Around midnight on Election night, I was starting to feel bad for not voting. As I saw the direction the count was going in and Florida turning red, I felt a sense of unease that maybe I should’ve done my part. By 1am, the writing was on the map, and it was clear that Trump was going to win. I almost vomited. Then I reflected on the reason I didn’t vote in the first place, looked closely at the two choices forced on us, and quickly went to bed. By the time I got up in the morning, those feelings had washed off because I knew I was not the cause of her defeat. That morning on social media, many angry and bitter Clinton supporters were hurling insults at people like me for not voting, telling us it was our fault and we can’t say shit and can’t complain about Trump cause we let him win and we need to “STFU” and don’t say a fucking word about it. Like, really mad. Like, “I’ll punch you in the face” mad, as if people like me are ignorant and don’t know a damn thing about politics and only complain when shit goes wrong. But the issue is much bigger than my vote, or any third party voters. To understand why I stood home on election night, along with millions of other Americans, we need to address the root of our disenfranchisement, and listen, because we won’t shut the fuck up. Read the rest of this entry →