Since I saw the results this morning, I knew I needed to say something. To let my voice be heard and to process everything that's happening.

Presidential elections are stressful and messy. And that's putting it lightly. As a nation, we are so polarized. To that extent, I feel like social media has exacerbated and accelerated that polarization. Algorithms are designed to feed us more of the same content we already consume. We find ourselves in echo chambers to hear the same messages over and over again. Sometimes it makes it hard to stomach the opposing side.

But what does that mean in the context of the results in this election? I believe that this comes in two parts, the first being that it's nearly impossible to change someone's mind on a point they believe strongly in. Some people simply won't budge. The second is to recognize our own blindspots in understanding an opposing perspective or argument.

While I voted for and hoped for Kamala's victory in the election, I also find myself unsurprised at the outcome we got. I think I understand why I feel this way.

Something I noticed pretty quickly when it came to differences between X and Bluesky was that people were encouraging others to block/ignore/not engage with hateful people on Bluesky, where X typically resulted in Quote-reposting and commentating directly on a hateful person. It feeds back into the algorithms of social media. The more people and users engage with a topic, the more popular it becomes (I use popular in the sense that a lot of people are discussing it rather than lots of people liking something).

The more people engage with a topic or person, either by agreeing with the message or pointing out faults/fatal flaws in that topic or person, the more power it gains. The bigger of a spotlight it gets and the cycle continues to perpetuate itself. Meanwhile, turning off the spotlight or shifting it to something or someone else weakens it. If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

The same idea applies to the election. By default the two major parties of this nation put a rather large spotlight on their candidates, causing people to engage with and feed those spotlights further. While there are other parties, none of them have been able to produce a bright enough spotlight to grab people's attention away from the main two.

Throughout the campaign candidates seek to keep engagement up by going to rallies, giving speeches, debating their opponents, etc. From my perspective, it seems that campaigning is pretty similar to the idea of marketing.

Which takes us back to the algorithms of social media and the news coverage of traditional media. Clickbait, targeted/leading titles, scandalous/dramatic stories are all methods to get more engagement and thus grow the spotlight.

I don't know about you all, but whenever I do watch the local news stations, most if not all of the news stories tend toward dramatic and/or negative stories over feel good and positive stories? This is largely because drama sells. People have historically been more likely to engage with that content over the good. And that's kind of sad to me.

So we once again return our attention to the election and this year's campaigning. I can't say that I've seen as much news about Kamala during the campaign as Trump and that's because Trump has continued to remain in the news constantly and in VERY public ways.

The judicial trials he found himself in, put a spotlight on him. The two separate attempts on his life put a spotlight on him. His outbursts at rallies put a spotlight on him.

People kept on talking about him over and over again.

This is why I wasn't exactly surprised at the results we've seen. I'm disheartened by the results. I'm disheartened that when Trump was exposed and convicted in court, people not only continued to support him, but doubled down.

I've spent so much of today trying to sort through this feeling and understand why I wasn't surprised.

But getting to this point leaves me with another question.

What do we do now?

We find strength in our community, both in the furry fandom, but also in our local/state communities. Having community with others means we have the power to support each other, to lean on each other when times are hard, and to enact change on a smaller scale.

When the federal government threatens to take away people's rights, it then falls to the states we live in to decide whether or not someone's rights are worth protecting. In that, is a silver lining to take hope in.

Our local communities/states have the power to become a line of defense for people, to protect us, our friends, our families, our neighbors, and even strangers on the streets. Our voices are louder when there are fewer voices in the crowd. That voice gets amplified when more people speak as one, together.

In the face of an uncertain and terrifying future, it'll be easier to face with friends and allies by our sides.

Aside from engaging in local politics there are other ways to "vote" in the American society. Voting with the dollar (or what few we can spare) is likely the next best way to help others and strengthen our communities. We can choose to boycott companies that fund/lobby policies that threaten the people. We can choose to donate money to charities that actively work to care for and support people in need.

I can only hope that what I've said makes sense. Despite the results of the election, we, as the people, still have the power to make a change in this nation. We have to hold onto hope and resist despair. For if we give into despair, then hope for a brighter future is truly lost.


P.S. I have absolutely no idea how this journal will be received or if anyone will even read it, but I knew that I had to say SOMETHING. I couldn't just sit by and watch everything unfold around me without speaking my mind.

Please. Stay safe. Stay warm. And Sleep well.