I removed myself from the chaos of social media to reflect on the world we live in today. While I didn’t disengage completely, I stopped looking at posts, actually more offended by the lack of outrage by silent family members who I can only assume probably either didn’t vote or voted for Trump but don’t publicly declare it the way the blatantly disgusting ones do. I also felt very gaslit watching all the posts about not allowing “politics” to interfere with family and friend relationships. I went to a couple of social events in which we all tip-toed around the election results to not upset the status quo and felt inauthentic for the first time.

There are a few lessons I still remember from my childhood: What happens in the family stays in the family; Do as I say, not as I do; Children are meant to be seen, not heard; and Take the cotton out of your ears and put it in your mouth. My whole life, I have been surrounded by a culture of hypocrisy and silence, and I know for a fact that I am not the only one. Growing up in the South seems to come with its own set of consequences, including systemic racism, sexism, and homophobia. I now know this to be an American issue, and the loudest voice seems to be that of the oppressor, pointing the finger and pitting people against each other, stoking rage among the poor, ignorant, and uneducated. One word comes to mind: misdirection.

Misdirection is a tactic magicians use to control the attention of their audience and to make the seemingly impossible possible. By using this manipulation tactic, they can distract their audience from what is occurring. Trump’s fear-mongering campaign of hate rhetoric on people of color, women, migrants, and LGBTQ+ paired with misinformation being spread by Musk on X and other right-wing media conservatives, has proven to be an effective strategy at distracting from the heart of the truth. These bullshit culture wars, left vs. right, Democrats vs. Republicans, etc. are all just to distract that the real battle is between the rich and the poor.

This we all know to be true. So why is it okay to allow the most blatantly loud-mouthed criminals in our country to hold the microphone? If you haven’t realized by now, let me be clear: this is not an issue of politics but of human rights. It is by avoiding the topics of politics and religion at the dinner table that has led to our demise. I remember another lesson from childhood and democrats would do well to take heed: Closed mouths don’t get fed. And quite frankly, I am tired of closing my mouth if you don’t like what I have to say.

In the spirit of this I attempted to educate an acquaintance on Project 2025, the playbook for Trump’s administration. She seemed open-minded and willing to discourse; however in spite of her asking for opinions on her page was met with hostility when bringing up the facts about Project 2025. Oh and here is the meme she posted.

This blatant disregard for having political conversations outside of one’s own confirmation bias is the problem with American voters. That and believing everything at face value. Are you thinking for yourself? Are you discerning of the information that is being fed to you? Are you supporting independent media sources and fact-checking your information? Are you going to open your mouth and stand up for your people or are you going to be part of the problem?