changing the stories we tell

[tielan]

I woke at 4am thinking of all the insurrectionists today who will wake up to phone calls from media companies trying to interview them.

Well, actually, I woke from a dream where my stepbrother's old cat died in my arms, and I found my chooks slaughtered.

So. That's my emotional state right now.

But I lay in the dark early this morning and was furious at the thought of those white supremacists being given more airtime to jabber on about their conspiracies and feelings.

STFU.

So I got on Twitter this morning and responded to my regular news site - Guardian AU's twitter link to an article about Barr condemning Trump, to tell them that I'd like to see more stories about the get-the-vote-out organisers on the ground in Georgia, along with stories from first-time voters. What brought them out, perhaps after a lifetime of non-voting? So many stories to be told and I WANT TO HEAR THEM.

I don't know if it will do any good. I'm just one drop person in a sea of others. But maybe if there's a few more drops asking for stories about the people who made change happen instead of the people who tried to stop it, we might get somewhere?

Now I have to work out who to else contact and whether they'll listen.

Comments

[kore]

Oh, that's a great idea. You just know there is an EPIC story behind 10 0r 15 years of Abrams and so many other women working to get out the vote!

[tielan]

Yes! And it would be SO GOOD to hear about them. I mean, Abrams is an excellent comeback story after 2018, but there's got to be others who overcome odds or saw a niche and filled it or even just fell down the rabbit hole.

And that's not even counting the voters themselves. How many millions more who voted? How many who voted for the first time? Who voted by absentee ballot? How many who saw their vote count - not just at a local level, but at a state level and then to change the course of the country itself!

Sadly, the rejoicing that I would have liked to see in GA at their victory against the odds was overshadowed yesterday. One more good thing that white supremacists ruined.

[kore]

Yeah, on top of it being of course horrifying that white supremacist terrorist fucktards invaded the Capitol, and were apparently treated with kid gloves, it was so bitter to have that joy at Warnock's win dimmed -- and then when Ossoff won I don't think most people could focus on it at all. But it's such an extraordinary achievement, for them, the organizers, the voters, the volunteer poll workers, everybody. One commentator compared it to winning every single game in the World Series (I know nothing about baseball, but I liked that).

I am trying to pace myself by reading ONLY the Grauniad liveblog, which is superb, but omfg Trump might pardon himself! He's been spitballing it with his aides! Those who are still left! MY GOD, JUST GET HIM OUT OF THERE. -- But I don't want to focus on him. I am SO TIRED of focusing on him. I feel like my gaze has been forced to focus on him since about 2015. Did you see sara's amazing post about people getting their stories/lives back from him?

[tielan]

Grauniad? Linkpls?

OMG YES GET HIM OUT OF HERE, GET HIM OUT! OUT! NOW!

I did see sara's post from your post. Thank you for that! You always have excellent links with others in fandom who have Thoughts that are worth reading.

I am trying not to think about the kid gloves. I know it's there, but the unfairness enrages me and to function, I need to not pay attention to it. Except that at the same time, I need to work out how to point out the difference in treatment - which I tried to do in an insta/FB story: the "when the looting starts" vs "I love you" image that got posted around (I linked to the original post) with the word 'disparity' in red above it.

[eggsbenedict]

Grauniad? Linkpls?

That'd be the Guardian liveblog; that nickname refers to their storied history of typos. XD

See you this weekend?

[tielan]

Ohhhh. Okay, I am clueless.

Yep! I'd better check what time to turn up.

[gingicat]

That’s a great idea.

[tielan]

Got any publications you can think of that you think might take on this kind of story? Or specific journalists who write this sort of story?

[gingicat]

I don't, but maybe this could be figured out at thisfinecrew?

[kore]

It sounds tailor-made for one of those oral history projects!

[aome]

I want for everyone to ignore Trump and his cronies the moment it's noon on January 20th here in the US. No more giving attention to the jackass.