I was already planning to write about this when we got an automatic message from my oldest son's middle school. A student made a threat with a picture of a weapon on social media. Tomorrow is the first day back from fall break, and the principal wanted to assure everyone that the post had been seen by people that notified the police, and that the student would not be in school tomorrow. Which is good. But.
The fact remains that after the week this country has had, this happens. You wonder what to say to your kids. You wonder if your 13-year-old son is going to feel safe in class tomorrow, whether something happens or not. And even it doesn't, it could to someone in Kroger or the synagogue or going to the mailbox. And the only thing I've got for my son at the moment dovetails into what I was going to say to other people, young and old alike. Remember what this feels like, and vote. Take this moment, let that motivation sink in, and vote. Now, especially for the young people . . . This is what the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been training you for. Go ahead and laugh. But reflect for a moment. If you won't listen to politicians or pundits or people on the street or people on the news, remember what they've been trying to tell you for the last 10 years.
Selling weapons doesn’t build a better world. You don't have to be controlled by anger. Learn from the mistakes your forerunners made. Be worthy of the rights this country is supposed to give you. Stand up to bullies. I don't care where they're from. We are all stronger together. Trauma can be overcome, and you can learn from it. Science CAN fix things. And make incredibly strong coat hooks. Even when fascism seeps into the government, it's still possible to expose it and defeat it. It doesn't matter how much of a misfit you are; you and all the other misfits make a difference. You'll make mistakes that harm other people even when you don't mean it. And even if you lose, do it together. What you were doesn't matter. Friends are going to choose different sides and friends are going to fight, but don't let that distract you from the bigger threats. Reading and learning are two super-powers available to everyone. If you're damaged and angry, there are people that will accept you and try to help you move past it. Even if no one says it, great power still comes with great responsibility. America is an ideal, not just a flag. Sometimes the old ways have to change. When someone vaguely resembling a gourd comes to your planet and encourages the kind of thinking that results in the decimation of your population, get every single one of your friends together, no matter what they look like or where they're from or who they love, and say, unequivocally, "Hell No." And yes, that is truth serum. Vote, kids. Vote.
