I've Always Despised the Color Red
this week it's especially jarring
You’ll never see me wear red lipstick, red nail polish, a red minidress—and certainly never a M*GA hat. It’s all too fitting that this is the color I’ll forever associate with thou who shall not be named. What is it about red that irks me so? Is it that I look terrible in it? Or that I just find it an unpleasant color to look at? I love pink, I love burgundy—but traditional ol’ red? No way. I dislike red so much that I made it the color of my niche brand dgi (which stands for doesn’t get it—that color def does not get it).
Does my disdain for the bold color elicit an entire Substack post? Normally, no. But this week? Yes, it does. As someone who isn’t outwardly political, I want to express my support for Kamala Harris in a way that’s most authentic to me. Staying silent (even though I have indeed sent in my ballot) would be a disservice to every woman I care about. It would be a disservice to every same-sex couple I care about. It would be a disservice to humanity altogether.
I remember my senior year of college, and the fired-up the Young Democrats on campus campaigning for John Kerry. It seemed like the only thing my liberal Eugene, Oregon peers could talk about. It was the most politically driven moment I’d experienced up to that point. When election day came, John Kerry lost. The fiery college students were disappointed, and everyone hated on George W. Bush—but the world kept spinning. By the end of the week, no one was even talking about it anymore.
If the red party wins this year’s election, does the world keep spinning? Maybe for me, a white-appearing resident of Los Angeles. But maybe not for everyone. Upon 2016’s term, there was not a single day that I got to start without a slew of push notifications updating me on the president’s latest antics. Throw a few handfuls of gun violence news in the mix, and that was literally how I began each morning.
How did we get here, I wonder? Seriously, how? People complained about GWB, but his situation as a whole didn’t even come close to what this is. I rarely pay attention to Jimmy Kimmel, but he put together a lovely montage of this year’s republican candidate saying a lot without saying anything at all. That always seems to be the case, even though I seriously tune him out. Everything he says is white noise to me. I can’t take anyone seriously who takes this buffoon seriously.
The joke isn’t on him though, it’s on his supporters. He’s laughing at you, not with you. Those man-on-the-street interviews are beyond hilarious. These supporters have no idea what they’re talking about. And they’re usually hicks from Texas (no offense, Texas) who Trump would literally spit on if given the chance.
This election isn’t about politics. Even though I’ve always voted democrat, my world existed perfectly fine when GWB was in office. And at the end of the day, I’m sure the majority of you would agree. But, seriously, ask yourself: Would your world exist perfectly fine if the republicans won this one? I’ll tell you one thing—your life and its limitations wouldn’t be altered if they didn’t win. Your world will absolutely keep spinning.
I’ve never been one to let political views interfere with my respect for another person. But this election is so much more than that. These aren’t mere “political views”—these are god-given human rights. I’ve always wondered what happens to a republican if a gay couple gets married, or if someone has an abortion. Surprise, nothing. There’s zero reason to care. You know what they should care about? All the unlicensed people who own guns (or heck, even many of the licensed ones). Who gives a f*ck if a raped woman aborts an embryo? Or if a woman literally dying because of her pregnancy needs to have it aborted? The amount of energy people have to waste on senseless sh*t is mind-blowing.
While I may not have the most profound political opinions, I believe in doing what’s humane. A vote for Kamala Harris is the right decision.
In case you missed last week’s newsletter, I shed light on why pitching sexual wellness is challenging, and how it often comes off offensive.