Welcome to #First100Days!
The #First100Days series will “bear witness” to the next 13 weeks of the Trump administration and the climate in America and then respond openly in writing, dialogue, and debate in the hopes of fostering better communication among writers and partisans alike (although the essays and pieces do not have to be political in nature).
We’re looking to help give voice to honest and thematic essays from all layers of the political spectrum and across all GMP sections.
All opinions are those of the author and not necessarily of Good Men Media, The Good Men Project, or our editors.
Calling the New York Times “fake news” and banning its journalists from White House press events is like calling Double Stuf Oreos “inedible” and tossing them into the compost.
Hearing journalists from CNN and Time magazine, along with the New York Times and other respected media from the White House Press briefing rendered me momentarily speechless the other day.
But, gratefully, these words make that silence fleeting.
“We” are being asked to “accept” much…one of those things is being speechless.
We were asked to dismiss Pussygate as play and stop talking about it.
We were told not to spell out the word PUSSY in print or say it outloud, whilst others are permitted to grab pussy whenever they choose—or at least to hold that over some women as a normalized threat.
It’s all fun and games for the good ol’ boys, right, while the snowflake drama queen prudes of the world overreact?
No.
Guess what is an overreaction? The New York Times being blocked from a press briefing.
Guess what’s overly dramatic? The Washington Post being blocked during the Presidential campaign. I had to “fact check” yesterday when I heard about CNN, the Times, etc. because I could not believe it.
“Fake news?” My ass.
Want facts? I am a fervent believer in words and facts. I’ll give you facts. WE WILL NOT BE RENDERED SPEECHLESS. While other kids fantasized about being race car drivers or doctors when they were young, I fantasized about being a journalist. That dream was poo-pooed as a non-money maker, a dead-end job by a whose approval I sought.
Ironically that same parent bought stacks of newspapers and listened to conservative radio shows for hours every single day.
And, that same person spanked me when I was a kid and told me to pipe down when I disagreed with something or dismissed my voice as “overly dramatic.” I’m not bitter about it. I may sound bitter. But, I’m not. Parents do their best. And, frankly, many dads back in the 70’s and 80’s didn’t have available parenting support networks that exist today. But, I can attest that spanking, in many cases, doesn’t work. It certainly didn’t silence me then, or now.
I bring it up, because there is a clear correlation between recent political actions and pussy grabbing, “spanking culture” and the philosophy that it’s o.k. to shout-down valid journalists and to try to make people shut-up. It is real, folks. Just ask Elizabeth Warren.
The idea that a child needs to get hit to “learn” is alive and well in politics today. The mentality of bullying and shutting down people to “win” respect instead of earning it infuses political policies that shut out immigrants and citizens alike. We are being told if we don’t “accept” things there are consequences.
Hit ‘em in the wallet.
Spank some sense into ‘em.
Nuke ‘em.
Grab their pussies.
This isn’t about Trump. There are many other people, men and women, waiting in line to fill his little shoes. It’s about Patriarchy and Power. Trump is a tiny pawn in a bigger system of structuralized violence and hegemony.
My writing dreams persisted. Words were the weapon I wielded to steady myself in the world. I worked my butt off to put myself through college and graduate school and the first full-time job I landed was as a radio news reporter/news anchor- and I loved every moment of it. The integrity in the newsroom, the thirst for facts and truth nourished me.
I give thanks and respect to the social institutions that gave me a hand-up, not hits to slap me down. I will fight for these institutions. I am capable of deciding what is a valid news source and what isn’t. I am equally as skeptical when someone proclaims “Yes, you can!” as when they spout “No you can’t.” The print on page is black and white, but the nuance is important and in-between. I know this. I am capable of figuring out what is fake news and what isn’t. I don’t need and I certainly don’t want or need a false father-figure, a “Big Daddy” determining this for me.
I WILL NOT BE RENDERED SPEECHLESS even if my “spanker” outweighs me by a good 150 pounds.
I’ll sit down and simmer down and I will write—when and where I want to take a seat- without reddened cheeks.
It’s time we stopped worrying about Big Brother and start standing up to Big Daddy.
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