You Have to Live
I'm sorry it turned out like this.
Let me open by saying this--I am a first-generation immigrant. I wasn't born here, I chose this country because I saw a future in it. I chose this country for what it represented for many of us: a chance to start anew and to make something better. Unfortunately, this is not the vision for the America we live in, as represented when we handed our popular vote to Donald Trump in 2024. We, as a country, handed our popular vote to an Islamaphobic, queerphobic, racist, and utterly deranged rapist and felon. In times like this, I implore you all to please, don't point fingers at each other.
We are voting through some of the worst times in history. The genocide in Gaza and Lebanon cannot be ignored, and I urge you all not to blame third-party voters for abstaining from voting for Harris due to this cause. Even if we gave their votes to Harris, it would not have made a difference. To those who have been advocating for Palestinians all this time, I hear you, and I'm with you. I also urge you not to blame minority voters who have voted for Harris. Minorities everywhere are suffering, and their acts of self-preservation are no less kind than your selflessness. In times like this, we must come together because there is no alternative. I'm asking you to live and to open your doors and hearts to those who have and will continue to suffer under this upcoming administration because no one else will.
The people you trust are voting Trump. Gen Z men, Latino and Black men, queer people willing to throw their transgender siblings under the bus for acceptability politics, in times like these, we must understand that nobody is coming to save us. We must understand and accept collective responsibility for what this country has come to, and do what we can to pick up the pieces. Nothing I'm saying sounds particularly uplifting right now and that is because I can't. I cannot say that we will all live through this like we all lived through 2016 because many didn't. We cannot say that when we still remember George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the thousands who died during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have to recognize the extent of this madness and honor the memory of those who are no longer with us. In times like these, we have to not give in to the urge to repress the bad but to see it for its full extent. We cannot create change otherwise. I want you to be angry, and I want you to use that anger right.
Here's the thing. Pregnant people are dying due to the abortion ban, the suicide hotline is overwhelmed by queer and trans youth, and more people will die if we don't act now. The first thing you must do is live. If you have time and energy to do anything else, that's wonderful, but at the very least you have to live. Know that people voted for this man because they don't want you and who the fuck are they to tell you your worth? If you're reading this, I see you, and I'm telling you that you deserve all the good days that will come if you keep fighting.
I know you're scared and frustrated and I can't fix that but know that one day, there will be another generation of kids just like you and they will look to you for guidance. History has beat us down so many times but we always, always lived. So will you. One day, I promise you, you will look to the Sun and find a reason to keep going and you'll marvel at how far you've come. Today, you can rest. When you're ready, I want you to use all the anger you feel today and direct that into community action. You can do something substantial: people around you need support now more than ever, be there for them; donate to Palestine and Lebanon; protest and take to the streets. There is something you can do, and I implore you to try when you feel well enough. Your voice is necessary and valued, and I can't wait to see what you accomplish.
I'm proud of you for living today. I'm proud of you for being kind enough to yourself to eat and drink today. I'm proud of you if you do nothing but survive for the next four years. Please be kind and look out for each other, it's all we have now.
I love you,
NX