The events of the past few days have me switching constantly between grief and rage over the fact that the US re-elected a man whose party and policies are aiming to cause harm to so many people in both marginalized groups and the people who voted for him.

I know that there are a lot of people who voted to stem the tide of unchecked crony capitalism and fascism, but it deeply bothers me that so many either don’t seem to realize what they’re unleashing upon the world or don’t seem to care. Some things are based on very disparate belief systems, and some are just aggravating nonsense. Do people really want the FDA to not exist, right as we have deadly diseases contaminating cold cuts and fast food—things that are most reliably eaten by working class people? 

We already have unavoidable climate change happening at a rate faster than predicted, and now we’re getting an administration that either doesn’t believe it’s real or knows but would rather line their own pockets and that of corporations and billionaires. Then there are people who escaped authoritarian governments in other parts of the world who don’t seem to realize what is coming for them, or believe that they’re safe because they’re the “good ones.” Whether it’s the model minority myth or the actual belief that one’s proximity to whiteness will protect them, I’m worried that too many people will realize that they’re still seen as an “other.”

For some, a horrifying future is actually what they want. Others likely just focused on what they think would keep them safe and secure. I understand that it’s hard to think of greater problems when things like the cost of a meal have risen to untenable levels. Nevertheless, the result is the same, and I worry for myself and those who will face far greater challenges than I likely will.

In my monthly update post for November, I encouraged people to vote and didn’t give any recommendations. I felt it wasn’t my place, and that as long as I’ve made my position known, that was for the best. I sorely underestimated how poorly actual news reaches people, compared to propagandistic cable news and social media scams. People are subsisting on a junk diet of conspiracy theories and disinformation, and they don’t even realize it. Gen Z voted well in favor of the right, and that is the saddest thing to see of all because it means we as adults failed to educate them. 

While not apolitical, I’ve kept Ogiue Maniax relatively light on politics because I wanted it to first and foremost be a space to talk about my hobbies. That’s still my intent, but I now understand just how much actual factual information is simply not reaching people. I thought I could leave that aspect of the fight to others, only to now realize that I can’t take knowledge for granted. I thought that ignoring the problems would minimize their reach, but all that really happened was that the influence got stronger.

So as limited as my reach is, I feel that if there’s a topic I can address in a way that I think could contribute to a better world, I should probably do it. I just hope I have the courage to always speak truth to power. And I’ll try to do more outside the blog too—because I can rarely expect people to come to me.