Dear Ladies Who Still Feel The Power Of The Bern,
Sarah Silverman stood up this week and told to lump it. She told us it was time to support Hillary, and to the Bernie-or-Bust people, she said, “You’re being ridiculous.”
It hurts something awful. I get it. Bernie speaks truth to power. He stands up to defend your right to a living wage and universal health care. He’s warm and loving, tells it like it is, and will go to bat for you until the day he dies. How on earth could you ever turn your back on Bernie after all he has done to shed light on the inequality faced by millions of us left out in the cold? As smart and sassy as Sarah Silverman is, who is she to tell you it’s time to switch your vote?
“Maybe she took too much cash from Wall Street. Maybe she messed up her emails. But she has never dehumanized you or anyone else. She respects diversity, and she certainly respects women’s voices.”
I’ll tell you who she is. She is a woman who has made a career based on her own brilliance. She is a champion and a source of light in a frequently dark and challenging culture. Sarah Silverman is a shining example of the world the way it should be… where women can be outspoken and irreverent, even crass if they want to be, and be heard, loud and clear. She is a woman untamed, and she is one of many.
When I see Elizabeth Warren on stage, fist raised; Michelle Obama, defending the right of her daughters and all of our daughters to live in a world free from disrespect and wage discrimination; and Shannon Watts of Moms Demand Action, Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood, and the mothers of African American men unjustly shot by police — all holding steady and undeterred — I see wildly different women inhabiting their authentic identities, grounded in their bodies and undaunted by hate speech spewing over from the other side of the aisle.
“How on earth could you ever turn your back on Bernie after all he has done to shed light on the inequality faced by millions of us left out in the cold?”
These women are leaving behind any expectation that they should seek approval via tired, meek, pinned-and-tucked, externally-validated, sex appeal. They have something to say, and they know without reservation that people are finally listening.
A new kind of sexual revolution is unfolding. American women’s health, wellbeing, and perceived value are undergoing a not-so-quiet uprising, built on engagement, intellect, and creativity—not body type.
“Bernie and the revolution will never die, as long as each and every American — regardless of race, faith or gender — is fully acknowledged by our society and our president as being wholly human, valued, and worthy of respect.”
Bernie sees it too. Bernie knows. He is an advocate, but — on this front — he cannot be a groundbreaker. He must leave that task to Lena Dunham, sporting yellow polka dot grandma shorts and a crop top on national TV while ransacking creative and political norms; to Gretchen Carlson as she takes down Roger Ailes; and to Beyonce, commanding a microphone — voice, body, and message ferociously unapologetic.
Sarah Silverman and Bernie Sanders don’t want us to vote for Hillary because she’s a woman. They want us to vote for Hillary because, at the very least, she will protect the sacred space that allows us to scream and chant and make our voices heard ― a space that has been nurtured by decades of work by forward thinking women and progressives like Bernie Sanders alike.
Donald Trump, on the other hand, would have you shut your pretty little mouth, work your day job for $7.25 per hour, and bleed in secret where the sun don’t shine. He would prefer you spend your energy shrinking and manipulating your body and mind to suit the needs of the white, male, billionaires who know what’s best for you.
“Sarah Silverman and Bernie Sanders don’t want us to vote for Hillary because she’s a woman. They want us to vote for Hillary because, at the very least, she will protect the sacred space that allows us to scream and chant and make our voices heard...”
I know it’s a hard pill to swallow. I know it’s not what you wanted. But Bernie and the revolution will never die, as long as each and every American — regardless of race, faith or gender — is fully acknowledged by our society and our president as being wholly human, valued, and worthy of respect.
We can count on Hillary for that. Maybe she took too much cash from Wall Street. Maybe she messed up her emails. But she has never dehumanized you or anyone else. She respects diversity, and she certainly respects women’s voices.
Donald Trump has no time for you. He wants your support or your silence so he can continue to line his own pockets. Do not give him the gift of your silence this November. Do not give up your body and mind. Do not give up your right to rage and carry on the revolution.
Sincerely,
Just another gold-digging, disgusting animal who gives a damn
