I dont really know where to begin. I remember as though through a haze… the feeling of mingled anticipation, dread, and sense of unreality leading up to the 2024 election. Logic said no, of course good must prevail, we can’t lose. Look at the numbers, I thought, there is no way this can go astray after the statistics of 2016 and 2020. If I’m being honest, it’s been days and it still doesn’t feel real. I woke up on November 6th in a different world, and Ive been going about my life, waking and sleeping and waking again feeling like I’m still in a living nightmare and it just simply can’t be real.
Lives were dismantled on Wednesday. My outlook on the rest of my life and on the entire world changed.
I remember waking up, rolling over, and checking my phone, a bit apprehensively. The first thing I remember processing was a text from my aunt saying how sorry she was for my generation, and how we will find a way rise above. The second I saw it I knew, before I even read the dozens of other messages.
I immediately had a panic attack.
I texted my girlfriend.
I called my mom.
I don’t think I’ll ever forget that morning.
I remember panicking the night before, just anticipating the results with my girlfriend. My girlfriend is a hispanic immigrant, an amazing female athlete who came to America to pursue her dreams. I knew what this election could mean for her very directly.
I knew what it could mean for every immigrant, every queer and trans person, every woman, every minority living in this country.
This country that was built on native land.
Built on the dream for a better future, a better democracy.
A place for people to come from all walks of life to live the “American dream”.
What happened?
When did it go so wrong?
I think we have lost the definition of patriotism. These self centered, bigoted, so-called patriots who claim to seek salvation for their country… How don’t they see it?
Is it so easy to follow along, to parrot what you’re told by The Man?
Were this many people really just waiting for someone to come along and validate their hatred and say, “no please, go ahead, it’s ok to be a bigot and oppress that which you do not understand”? That which doesn’t have quite literally anything to do with your life. Individual and private parts of other people’s lives.
I really don’t understand what happened, I don’t understand the logic, I don’t understand how we got here, I will simply never understand the hate.
I fear for my country, for every person less fortunate than me. For my girlfriend. For my friends. For every young girl growing up in a world teaching them that they actually cannot achieve anything. That they are objects. I fear for all those stuck in deeply red states who have to worry for their safety every day. I fear for everyone who is in danger of losing their home. Their rights. Their fundamental human rights. And really, I fear for everyone living in ignorance. What a sad existence it must be to live a life governed by hatred. To lack the privilege of independent thought. Now though, it is time for those of us who can to fight, and keep fighting. We may not live to see the future that we are fighting for, but it is crucial that we carry on. It’s not about us, maybe it never has been. But we are strong. And we are living in this world which is demanding us to take action. I am tired. We are tired. But it is never easy. Yet when we fight for love and we fight for hope, and when we fight together, we truly embody our full power and I have faith that we can make that future that we dream of.
Unruly Bodies 
Thank you for speaking up about this. I am terrified for what could happen in the future, for myself and for others. There are so many people being put at risk right now in healthcare, low-income areas, even those at our university who seem to be doing “just fine” in life. I am hoping that even though we may have lost now, we can rise up together and fight back. We did what we could when voting, and now we just have to keep moving forward to better our country for us. I feel like as long as we keep educating ourselves, educating others, and bettering ourselves by having these hard discussions and self-realizations, the world will still end up good.
This post is so deeply relatable, especially for those who feel the weight of living through political shifts this drastically change the way of our lives from now on. The shock and sense of disbelief following an election result that feels like a step backward and almost like deja vu. The fear for loved ones, especially those who are marginalized, and the anguish over seeing hate and division gain more power is a raw emotion that resonates. It’s a heartbreaking reflection on how quickly things can unravel, but also a reminder of the importance of staying strong, fighting for a better future, and supporting each other through such difficult times.
Hey, reading your post really hit home because I believe I truly feel so disconnected with the political shifts happening. The shock I get from hearing about new policies and laws that are going to be implemented in the future is scary. People are blindly supporting certain politicians without truly researching their intent with laws and policies. This isn’t a pick your favorite person vote based on whose a female or male, it should be about what they are bringing to the table to help this country.
Thank you for speaking about this, I think it’s best to keep this sort of optimistic attitude. That said though, I’m worried for us all. I know living in Maryland guarantees certain protections for reproductive rights and trans people, but those protections only go so far and are missing so many people. I keep thinking about the fact that if trans healthcare for minors gets banned in any states, those states are gonna have a lot of dead kids. That’s why fighting is so important though, like you said. We are all tired and at our limits but we have to keep fighting.
I saw so many posts online on November 6 from women asking if any other women/feminine presenting people woke up at 3am just feeling different, knowing that it didn’t go the way it was supposed to, filled with dread. I was one of those people. I stayed up until 3am, silently crying on the floor in my dorm, thinking “how could this happen?”. I forced myself to go to bed and woke up 4 hours later strangely hopeful. Maybe it was just a bad dream. And then I checked my phone…I immediately called my mom in tears and asked her to pick me up because there was no way I could finish out the week. I spent the rest of the week and weekend in a bed of snotty tissues, trying to drink some water in between my sobs. It is so scary thinking about the future, and I hate the idea of just taking it one day at a time, but I see no other way forward.
I see a lot of people now blaming GenZ for the election results or telling us to get to work on saving democracy. BRO WE JUST GOT HERE, SOME OF US ARE BARELY OLD ENOUGH TO VOTE. WE ARE S C A R E D.