WHOMP BE GONE

"Patriarchy's dead Show some respect 'Cause some angry fucking female Put a knife through his neck" - Kate Couriel, Patriarchy's Dead

Back in the mid 1980’s I was certain that Ronald Reagan represented “the last death throes of white male supremacy.” It is obvious now that I couldn’t have been more wrong. That old white man, and you may as well make that old-heterosexual-white-man, is still thrashing about, gasping and gagging, sucking oxygen out of the atmosphere, writhing and kicking over tables and chairs, breaking glass, and violently crushing the life out of young people and people of color who are just longing to live. Those cranky old bastards are desperate not to lose the power and influence they have held over all of us for, lo, these several thousand years and they will destroy whatever and whomever they can to hold onto that illusion. With apologies to Dylan Thomas, the patriarchy will “not go gentle into that good night.” And with Donald J. Trump at the helm it is not going to look pretty or be in the least bit graceful or gracious. He’ll cling to his fantasy the way he clung to the presidency back in 2001, encouraging other people to do his fighting for him while he stuffs his face with French fries. The plus side is that Donald J. Trump has made such an ugly, twisted, bloated mess of the idea of being a white, heterosexual, old, male person (a WHOMP) that no one is going to miss the archetype whatsoever. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be any white hetero males, old or otherwise, to kick around anymore, it just means that they won’t be holding us all hostage to their hemorrhoids and they will no longer waste so much time and energy pandering to power.

I would like to recommend that all of you and anyone you happen to talk to check out Run For Something (RFS). They have been around since 2017, getting themselves organized in the aftermath of Donald J. Trump’s initial insult to American democracy. Since that time they have guided over 210,000 people who are running for offices from school board to state and federal representatives. Since election day 2023 there has been a surge of over 50,000 individuals who have signed up and are now actively running campaigns. Over 1,500 of their candidates have already been elected. Look through the list of people they are helping run for office and you will find a plethora of women, people of color, LGBTQ+ advocates. Most would be considered progressive if only because they are young and energized to accomplish the change we need to turn the ship of state away from the iceberg of Donald J. Trump’s ego. Spread the word. And VOTE!