A defining moment

This 2016 American presidential election is unique. Unlike every other democratic vote (local, state, or national) in every part of the world I have encountered, it is not about issues and policies, regardless of whether those issues and policies themselves were narrow-minded, discriminatory, or downright stupid. (Even the Brexit vote, whether you agreed with the outcome or not, was about issues people on both sides cared deeply about.)

No. This election is – it has become – the purest real-life version of the right vs. wrong battle that we see in Hollywood movies or read about in action hero comics. It no longer matters whether you think Hillary is a hero or an anti-hero – it only matters that the Republican candidate is clearly a villain. And the villain cannot… cannot… be allowed to win.

The Republican candidate is a petulant bully. And like all bullies who are insecure and weak, he only has a sense of self-worth when he puts other people down. And we need to do what we tell our kids to do every day. We need to stand up to this bully. Not by stooping to his level, but by showing him that his opinion does not matter. That we don’t derive our self-worth from him or what he thinks, or says, or does.

His behavior is simply not acceptable for a candidate trying to be president of the country I think of as “home” more and more with each passing year. Not acceptable to a person brought up by a mother who is the strongest, most determined, most passionate, most fiercely independent person I know. Not acceptable to someone who has been, and chooses to be, surrounded by strong women in every aspect of his life. Not acceptable to anyone who has a mother, sister, or daughter. Not. Acceptable.

So, even though I can't vote, I hope everyone who is eligible to do so does. Because this is it. The defining moment. The moment that will determine not only what happens over the next four years, but will very likely shape what this country looks like for several decades to come.