised by the results. Popping that bubble and zooming out, the situation is a lot clearer. I also deleted my Twitter account. I still think my family and about 75 million people voted against their own interests and they will realize that (and feel it) eventually. I am pretty numb at the moment and just weary of raging against the dying of the light.
I completely and wholeheartedly agree with your politics, Kate, but worry that posts like this just contribute to the problem, which is siloing and polarization. Assuming that most people who read your posts MUST agree with you is the kind of groupthink that drove many of our rational, kind, humane neighbors to abstain, vote for a third party, or vote for Trump despite their disgust. Yes, we all have to stand up for what we believe in, but what many people believe in wasn't on offer in the last election because our system is broken.
If you are serious about listening, consider reading this: https://jacobin.com/2024/11/harris-trump-election-democrats-workers
I feel the same way. Thank you so much for sharing. Now that the civil service is in danger of being eviscerated, I am more determined than ever to get my self-help memoir, CONNECTING SOULS: FROM LOSS TO PURPOSE IN THE DIGITAL AGE published and out into the world. It is in honor of my late husband who literally worked himself to death at the age of 54 keeping the peace as a civilian employees of the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA) , and in honor of all of the dedicated visionary civil servants and military personnel who brought us technologies such as the Internet. My husband could have made a lot more money with the companies who tried to hire him away from the Defense Department, but he wanted to stay and work for peace instead of profit. At the memorial service, an officer honored him for preventing a nuclear altercation with North Korea in 1982 with his technology. I am FURIOUS that the new administration wants to dishonor all of those dedicated civil servants like my husband.
Thank you, Kate! I always love your column, but found this one so especially helpful. Like so many of us, I'm reeling, trying to decide what to do to counteract what has happened. Your advice is as no nonsense and helpful as always. I appreciate it. (And to those who felt the need to complain about your call for Harris, your response was gracious and exemplary.) Thank you for the work you do in the world!
Thank you, Kate. I, too, plan to write my way through!
I don't know, but that "screw it" or "screw them" sentiment that is behind many a Trump vote might be a place to start. We need to shake up the country, though certainly not the way it's about to be done. But we need to defang the billionaires, get our money back, loosen the corporate grip on politics. If that, rather than fascism, is part of what drove this misguided vote, then, yeah.
Thanks for this, Kate. I ma in a blue county in a deep red state that's become even deeper red. I was hopeful,forVice President Harris and di all I could, but I was not, perhaps, as shocked as some. Stil, knowing is is a seismic shift in the country and in the world, still taking that in.
All that said, your plans (and planning in general) are wise, and I wish you the best with them. One of the things I do is turn to music -- that’s what I write about, and continuing to write about music that helps people think about how to navigate these times is one of the things I will do.
Yes! I'm going to keep reading and writing too just like you Kate!
I've enjoyed reading people's reactions and notes on the election - gives one a pulse about how things are going/what people are feeling, but at the end of the day, the reason I'm on substack is to write.
Perfect Post.
Your lane is whatever you want it to be. Writing about it has been helpful to me, but I've even seen other writers criticizing it, saying it doesn't help anything. Well, it helps me. It's part of my grieving process, so there. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you. It’s such a dismal time but I hope more people will be vocal about where they stand. I’m trying to read more authors I haven’t read before and fill my baby’s library with a range of diverse books. She’s only a few months old and every time she looks at the pages of a book with me, staring closely at the images, my heart melts. Next step: teaching her to turn the pages.
Thanks for your honesty and voice!
You said it exactly the way I feel. Thank you.
Perhaps I've gotten cynical, but I'm not surprised so many Americans choose a dim-witted bombastic misogenist over an intelligent and accomplished woman. Did I mention racist? Many Americans just can't stand a black/Indian person, and her being a woman on top of dark is too much.