Here we are in 2017. It's a new year full of new possibilities. A lot of people make new year resolutions and there is a feeling that things can be done or done over. I take the first day of the new year to reflect about what I can do moving forward. I also take the time to think about what has transpired up to that point. New Year's Day is a moment in time which gets repeated every year. It's a fresh start, a new beginning.
Regardless of how people voted in the past election, we got the result. We have a new president and a certain segment of the population of the United States is elated. Another segment is not so thrilled. That's how it goes here in the land of the two-party system. It might be nice to contemplate changing that to a multi-party system. Other voices could be heard--other choices could be made. I'm ready for that.
On January 20th, we were treated to an inauguration which felt... OFF. For one thing, there was definitely a lack of representation from people of color at the podium. Looking at the first family, you'd think that only people with blonde hair are entitled to be there. There were spots of color here and there. The featured singer looked like she could have related to the first family. I applaud her talent and appreciate her intent to respect the traditions. The choirs were distinctly white. Oh, wait a minute. I did see a black brother up there.
We saw Justice Clarence Thomas give the oath of office to the vice president. That was probably the most number of words ever spoken by that man. He can now go back to mumbling one or two words on the bench. I haven't gotten over his treatment of Anita Hill and how he managed to slide in to get confirmed as a supreme court judge. That was the moment I knew that women weren't getting the respect they deserved. That is still happening now, 26 years later.
We got through that inauguration as a nation, but it just didn't seem like the real celebration that it should have been. The sea of faces in the crowd also lacked color. Another thing, the crowd for the inauguration seemed smaller than the ones for Obama. This was later discussed in some of the news outlets. The Trump camp lambasted this and insisted that there were really large crowds. I was willing to overlook it since these things can be hard to measure and prove.
Then came the historic Women's March on January 21st--the day after the inauguration. There have never been any large demonstrations of that magnitude the day after other inauguration events. EVER. I was quite impressed by the sea of people that showed up to march peacefully. No matter what you may think, you have to acknowledge that it was quite a feat to pull off.
Of course, the Trump administration just couldn't let it go. They proclaimed that there were larger crowds for the inauguration. Once again, they went on the attack against the news organizations. This, despite the mounting evidence both photographic and scientific to disprove the Trump claim. One of the articles noted that there were 3 times the number of marchers than people that attended the inauguration. Let that sink in for a moment. Later, Kellyann Conway proclaimed that alternative facts were provided by the administration to explain their stance.
While it is true that statistics can be used to prove a myriad of things true or false, one thing is clear. Alternative facts are not facts. Facts are based on material evidence and are indisputably and significantly based on truth. I don't know anything about alternative facts. I would be hard pressed to find anyone else that knows more about alternative facts other than the current counselor of the President.
We've entered the age where alternative facts (ahem, bold faced lies) are used to spin reality.
Yes, I knitted a few of those "pussyhats" that were worn in the march.