Writing as Therapy

I care too much. My husband tells me that. He's not wrong. It makes me sound so altruistic and holier than though but that's honestly not how I mean it. 

Yes, I care about the lives of people I've never met and it hurts when I know people are being mistreated, especially in the country I call home. But that's not what I'm talking about. I wouldn't ever want to change that part of myself. 

For me, I have a problem where I put the health and well-being of others before my own and over the course of time, this starts to fuck me up. I feel guilty when I'm having a bad day, like my bad day is going to make someone else's day bad too. And then, if someone isn't perfectly happy with said day, I blame myself for it. 

Luckily, as I've mentioned, I have an amazing husband who tries to make sure that I do this as little as possible. And luckily, this works a lot of the time. But it doesn't work in certain instances and it doesn't work with some key people, people who don't always make it easy for me to not blame myself. 

Now, I don't want this blog to be me feeling sorry for myself. I won't lie -- the fact that some people close to me take my anxiety and depression personally does hurt a lot. It does make it difficult to not blame myself and it does make me feel like the disorders that I have are my fault. But somewhere inside of me I know I shouldn't feel that way, basically, because I have friends with these types of disorders and I try my hardest to make sure they know that none of this is their fault. And if I say it to them and really believe it, part of me knows I have to believe it for myself too. 

So, this blog is to remind myself that I need to put me first. It's to remind me that if my health is failing, whether physical or mental, I can't be as good of a wife or daughter or friend or loved one. And those things mean a lot to me. 

This blog is to remind myself that I'm not defective. It's to remind me that I don't become a bad person just because I have a bad day or need to concentrate on myself. It's to remind me that mental health isn't an imagined issue that I've just made up to put the focus on me. Cause that's something I really struggle with.

The words selfish and ungrateful swim around in my head on a daily basis. I can hear them being screamed at me as I cry, their words echoing for eternity in my heart and soul. I can feel all of the bruises that they've left inside of me over time, so much so that it feels like I'll be black and blue forever and I'll never be able to heal properly. 

This blog is to remind me that those words aren't true. This blog is to remind me that no matter how long it took me to type them or how much trouble I actually have believing them, it was still important that I say them -- that I put into print that I'm not selfish or ungrateful. 

I need to somehow realize that it's okay for me to not believe them. That even more so than that -- that it's not okay to believe them. I need to realize that it's up to me to hug myself and tell myself that everything will be okay. It's up to me to console the person inside of me. It's up to me to comfort the person that's been hurt. It's up to me to fix what's been broken. 

Not because there aren't people who want to help. But because I'm the one who truly needs to understand that I'm not all of those terrible things. I'm the one who needs to be able to look at herself in the mirror and say, "you're not selfish and ungrateful. You're not all of your worst fears." 

I'm 40 years old and I'm still working on understanding that. Some days it feels like I'll never get it through my thick skull and other days are a little easier. Some days the screaming in my head never stops and I can feel my insides bleed even though I know that's silly. Other days I feel like a warrior, trying to speak out and have courage and use my writing to try and fix what little I can. 

And on days like these -- when I feel vulnerable to the point that it seems like I'm an open nerve and have no skin to protect me from the outside world -- I try to be honest about how I'm feeling. I try to write about these problems I have, with the hope that anyone else that might have a similar problem learns that they're not alone. I know that there's still so much I'm not capable of talking about but I try to be as brave as I can be and wish with all of my heart that it helps someone feel better. And maybe if I'm lucky, one of those someones will be me.

Love, Community and Pride

This blog post of mine is going to be a little different. I'm not going to get political or smart-mouthed or probably even be funny. Hopefully, I won't offend anyone because, in my opinion, there won't be anything here that is even remotely offensive. It's all about love.

An open letter to all of my friends and loved ones in the LGBTQ community, one week after Orlando. 

Dear Friends,

I'm sorry. 

I'm so sorry this has happened. 

I'm so sorry that there are still people in existence who think that the love you feel should be a target for hate. 

I'm sorry we continue to fail to take steps that would help prevent atrocities like this from happening. 

But even more than telling you how sorry I am, what I'd really like to say is...I'm with you. As much as I can be, I'm with you. I'm your sister, your friend and your cheerleader. 

No part of who you are is anything to be ashamed of. No piece of your soul isn't deserving of love. No part of your identity isn't worthy of acceptance. And however you feel most like yourself is the way it was intended. 

I'm sure there are a lot of you out there that already know these things but I want you to know that I know it too. And anyone in the LGBTQ community who might be feeling like these things aren't as obvious to them, I want them to see the words for themselves. To hear another voice tell them that they're exactly who they're supposed to be. 

Be proud of who you are. Because you are amazing.

You're brave.

You're warriors.

You're courageous.

You're valued.

You're valuable.

You're real.

You're truth.

You're love.

I want the world to be safe for you. I want you to be able to log onto social media without having people debating your bathroom choices. I want you to be seen for you, not your gender or your sexuality. I want people to realize that you're just like everyone else...in the way that none of us are alike and we're all the same. 

I want you to be able to be the snowflake that you are. The snowflake that the rest of us are allowed to be. 

I want you to know that if there's a God, God loves you. 

I want you to know that this world would be worse off if you didn't exist and that you add an incredible amount to our collective existence, as individuals and as a community.

I want you to know that I love you. I want you to know that I'm proud of you and I want you to know that I'm proud to call you family. 

During this time in the wake of Orlando and during what should be a joyous Pride, I hope that you can still celebrate the way you deserve to. You've helped our world become a more accepting place and I realize that there's still work to be done and progress to be made but each and every one of you has made a difference in the lives of every man, woman and child in this country. And for the better, whether they're loving enough to be able to see that for themselves. 

Thank you all for being a part of my life. I love you. I cherish you. And I stand with you always.

With the sincerest love and gratitude,

Monica

Bernt Out

I need to talk about something that recently came to my attention. It's the text of an essay written in 1972 by Bernie Sanders in the Vermont Freeman, an alternative newspaper. 

I think it is beyond important to note the following things when reading the entirety of this essay:

-- This essay was published in 1972.

 -- Bernie Sanders was 30 years old when he wrote this essay for the Vermont Freeman. He was not some 20 year old college student, still forming his ideas and ideals. He was a full grown adult human being. 

-- This essay is from 9 years AFTER Bernie marched on Washington with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, a part of his political history that he is not only very proud of (as he should be) but has become a major part of his identity in terms of his candidacy for president. 

So, I think it's fair to say that because of the aforementioned, this essay is fair game. Bernie Sanders was not some dumb kid when he wrote this. He was not still trying to find his political footing. He was not confused about equality and how it should work for everybody. According to him, he had already formed his political morals and ethics. So let's take a look at this essay that, although not completely and totally ignored by the media during his campaign, has not been touched on by most outlets. And after reading it, I've been shaken to my very core.  

Now, I'm going to let Senator Sander's words speak for themselves. 

====================

Man-and-Woman 

By Bernard Sanders

A man goes home and masturbates his typical fantasy. A woman on her knees, a woman tied up, a woman abused.

A woman enjoys intercourse with her man — as she fantasizes being raped by 3 men simultaneously.

The man and woman get dressed up on Sunday — and go to Church, or maybe to their “revolutionary” political meeting.

Have you ever looked at the Stag, Man, Hero, Tough magazines on the shelf of your local bookstore? Do you know why the newspaper with the articles like “Girl 12 raped by 14 men” sell so well? To what in us are they appealing?

Women, for their own preservation, are trying to pull themselves together. And it’s necessary for all of humanity that they do so. Slavishness on one hand breeds pigness on the other hand. Pigness on one hand breeds slavishness on the other. Men and women — both are losers. Women adapt themselves to fill the needs of men, and men adapt themselves to fill the needs of women. In the beginning there were strong men who killed the animals and brought home the food — and the dependent women who cooked it. No More! Only the roles remain — waiting to be shaken off. There are no “human” oppressors. Oppressors have lost their humanity. On one hand “slavishness,” on the other hand “pigness.” Six of one, half dozen of the other. Who wins?

Many women seem to be walking a tightrope now. Their qualities of love, openness, and gentleness were too deeply enmeshed with qualities of dependency, subservience, and masochism. How do you love — without being dependent? How do you be gentle — without being subservient? How do you maintain a relationship without giving up your identity and without getting strung out? How do you reach out and give your heart to your lover, but maintain the soul which is you?

And Men. Men are in pain too. They are thinking, wondering. What is it they want from a woman? Are they at fault? Are they perpetrating this man-woman situation? Are they oppressors?

The man is bitter.

“You lied to me,” he said. (She did).

“You said that you loved me, that you wanted me, that you needed me. Those are your words.” (They are).

“But in reality,” he said, “If you ever loved me, or wanted me, or needed me (all of which I’m not certain was ever true), you also hated me. You hated me — just as you have hated every man in your entire life, but you didn’t have the guts to tell me that. You hated me before you ever saw me, even though I was not your father, or your teacher, or your sex friend when you were 13 years old, or your husband. You hated me not because of who I am, or what I was to you, but because I am a man. You did not deal with me as a person — as me. You lived a lie with me, used me and played games with me — and that’s a piggy thing to do.”

And she said, “You wanted me not as a woman, or a lover, or a friend, but as a submissive woman, or submissive friend, or submissive lover; and right now where my head is I balk at even the slightest suspicion of that kind of demand.”

And he said, “You’re full of _______.”

And they never again made love together (which they had each liked to do more than anything) or never ever saw each other one more time.

====================

Okay, so let's just get into the thick of it, shall we. 

First up, let's tackle the men. Here's what Bernie's got to say.

Men:

-- a man's typical fantasy is a woman on her knees, abused.

-- men are trying figure out what they want from women and they fear they're oppressors.

-- men are bitter.

-- men think women are liars. 

-- men think women hate all men even before they meet them.

-- men think women don't have the guts to stand up for themselves. 

-- men can't trust women when they tell them they love them.

And now, women:

-- women fantasize about being gang raped in order to get off during sex with their husbands. 

-- women can't separate their gentleness from dependency and subservience. Women struggle to maintain their own identity.

-- women lie.

-- women hate all men, sight unseen.

-- women aren't even brave enough to admit that they hate men.

-- women hate men that don't even deserve to be hated.

-- women use men.

-- women play games.

-- women fool men into relationships, knowing how much they hate them, and then allow men to live their life as a lie because of it.

-- women think men only want them to be submissive and are so sensitive to the topic of being submissive that they cannot handle even the slightest fear or inkling of it, destroying their relationships with men.

Slavish vs. Piggish:

And then there's Bernie's slavish vs. piggish comparison. But who is who in this relationship? You might think the women would be slavish, considering they're the ones who were thought of as their husband's property. But later in the essay, he has the man calling the woman "piggish". 

So, Bernie, are you saying the women are the pigs and the men are the slaves? Or are women the slaves as well as the pigs? Or are women the slaves and men are the pigs and you just suck at writing? 

My take:

Now, I'm going to be honest with you. As a women, I find this essay incredibly fucking offensive. First off, it reads like someone who just got dumped. Yeah, I said it. It reads like a missive from a jilted lover. Like, some chick dumped his ass and he got back at her by writing this editorial. He didn't just journal about it. He didn't go off in his diary -- getting his anger out so he could move on with his life. No, he fucking took his anger to the people and bitched publicly. He was Taylor Swift before there was a Taylor Swift. 

And let's be real, that's who we're dealing with right now. Some dick who just got dumped and won't fucking let it go. Some asshole who when he lost something that he didn't want to lose, instead of dealing with it like a fucking adult, takes to the airwaves to make sure everyone knows that he's not the loser. 

He got old, bitter white man on our asses. 

I mean, is it a coincidence that when he digs in his heels the most, a woman is at the other end of his anger? Is it a coincidence that he's calling for the head of the Democratic Party, the person who bent the rules so he could run in a primary he didn't belong in, to be replaced when that person happens to be a woman? Is it a coincidence that he often refers to Hillary Clinton as Mrs. Clinton instead of Senator Clinton or Secretary Clinton, calling upon her title as wife over her professional titles?

Would he pull this shit with a man?

In 2008, when the AP called the democratic primary for Barack Obama by the same measures they did this year, he gave his endorsement to Obama without hesitation. Is the reason why he's disregarding both the delegate count and the popular vote because Hillary Clinton has a vagina instead of a penis? 

I don't know but, honestly, after reading this essay I'm inclined to say "yes".

And I'm sure there are many of you who are livid at the fact that I'm suggesting Bernie Sanders has a problem with women. But, I'd like to remind you again that Senator Sanders was fucking 30 years old when he spit out this essay. He was already completely behind the civil rights movement when he said women fantasize about being gang raped. You think those women marching for their civil rights fantasized about being fucking gang raped? For real? Because I'm sure he was very aware that the vast majority of these women were afraid of that very thing every time a white man walked in the room. And yet, he still said it. He not only said it, he fucking published it. Do you think Dr. King would've been okay with Bernie Sanders basically saying that Coretta Scott King fantasized about being gang raped whenever she was in bed with him? Do you think he would've sat idly by if he were alive to read that? 

We had the largest mass shooting in our country's history this past weekend. Democratic senators took to the floor in a powerful 15 hour filibuster to make sure that important gun issues weren't ignored. And Bernie Sanders, our newest Democratic Senator who is trying to fulfill the most integral part of our party, was nowhere to be found. He ignored the efforts being put forth, efforts that are right in his wheelhouse of getting his hands dirty and fighting the good fight, and instead he spent his time penning a fucking speech reiterating the fact that he hasn't lost the presidential nomination.

To a woman.

Sanders has called this "a dumb attempt at dark satire in an alternative publication" and that it was "intended to attack gender stereotypes of the '70s, but it looks as stupid today as it was then." This, however, is an excuse. You want dark satire that dresses real issues? Read Vonnegut. Cause this isn't it. This reads as a man angry at women. He portrays women as the submissive villain and men as their oppressive victims. And in addition, I've never once read that Senator Sanders was "sorry" that he wrote it. Just excuses.

Obviously you may disagree with me and that's your right. But I have rights too. And my rights include voting for the President of the United States. And that vote starts with electing a nominee. I ask that Senator Sanders stop trying to violate my rights by ignoring my vote and the votes of everyone who chose our Democratic nominee in this election cycle. 

It's time to finally stop acting piggish, Senator Sanders, and act like an adult. If you couldn't do it when you were 30, I ask that you try again at 74.

Kirk, the Jerk

I remember when I was back in middle school, there were three very real constants in my life:

1. The Price is Right will cure any illness.

2. I will eventually marry Jordan Knight from New Kids on the Block.

3. Mike Seaver from Growing Pains was adorable and dreamy.

Sadly, none of those things are true anymore.

1. Even though I'm from Cleveland, Drew Carey annoys me and I don't like him hosting my Price is Right (I have done much better with Steve Harvey as host of Family Feud.)

2. Turns out the one thing I learned from VH1's The Surreal Life was that Jordan Knight was a dick hole. Also, I love my husband. 

3. Armchair preacher Kirk Cameron has ruined any and every wonderful memory I have of Mike Seaver. Growing Pains-wise, I would now rather date Sandy (poor, dead Matthew Perry's character is first tv death I bawled at), Luke (prepubescent Leo DiCaprio) and the magnificent Boner Stabone (a very real RIP Andrew Koenig).

A little while ago, my best friend texted me with a link saying, "I swear if you don't blog about this, I will" and here is what the link lead to this quote of Cameron's:

"Wives are to honor and respect and follow their husband's lead, not to tell their husband how he ought to be a better husband. When each person gets their part right, regardless of how their spouse is treating them, there is hope for real change in their marriage. A lot of people don't know that marriage comes with instructions. And, we find them right there in God's word [in the Bible]."

Oh, Kirk Cameron. You know, your sister is super religious too and I'm pretty sure she agrees with most everything you say. I'm pretty sure that's the kind of family that you came from. But you know what? I don't fucking hear her spouting off to anyone with a microphone or tiny recording device perfect for reporting. You know why? Her job is to act. Her job is to pretend to be someone else for our amusement, entertainment and poignancy. Now, you might not have liked Full House. That's fine. You might think this Netflix Fuller House reboot is fucking stupid and unappealing. That's fine, too. But guess what? She's doing her job and she's not hurting anyone in the process. You, ya big dumb mouth hole, decided it was your job to teach us Americans about God and Jesus and stuff. So, instead of just becoming the most fun Sunday school teacher in the neighborhood, you decided to become the world's Sunday school teacher. 

Well, know what? My parents handled that for me, thank you very much. I sure as shit don't need Mike fucking Seaver telling me what is and is not acceptable. And you know, for someone who seems to live his life What Would Jesus Do-ing you certainly took a departure from that when you got an entire storyline on Growing Pains changed, had an actress fired from her role and then had them conceive a whole new storyline for you because you didn't like the fact that she had posed for Playboy. I got news for you, Kirk, Jesus wouldn't get someone fired because he didn't agree with a job they did or what he perceived to be their morals. That's not very Jesusy at all. 

But, whatever, right? Shit doesn't apply to you, is that it? 

So now, let's break down this wonderful little snippet of advice, you feel is so important for us to learn, sentence-by-sentence...

--"Wives are to honor and respect and follow their husband's lead, not to tell their husband how he ought to be a better husband." 

Well now, that's just dumb. I'm not saying that wives or husbands should be pushing their spouse around or "instructing" them on what qualifies as being a proper spouse but open communication is absolutely necessary to a good marriage. In fact, I'd go one step further and say that it's your job as a good spouse to be open and honest with your husband or wife about your needs. Cause if there's something that is integral to your happiness and you're making your fucking spouse guess at it, that's just a struggle you're adding to his or her life that he or she doesn't need. 

--"When each person gets their part right, regardless of how their spouse is treating them, there is hope for real change in their marriage."

For real, fuck you, Kirk Cameron. If you think anyone should stay in an abusive marriage, you're a dick. That is some of the least Christian shit I've ever heard. I understand that marriage vows are sacred but if you seriously think that Jesus Christ would tell a man or a woman to stay in a marriage where they were being hurt or assaulted, you are fucking more stupid than Mike Seaver ever was. We, as a society, have worked so incredibly hard at making sure that abused spouses know they have places to go in order to get away from their harmful environments and you shove the Bible in our faces and try to use it to convince people not to seek help?

And let me ask you, sir, if there are kids in these families, you think it's okay to keep them in abusive environments? You think it's okay to teach them that this behavior is acceptable? You think it's okay to teach them that they shouldn't protect themselves if they were in this same situation? You think it's okay to teach them that a good spouse is someone who is either an abuser or someone who can really take a punch? And what if they're being abused as well? You think a good parent keeps their child in a situation where they're being hurt? You think Jesus would be okay with that? You think Jesus would just tell the abused spouse to stay put and let their kid become the target? 

Dude, there isn't even one thing about that sentiment that makes sense. Not only have you totally missed the point of anything Jesus ever said but I believe someone once said that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting change to occur is insanity. Therefore, getting your role "right" regardless of how you're being treated will never produce "change". 

--"A lot of people don't know that marriage comes with instructions. And, we find them right there in God's word [in the Bible]."

Here's the thing, it seems like you're living in the Old Testament and Jesus, my friend, is in the New. We were taught as Christians, in no uncertain terms, that Jesus brought us the New Testament and that we're to let go of the Old. That's not ours. It's part of our shared religious history, yes, but it's not our book. Our book is the one with Jesus and the Apostles and the amazing sacrifice that was made to take away our sins. Our book is about love. Everything Jesus did was about love. He sacrificed himself for his love for us. But you're just wasting it. You're fucking wasting his love. Instead, you're dwelling on Abraham sacrificing his son Isaac willingly and without question. You're focusing on the great flood and two-by-two in an Arc. You're fucking concentrating on God wiping us out and only having the "chosen" survive. That's not your book, man. You're book is about love and befriending the outcasts of society. A good Sunday school teacher would know that. 

Kirk, listen, on the real tip, you need to put away all your scripts about the fucking rapture and remember what your religion really says. Otherwise, your just some asshole who thinks he knows better. And that's pretty damn blasphemes.

Author's Note: A very smart and awesome good friend of mine let me know that the biblical passage referring to "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands...Husbands, love your wives" is from the New Testament, which I totally messed up on. The full passage read a little differently than Cameron seems to be promoting, however: "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord...Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." Here, we see sacrifice from both parties whereas Cameron seems to only focus on and promote the woman's part of this equation.

I'm With Her

I've seen a lot of posts lately: on Facebook, on my Twitter feed, just about everywhere. I've seen a lot of people very upset about the results of the Democratic Primary and I truly feel for anyone invested in a candidate with real merit that doesn't win their election. That happened to my candidate 8 years ago, so I get it. But luckily, 8 years ago, the senator that beat my candidate was a noble man who operated his campaign with respect and had the best interests of our country in his heart. So, after my candidate's defeat, I took a deep breath, put a smile on my face and celebrated this monumental achievement of his. I realized that no matter how much I liked and trusted my candidate that it clearly wasn't the right time and I was overjoyed that the person who won broke through the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that our country had placed before him for so many years. 

Now, eight years later, I am proud of so many things. I'm proud of my president. I'm not saying that he's perfect but I do believe he's a great man who really tried his fucking hardest for our country. I'm proud of the things he has managed to achieve despite so many in our government doing everything in their power to make sure he couldn't leave his mark on anything. I'm proud of the first family and all they've done for progress in our country. I'm proud that even though I'm sure they've had to make ridiculous adjustments that it never felt like they changed themselves, instead changing our country and helping us move into the current century, politically. 

The things is, I'm also proud of my own behavior. I'm proud that when my candidate didn't win, that I didn't lose my shit. I'm proud that my passion for the person I was supporting didn't cloud my judgement and didn't cause me to tear apart my future president publicly and without censure. I'm proud that my disappointment didn't turn ugly and that at no time during the primary did I feel the need to castrate my candidate's competition just because. 

I'm proud that I didn't make a separate set of standards for him just because he was African American. I'm proud that anytime I heard someone mention a birth certificate, I spoke out against that blatant and inexcusable racism. I'm glad that I never took any of his qualities or behaviors and deemed them unacceptable or held him to a higher standard, because he looked different than most everyone who had come into this arena before him.

And what have I received for my good behavior? I received a president that I'm proud of. No, he's not perfect but none of them have been. That's the trouble with us human beings, we're not perfect. I received more progress than had come with any other presidency in my personal history. And eight years later, my candidate is back and she won. 

I'm sorry if you don't like it. I'm sorry that you're in the position I was in eight years ago. And I'm sorry that so many of you aren't behaving like adults about it. I'm sorry that somehow you've been fooled into believing that your candidate isn't an actual politician. One day, you're gonna feel foolish. Not for supporting him. He seems like he has the best of intentions for our country, truly. I'm a very liberal liberal and it seems like he has some really wonderful ideas that I support. I just feel like there isn't a clear path to putting those ideals in place, at least not right now and not from any plans of his I've heard. But, the things is, he is a politician. He's not some kindly old grandpa just fighting the good fight. He wasn't a democrat when he went after the nomination from that party and he had pretty much no interest in supporting the party he was trying to get that nom from. Even now, he's not showing much support there. For those people that are democrats and have been for a long time, that feels offensive and insulting. I'm open to changing the party and making it more progressive, I just wish I didn't feel like he and a lot of his supporters were slapping me in the face as they tried to do it. 

I'm a good person who has been supportive and kept the negativity out of my opinions 8 years ago and again now and I deserve the same respect back. 

My candidate is not the fucking devil. But, she is a politician. Thing is, she's never tried to convince me otherwise. As far as I'm concerned, the only American president we've had that has been more human than politician is Jimmy Carter and that man couldn't get a second term, had a lot of notable turmoil during his presidency and has done a fucking shit ton more good outside The White House and Oval Office than inside. 

All the candidates in our primary have been politicians, save for one. Bernie Sanders has been pulling moves from the Politics 101 syllabus this entire primary and continues to do so. Hopefully, one day his supporters will see that. But even if they never do, hopefully those that haven't yet will start behaving like adults instead of spoiled children who haven't gotten their cookie. Hopefully, they'll stop telling me that the only reason I support Hillary Clinton is because we both have a fucking vagina. 

Am I glad that someone with a vagina has finally gotten this far. You're fucking damn right I am. But fuck you for implying that's what I'm thinking with. That's insulting and I don't fucking deserve that. You may think all of your friends are #feelingthebern but I prefer someone cooler, calmer and with the political savvy to get shit done in the government that we, the people, have. 

I'm sorry that she's not hip enough for you. I'm sorry that because of her vagina, you expect her to not have the faults of men. But most of all, I'm sorry you can't see the forrest for the trees. 

And hey, if you really want a candidate that's not a politician, I hear the GOP elected one. I'm sure they'd appreciate your support of the racist, misogynistic bigot that they're trying to sell. But from what I hear, some of you are considering doing that already or not voting at all, which is tantamount to the same thing. And if those ideals of yours that are apparently so much higher than the rest of us dumb, sleazy fuckers that weren't smart enough to follow your Pied Piper allow you to do that, you've got fucking bigger problems than this election. 

To wrap things up, I'd just like to say thank you. Thank you, Hillary Clinton. You've been in my life since I was in high school. You taught me as a young woman that it's not just okay to be strong and speak my mind, but that it's my duty. You were the first person who brought universal healthcare to my forefront and you taught me how to behave with dignity when things weren't always going my way. You took the seed that Geraldine Ferraro planted in my little kid head and taught me that my world really was whatever I could make of it. It's 2016, baby, and I couldn't be prouder. Our time is now and I'm so proud that things turned out the way they did, eight years ago and today. I'm proud of the progress my country has made and I believe it's better for it. And you better fucking believe that I proudly stand With Her.

#imwithher