“Privilege” is being able to say you won’t vote if you don’t get your perfect candidate. It is not being subject to the repercussions of another four years of Trump and Pence.
It’s not having your bodily autonomy legislated by old white men.
It’s not being afraid a simple traffic stop will end in your death.
It’s not fearing that your desire to give your kids a better life will end in cages or deportation, even after being granted citizenship.
It’s not being subject to searches and investigations because you have dark skin and a Middle eastern name.
It’s not having your human rights negotiated over who you love, how you love, and who you are.
When we vote this fall, we vote for the most vulnerable of us. We vote to fight oppression, tyranny, patriarchy, misogyny, racism, religious intolerance, poverty, hunger, the healthcare gap, and the military-industrial complex. We vote to make this world a better place.
Better… not “perfect”.
Your favorite candidate may not get the nomination. The system might be rigged, and we might be left disappointed, angry, and betrayed. But this isn’t about our pride… this is bigger than us.
This is about those that don’t have the rights that you do. This is about those that don’t have the privilege to abstain from voting.
This is quite literally about people whose lives are on the line.
We may have to swallow our pride, choke back our anger, and do what is best for the marginalized people of our country. They depend on all of us to be heard. Silence is a luxury, and complacency a crime.
Democracy isn’t a destination. It is a journey, and we need to take the train that gets us the closest to where we want to be. We can be better, and we will be better. But we can’t put it off another four years over petty pride.
Children are dying in cages, QTPoC are being murdered, the poor are dying from escalating healthcare costs as we wait for the perfect candidate. How many dead can you wait for?