I spent most of Tuesday fretting. And Wednesday.
The topic of worry was different than what usually causes my daily bouts of hand wringing and hair tugging. I have become so accustomed to thoughts and uncertainty about COVID-19, the economy, the degrading environment, police brutality and racism that they are almost like an appendage. A second head that whispers nothing but threats into my ear.
My new source of consternation was over a passing remark I made to a group of students I spoke to Tuesday morning.
The virtual meeting was an opportunity for me to share with teens my thoughts on effective communication and opinion piece writing.
One of my problems is that I tend to speak to teens and young adults as I would my peers. Age and setting seldom get in the way of an honest, frank discussion.
So when I was asked what I thought of the upcoming election I gave voice — without much hesitation or forethought — to the notion that has plagued me for a long time, and that friends and family have been subjected to whenever we chat.
I said we’re doomed.
But I didn’t use the word doomed.
The profanity slipping out of my mouth tasted suddenly awkward and forbidden. These were, after all “kids.”
But what was even more bitter than the taste of using an adult descriptor was the notion that I was being oppressively pessimistic.
Certainly if Donald Trump is reelected we’ll have four more years of a president who lies about the severity of a pandemic, questions the legitimacy of climate change, dismisses the severity of wildfires that threaten our communities every year, and endorses the words and deeds of racists while denigrating the men and women south of the U.S.-Mexico border.
However, we still have institutions that allow us to speak our minds freely, to protest the injustices we see around us and to vote for change in leadership.
But then on Wednesday Trump was asked by a reporter if he would commit to a peaceful transfer of power should he lose the election.
“Well, we’re going to have to see what happens,” Trump said.
When the president of the United States won’t commit to preserving one of the hallmarks of freedom and democracy, “we’re doomed” seems to be putting it lightly.
