It has only been a little over one week since Donald Trump was sworn in as the President of the United States, but the lackluster fanfare of his crowning Inauguration pales in comparison to the Shakespearean drama unfolding en masse via the American public. In a nutshell, nobody is happy right now, and everybody's ready for a fight.
In the midst of this constructive dialogue, absolute free-for-all was born a term you've probably heard by now: "special snowflake." Ah yes, snowflake, an insult tossed around faster than you can say Tomi Lahren. The best word in the alt-right's vocabulary since "bigly," it's meant to signify anyone who openly expresses dissent from the conservative narrative. Politicians, journalists, celebrities, the kid you went to high school with who shared an anti-Trump Buzzfeed article... they all have special snowflake syndrome.
Well, unfortunately for we who suffer from the maddening dilemma of not being easily fooled by Breitbart, the GOP wants to cut the insurance that may have covered a cure for our abject sensitivity to human rights' violations. And seeing as those safe spaces are currently overcrowded with students suffering from a spike in bullying since Trump's election, we've have had to occupy ourselves in other ways (sadly, we ran out of bubbles, kittens and crayons a while back). Here's an easy-to-follow list of what we've been up to since Trump was sworn in (spoiler: it doesn't involve crying about it).
1. We marched on Washington... in Washington, and around the world.
Just one day after the Inauguration, thousands of men and women around the world marched in solidarity to protest against Trump's lack of political experience, his history of blatant misogyny and the anti-choice policies he espouses. These women's marches were held on every continent (yes, even Antarctica), with crowds in the D.C. metro area alone doubling those from the day before. The event has since spawned a full-fledged feminist resistance, and is widely considered to have been the largest political protest staged in American history.
2. We didn't let a media blackout silence us.
Within a few days of being sworn in, it was reported that the White House Staff ordered several federal agencies, including the EPA and the NPS, to freeze all social media activity and to forbid all staff from speaking to the press. This falls in line with the president’s history of denouncing climate change, which includes proposals and appointments that would wreak havoc on the environment. Well, that didn't go over well. In a statement of civil disobedience, several staffers from different agencies “went rogue” on Twitter, using the outlet to put out rapid-fire statements on the dangers of climate change and renewing their commitment to resist environmentally hazardous policies.
3. We flooded the lines of communication.
Media outreach has proven to be a vital tool in ensuring that the people’s voices are heard. When word got out that Paul Ryan was conducting a telephone survey to gauge public support for scrapping the Affordable Care Act, for example, the survey quickly went viral because of callers expressing support for the act. In the midst of the Senate confirmation hearings for Trump’s would-be cabinet, Senators have been inundated with emails and calls from concerned constituents. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) recently remarked that he's received over 50,000 messages urging him to vote “no” on the confirmation of Betsy DeVos--Trump’s pick for Secretary of Education. An offshoot of this direct communication is the current use of online petitions to garner support for the Trump resistance movement. A website currently making the rounds, literally called BlockTrumpsCabinet.com, has reached well over 600,000 signatures. A “We the People” petition asking the government to forcibly release Trump’s tax returns has close to 400,000 signatures. Whether this widespread communication will have its desired effect or not, the attention it has commanded thus far proves that we cannot and will not be ignored.
4. We joined Kellyanne Conway's Dystopian Book Club.
Just two days after Trump took office, senior adviser Kellyanne Conway appeared on “Meet the Press” in an attempt to clear up why press secretary Sean Spicer adamantly overestimated the crowd size of the inauguration. When pressed about the possibility that Trump had Spicer lie, Conway replied that he simply delivered “alternative facts.” Que the literature geeks, who immediately sounded the Orwellian alarm. Since Conway’s phrase went viral, George Orwell’s novel 1984, a cautionary tale about the dangers of an all-powerful propaganda machine, has become the top-selling book on Amazon. Suffice it to say we are doing our research.
5. We brought out the scientists.
In response to the afore-mentioned silencing of several federal agencies, scientists around the country recently announced that they will organize a march on Washington to protest the government’s denial of climate change. A date has yet to be set, but interested parties can learn more about the mission of the march here.
6. We didn't let a wall divide us.
On Wednesday, President Trump confirmed that he indeed has plans to move forward with his plan to “strengthen” border security between the US and Mexico, to limit immigration from certain countries and to cut federal funding from sanctuary cities, locations around the United States that refuse to turn away undocumented immigrants. Although the executive order aimed at these cities has yet to be signed, several mayors across the country have already made it clear that they have no intention of casting out their citizens, regardless of immigration status.
7. We continued to stand with Standing Rock.
On Tuesday, President Trump signed executive orders to continue government construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines, which would transmit oil through the United States. The DAPL in particular has been in the news for months, as Native Americans and allies alike have peacefully prevented construction work from moving forward on their sacred land. Former President Obama froze work on the project before leaving office, but Trump signaled early on that he would not follow suit with his predecessor. Nevertheless, protesters have made it clear that they intend to return to Standing Rock in order to halt further construction from taking place.
To the right-wing voters berating us to just get over it, I now have a message for you. While you were feverishly scouring the Internet for Facebook posts you could troll with misspelled words and poorly executed memes, the snowflakes you despise so much were actually trying to get things done. Because you were, believe it or not, right about something.
We are sick.
We're sick of explaining the difference between fact and opinion, sick of watching the rest of the world laugh at us and we're definitely sick of America not giving a damn about Americans. So say whatever it is you can to demean us in 180 characters or less. Call us snowflakes, or sissies or stupid liberals. Stand aside and call our movement futile, while we stand up to fight for our future.
Remember, one little snowflake may not do much. But nobody can stop an avalanche.
