I enjoy advocating, but there are some days, I wish I did not have to. I feel like the solutions are out in the open, but no one wants to implement them. There is a simple answer as to why we have to advocate because we are being ignored. In today’s society, people seem to care more about the all mighty dollar than human life. If you want healthcare, it comes with a price. If you want equality, it comes with a price. It is like we have a price tag labeled on us.
So what do we Americans get? We get performative tweeting with hopes that people would actually accept what they tweet instead of actually doing something. There’s a saying I go by, “A person that does not keep their word ain’t shit to me.” The problem in today’s world there is hardly anyone in government that I truly believe is genuine. However, the sad thing is these politicians who performative tweet are under the delusion that it actually works. Given how low the bar is, I am not at all surprised that people still buy into this.
The disappointment in this world is that people who advocate are labeled as, “grifters”, “troublemakers”, or my favorite one “trumpers”. The reason I say being called a Trumper is my favorite because it is incredibly funny that I am in no way a Trump supporter. The fact that people seem to think that is hilarious. My theory about this is that people are so used to chaos, that they will do anything for peace. We all may want that but people seem to forget we are valuable and unique. The fact that we are price tags should be insulting to everyone and be a motivation to fight!
I dread using the word normal because to me there is no such thing. Norms change therefore we never truly know what normal is. I feel it is what the individual perceives as normal. However, let’s explore this further! If people insist that we need to go back to “normal” my only question is what is your idea of normal? My idea of normal is everyone having healthcare with no price. Everyone should be covered it’s a basic fundamental right as humans. The fact that people seem to think it should be “affordable” is just outright disgusting.
My normal includes that people are equal. In a perfect world, I would enjoy that! However, we are not living in a country that is based on equality. LGBTQ and POC are discriminated against, beaten, and are not granted the same advantages as everyone else. The rich keep getting richer, the government continues to fund the police and continues to support anti-equality policies. As most of you know brunch liberals are the ones enjoying all these wonderful benefits.
My normal would include that no one should be afraid to leave their homes. Every day, I always say a positive mantra to give me hope I am going to live another day. Being transgender I always face the risk that someone could kill me because they simply do not accept me for me. I will never know what it is like for a POC in what they go through but that is something we all share is that fear in itself. This is unacceptable on a lot of levels.
However, if people want to debate on the definition of what is normal, I would just sit and reflect on that. So what is the new normal? The new “normal” is people advocating for basic fundamental principles. The excuse we all hear is that we cannot afford it. My question is why should there be an asking price? We all have one life and it truly is sad that we rely on capitalism to bank off us.
Those advocates who feel discouraged, I say do not feel discouraged. I am an advocate about using your voice. We all possess the will to speak up for what is right, however, people often try to bury us. Keep fighting because at some point they have to listen to what we are all trying to say. Use your voice and let them hear you roar!