Post-election reflections

 

Last Wednesday I thought I would wake up feeling light, almost weightless, as if a great burden had been lifted the day after the election. But I was wrong. Instead, an unfamiliar sensation settles over me — a sense of speechlessness, unease, worry and even unexplainable guilt. Now that the outcome of the 2024 election has been announced, I find myself wondering: What will the next four years bring? How wrong I was to assume it would be different this time.

It saddens me that a twice-impeached politician, facing 34 felony charges, is elected to return to the White House. I’m worried about the example set by a leader whose language is often vulgar, divisive and disparaging — particularly toward immigrants, women and people of color. I’m alarmed by his character flaws: the prideful boasting, the intentional polarization and the encouragement of division.

I can’t imagine what America will become over the next four years as hinted in the playbook of Project 2025.

It’s concerning to consider what he might do when he regains executive power as president. His campaign rhetoric about punishing so-called "enemies within," pardoning those involved in the Jan. 6 insurrection, abolishing the Department of Education and restructuring the Justice Department, FBI and other key government branches to suit his agenda signals a future with profound and lasting consequences. With his unrestrained and undesirable personal traits unleashed, the absence of guardrails could intensify these impacts in the years ahead.

I know I’m not alone in feeling this way. Instead of genuine hope and excitement about the future, I cringe at the possibility of the mass deportation of immigrants, the silencing of dissent and a tighter grip on women’s reproductive rights. He has been elected again, despite his history of bragging about sexual assault, exaggerating accomplishments and pushing divisive policies like “the wall.”

In a recent New Yorker article, it was suggested that male voters for Trump may fear the ambitions of women, while Harris’ female supporters feel their rights are at risk. This underscores the painful reality of a deeply divided society — between those who have and those who don't, immigrants and "natives," men and women, truth-tellers and the dishonest, empathy and authoritarianism.

We saw these same divisions in his previous term, but I worry this time it will be even more extreme. Under this unchecked approach, I may withdraw into my own comfort zone, perhaps even growing suspicious of those who look or think differently. How can I feel safe in this climate?

In the days after the election, instead of feeling hopeful, I find myself shrinking back, feeling small and fearful. I cast my vote and spoke my truth, taking part in a collective action that felt meaningful as I considered the generations to come. Yet today, I feel devastated, restless and uncertain. I am even resentful toward the voters who chose to support a figure known for dishonesty, racism and sexism. I underestimated the number of people in America who would endorse such a candidate. I worry about the promises he made and what they mean for our grandchildren’s future.

Shin Freedman (shinfreed@gmail.com) is an author, writer and educator.