Sometimes "Fuck You" Is an Appropriate Response

Considering my occasional inflammatory remarks about our current president and his administration, one might find it hard to believe that I do actually and often preach the same meaningful, compassionate language and tolerance that my dear friends and family accuse me of abandoning/failing to practice. As a yogini/aspiring yoga teacher and student of Buddhism, I absolutely understand at my core the power of transmuting my anger into something more productive than a “fuck you.” … Maybe it’s my peri-menopausal estrogen dominance talking, but in these weird-ass times, as much as I try to tap into my reserves of compassion and objective understanding, too much has happened. Sometimes I cannot and will not ignore my anger, and I cannot and will not apologize for it. I will, however, try to translate it into positive action. But, sometimes, it gets expressed before the alchemy happens.

[To understand the root and power of my anger, read this amazing piece by my friend Annabele: http://www.rebellesociety.com/2017/02/06/annabelegrace-white-women/]

Granted, at times I could use gentler language, but if I’m feeling a reactive “Fuck you!” in response to big oil pipeline projects and big business deregulation and public schools and environmental protections being gutted by an ignorant, self-serving cabinet, I feel pretty justified in using it. And, while I still respect that others have different opinions than I do, I will not temper my feelings. And, while I would like to continue to hear varying opinions on the subjects, I will not be offended by those who defriend me. I only wish I could defriend our president, who has offended me and so many other Americans in so many ways.

I know that to make a difference, each side needs to approach each other with kindness. I know that to be heard, each side needs to speak with reverence. I often speak of this, of abandoning anger and addressing the issues and policies head rather than heart first. But my heart hurts. Tents are burning, children are being poisoned, Mother Earth is screaming, and whole groups of people are being harassed and criminalized and marginalized. And, yes, there are a lot more people and organizations and widespread actions responsible for this than just our current administration, but there is no forward movement here, there is no encouraging outcome from executive orders dismantling protective agencies, reducing consumer protections, threatening women’s health care nationally and abroad…

I know we all see things different. Is the glass half full or half empty? I am a pretty positive person, but I also have eyes that see and ears that hear… and I have born witness to the same atrocities over these last months and weeks that others are willing to overlook or forgive. And, yes, go ahead and bring up Clinton and any other democrat and their faults. I am not here to defend them or their past actions, fault and stupidity happens on both sides of the aisle. But I stand with millions of people who see this current administration as outside the bounds of human decency, and I will use my freedom of speech to call them out on it. Anything I could do or say pales in comparison to their words and deeds, past and present and unfortunately future — my future, your future, my children’s future!

I admit, I have no desire to wax eloquently on politics. My reaction is purely visceral. And I am not whining or complaining or saying that everyone needs to think and feel the way I do. Quite the contrary. But even as a writer and with a whole world of language before me, sometimes there is nothing to say but “Fuck you!”