Why I am Choosing Joy Right Now
The morning after any election, I try to read about how and why candidates succeeded and others failed. But this year, I avoided almost all of the election feedback. Mostly because almost all of the pre-election discourse focused on comparing the two major party platforms differently.
I likened it less to comparing apples to oranges, but instead apples to Volvos. So what would the post-election discourse show me that became very obvious during the pre-election events? Instead of engaging in this discourse, I asked myself what I hoped would be discussed but would not be discussed. And I knew I was not going to see much written about Whiteness and white supremacy.
Why?
It is because Whiteness and white supremacy have become taboo words when talking about this election.
And I was unsure how to proceed when I know what white supremacy does to a community:
- It distracts you from how whiteness is so pervasive, we don’t think about how it causes or impacts the outcome of nearly everything we do, feel or believe.
- It wears you out emotionally and physically
- It gaslights you and makes you distrust what you know is real.
- It considers a more perfect past when marginalized groups had less political power and influence.
- It encourages us to believe that we must compete with others for a scarcity of resources.
And so here we are, a week after the election, wondering where we should put our energy.
And I am choosing to put my energy into joy.
Why Joy Makes Sense Right Now
Understandably I felt despair in the immediate days following the election. I mourned the loss of a future that would be more inclusive. The future wasn’t perfect but it would have protected more folks than it would have potentially harmed.
I recall how I felt during the previous administration and was not looking forward to feeling all of those emotions again. Especially because my mom died due to a failed COVID response led by this former administration. And I am especially fearful about what Project 2025 says about dismantling marriages like mine. Above all, I am worried for the women and other marginalized people who will be impacted in ways that impact their daily lives in ways I can’t understand yet.
So why choose joy?
John Stoehr, with the Editorial Board, recognizes all the impacts of white supremacy that I listed above. And still he insists, “That’s why you must feel joy. Not in spite of the tyranny we are about to witness, but because of it.
“Without joy, there is no hope. Without hope, there is no trust. And without trust, a democratic society collapses under its own weight. They want you to believe really nothing matters except power and greed and selfishness. But as long as you protect your joy, something will matter, even if it’s the smallest thing.
“And every act of joy is an act of defiance.”
Joy as defiance in the face of tyranny? I think I can get behind that!
So What Can Bring Joy at Times Like This?
So I loved what I read on the Editorial Board site but I struggled to find something that would bring me joy in that moment.
And then I read about the immediate consequences that voters of the next president were expressing on social media:
Anyone who knows me knows that I love a good petty response. The hashtag #fafo or “eff around and find out” on Twitter has been used to chronicle the experiences of voters who have expressed regret about the consequences of their vote. And I am here for it!
From being dis-invited from family gatherings to family members blocking them and denying them access to their families because of their political choices has been delicious to watch. Is this joy childish and petty?
Damn right. And I say tell me more and more!
The reason I am reveling in this joy is two-fold: if there is an assumption of low-information and disinformation that informed these voters to support the returning president, then these consequences could be useful to change their behavior in the future.
But if there is an assumption that these folks wanted to create an environment that terrorized folks and removed their rights for any reason, then let them live in their new normal, where folks will not trust them and not include them.
This is the easiest joy I can find right now. But the next way to find joy may be harder to find. So do what you can to bring joy to others. Protect yourself and those you love. And above all else, center hope in your life, because it is the one thing — the only thing — that will allow us to create the next normal that we all deserve.
Joseph Rios, Ed.D., publishes on Medium once a month; follow him here to get each post in your email — and if you’re not a Medium member, you can join here.
Joseph works in higher education administration. He has a background in diversity, equity, and inclusion education, professional development, training, and leadership development. He’s the author of Tales of a Displaced Worker, The SAGA Facilitation Model, and Right Here, Right Now: Prioritizing Your Personal Development in Times of Crisis.
