KMUAN #-002: the election.. okay yikes. ..

If you haven’t been able to avoid the news coverage of the 2024 U.S. election results (which is rare but not impossible), you’ve seen who just got re-elected. 

He’s a convicted felon with multiple allegations of sexual assault against him & he became president now, a second time. In a nation where felons lose their right to vote. 

I’m not able to conjure the words to describe the kind of mindfuckery that is the people who voted from Tr*mp. The concept of people voting for him again, doesn’t baffle me so much as you’re doing it again after the events of 2016-2020. 

And Kamala Harris – I barely support her especially after her confirming that Isnotreal has the right to defend itself. But I must admit that concession speech must have felt bad. People tweeted about how they saw her holding back tears as she spoke. That’s gotta feel raw. 

Lotta people feeling raw feelings on my Twitter timeline. Lotta think pieces & threads & tiktoks discussing the election results. These are some of the things that I’ve seen discussed on Twitter.

People are blaming black Americans & replies showing that more (but not all) black Americans voted for Harris. White women & men were the majority of votes for Trump.

Somehow, I saw a tweet in passing about how people are blaming Native Americans?? And some are dropping their support for Palestinians in Gaza who were still experiencing genocide while the world watched our election live. 

The night of & the day after the election, I saw a quote of a now-deleted twee about Vote curing. Where you request to see that your vote was received and counted.

People are being emailed that their votes weren’t counted. Some states were still counting their votes. These are things I saw on my timeline. I cannot verify if they were legit. I was doomscrolling.

Saw tweets of people holding out for an investigation or recount into the votes themselves. Urging Kamala not to concede.

Oh and to top that: Election Day 2024 was also the 5th of November. 

I thought that tidbit was a bit eerie. 

If you don’t know, the 5th of November is a famous date in the United Kingdom called Guy Fawkes Day. It celebrates the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. A group of Roman Catholics were angry with King James I for not granting religious tolerance to Catholics, they conspired to blow up Parliament. 

 However, the conspiracy to blow up Parliament failed before it could happen. The night before one conspirator Guy Fawkes was arrested in the cellar where they were stashing the gunpowder. Fawkes was tried, convicted then executed. 

In 1606 Parliament started celebrating Guy Fawkes Day as a day of thanksgiving. People in the UK would hold parades, light fireworks, have bonfires, & burn effigies of Fawkes. The guards would do this check for potential arsonists at Westminster. 

And there’s a famous little poem about that day: 

Remember, remember, the fifth of November
Gunpowder treason and plot
We see no reason
Why Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot…

Source: Britannica & PoemoftheWeek.org

Now if you know the 5th of November the other way….

You’d know that it’s referenced in the graphic novel & movie of the same name, V for Vendetta (2005).

It tells the story of a dystopian version of the UK where a tyrannical government is in charge after a war & genocide involving killing camps.

A woman named Evie is saved by V, a vigilante wearing a Guy Fawkes mask. V pulls her into his plan to set Parliament ablaze with explosives & while he kills the political figures involved with his torture at the camps.

Guy Fawkes masks were designed by illustrator David Lloyd. They’re famously worn by activists to conceal their identity. Anonymous, the activist hacker coalition is very famous for wearing these masks. 

I just thought that it was interesting that the day America re-elected a known fascist, racist, rapist on the day affiliated with rising up against tyrannical governments in pop culture.

Despite the understandable despair, finger pointing or handwringing about the future safety of America, I was glad to see several tweets explaining that our political involvement is supposed to go beyond just voting. 

Fascism is usually elected into office. The solution is for people to organize, resist, be ungovernable.

People need to start engaging with their local communities. Join mutual aids & local resource drives. Soup kitchens. Clothing drives. Know your neighbors’ names. No one is coming to save America. You really only have each other.

And of course, vote in the midterm elections 2 years from now. Local elections will impact you more than federal ones.

I personally have no merit to give political advice or opinions about the state of America. There’s so much that I’m beginning to understand. But I’ve seen these conversations online & this is what I’ve noticed. 

It’s probably gonna seem a little bleak, but the point is to not accept defeat and slide into doomerism. This is the perfect time to start acting. 

Anyways, good night. And stay safe. ❤