Election Reflection Part I

*Note: This post contains some vulgar language.

A student in our local high school recently referred to our daughter as a “liberal wh*re.” Another student didn’t feel safe or welcome at school last Wednesday because of being referred to as a “f*g.” My elementary kiddo heard things from classmates like, “If “they” win, the “criminals” will be let loose, (“they” = not us; “criminals” = immigrants).”

I do not share this because I want outrage. Or pity. And please for the love do not get offended. (This is a big part of the problem, that we all get so damn offended so easily and so often.) I share this because I desire to unpack and consider how we got here, to a place where normal, generally well-rounded students from loving, caring families get to a point where vitriol and ignorant generalizations are so casually and flippantly spewed. 

I have a theory. 

When our president-elect and people campaigning with him say and do things that are degrading, disgusting, inappropriate, and illegal—I obviously emphasized that word in italics, but I cannot emphasize this enough and the fact that multiple acts have been done that truly are illegal, that he has been convicted of felonies, and that he has been impeached . . . twice—it is going to affect the culture. 

“When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. . . Grab them by the p**sy. You can do anything.” —Donald Trump

I could go on and on here, but let’s try to do our best to perform due diligence from now on. The next time we read about or listen to something that our president-elect says, let’s check our gut instincts. Check our hearts. Consider the morals and standards we hold ourselves and our households to. Are we applying those to people in leadership positions? If not, why not? Are we justifying or glossing over or ignoring? Again, why? 

Since last week’s election I have compiled over twenty pages of thoughts, quotes, and links on various Google docs and notes on my phone because that is how I process situations that I cannot wrap my mind around. I struggle often with whether or not I am being complicit by speaking up or keeping my thoughts to myself. I decided to share my thoughts. I will try to parse it down.

It looks like many voters reported that they were/are most worried about abortion, the economy, and immigration. (For a more extensive list of issues and policies—where blind polls showed that, “Across nearly all issues, policies backed by Harris and the Democratic Party are, on average, more popular than those backed by Trump and the Republican Party. 89% (57 out of the 64) of Harris' policies included in the survey are supported by more than half of voters. The same is true for just 48% (31 of 64) of Trump's”—click here.)

Abortion: My husband and I are talking to our daughter about looking for colleges in states without abortion bans. Does that mean we are encouraging our sixteen year-old to be sexually promiscuous because, don’t worry, she can just go ahead and get an abortion if she accidentally gets pregnant? Does that make any sense? If it doesn’t make sense, then why would we be encouraging her of this?   

This “killing babies” rhetoric and “Pro-Life” versus “Pro-Choice” battle has been intentionally propagated and institutionalized—inserted specifically as a wedge issue because of its ability to elicit such emotional responses and therefore is often skewed theologically—for so many decades I fear we do not even stop to look at individual cases. Situations are nuanced and complicated and far from binary.

“Pretty consistently, people say, ‘Until we can be absolutely certain this isn’t a normal pregnancy, we can’t do anything, because it could be alleged that we were doing an abortion,’” —Dr. Tony Ogburn, an OB-GYN in San Antonio

Do some homework. Consider individual scenarios. 

If you or your wife or your daughter or your mother or your friend needs a D&C so as not to risk her life, do you believe someone besides her, her partner, and her doctor should be making the decision of whether or whether not to get one? If you or your wife or your daughter or your mother or your friend has been trying to get pregnant for years and wants to try IVF do you want that option to be off the table? If a crazy uncle gets drunk and impregnates his twelve year-old niece, should we make her have that baby? (And don’t tell me that doesn’t happen, or doesn’t happen very often. First, once is more than it should ever happen, and two, I have a colleague that works in a psych ward and sees and hears victims of abuse and stories that would shock and appall). Should that be someone else’s decision besides hers, her parents, and her doctor?

I went to Planned Parenthood in college because I was a poor college student who needed a Pap smear and birth control because I didn’t want to be having my period during my honeymoon. I’m glad no one attacked that Planned Parenthood clinic while I was there being cared for by an underpaid or possibly volunteer provider.

Economy: I still have a lot to learn regarding the complicated ins and outs of the economy. Here are some articles I have read. (Heads up, they are pretty boring. I take that as a good sign, though, because boring means we will likely find more facts versus statements propagated with the intent of playing on our fears and insecurities, thus getting us all riled up.)

Immigration: Last week I had the opportunity to sit in on a presentation given by Dr. Tala AIRaheb, Impact and Innovation Officer for Global Refuge. She was speaking at a national conference for Lutheran outdoor ministry leaders titled “BE MORE: Bold, Loving, Sensible,” with the theme verse: “God does not want us to be shy with God’s Gifts, but to be bold, loving, and sensible.” —2 Timothy 1:7. 

I love that encouragement from scripture to be sensible, and obviously (I wish this were more obvious) loving. It is vital as a leader to be sensible, and when we appoint and elect leaders, sensibility should be top on our list. Dr. Tala was incredibly sensible. She shared facts regarding immigration in our country. Please take a moment to read this facts sheet. Here are a couple that stood out to me, if you decide you don’t have time to read it all:

Myth: Most immigrants are coming to the United States illegally.

Fact: Regardless of someone’s manner of entry, seeking asylum is a legal right – and more than that, it’s a cornerstone of U.S. and international law. Each year, tens of thousands of people migrate to the U.S. via the refugee resettlement program, through work visas, to reunite with family, and more. Of those who come through the Southern border, approximately 92% were apprehended or turned themselves in to Border Control to begin their asylum cases.

Myth: Refugees and immigrants are responsible for bringing drugs into the country.

Fact: The vast majority of immigrants who cross the border immediately present themselves to authorities to seek asylum. There is virtually no reason for someone seeking asylum to simultaneously be attempting to smuggle in drugs, thereby threatening their asylum status. What's more, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, 86% of those caught smuggling drugs into the U.S. from 2017 through 2021 were U.S. citizens.

Myth: Refugees and immigrants commit more crimes and make the country more dangerous.

Fact: Research has proven time and again that there is no link between immigration and increased crime rates and that immigrants are 60% less likely to be incarcerated than their native‐born peers. Some studies show that increased immigration results in  lower crime rates—meaning immigrants make the United States safer for all.

My immigrant friends are some of my favorite neighbors. My immigrant colleagues are highly educated, hard-working, and provide perspectives that allow me to learn and think in new and creative ways. Let’s do better at finding ways to be informed citizens. 

Also, tap into some empathy and again, sense. What would it take for a family to decide they need to leave their homes? Famine? Oppression? No jobs? They want their kids to have a better life? We can think of our own ancestors. We can ask someone in the generation above us to share some stories. Unless we are Native American, then our ancestors are immigrants. Don’t speak from a place of ignorance. Think about the bigger picture. 

And finally, I leave us with a quote by one of my favorites. 

Christianity is a lifestyle - a way of being in the world that is simple, non-violent, shared, and loving. However, we made it into an established "religion" (and all that goes with that) and avoided the lifestyle change itself. One could be warlike, greedy, racist, selfish, and vain in most of Christian history, and still believe that Jesus is one's "personal Lord and Savior" . . . The world has no time for such silliness anymore. The suffering on Earth is too great.   —Richard Rohr