Reclaiming the Serpent

This is a gif I made today. I don't think it is necessarily in response to the election, but it probably has something to do with it. In general I have a fascination with women and snakes because, as I mention in this post (x), some goddesses were once associated with snakes. But after the spread of Christianity, the snake was forevermore associated with Eve and sin. I've done a few photo projects about reclaiming these ideas, and I will probably do many more. Anyways, a phrase that has been stuck in my head is "holy rage". The power that lies in our anger. The world has never been fair to women, and it certainly looks like it's not heading in a great direction after the election of a man who brags about sexual assault. But I think the best thing we can do is be angry. To fight back. Trump's election made me truly heartbroken and frightened. I was devastated that my country still hated women enough to elect an extremely under-qualified man over an extraordinarily over-qualified woman. It made me feel powerless in my womanhood. 

I have realized however, that while those feelings are certainly valid,  I needed to look beyond that. Yes, I feel crushed and sad. But there are immigrants, LGBTQ+ citizens, Muslim men and women, and people of color who feel truly threatened. I recognize that as a white cisgender woman in a straight relationship, I can't imagine the pain that so many other people in this country are feeling. I recognize that while Hillary Clinton was beaten down by misogyny, Donald Trump had risen to power on a platform of racism. The majority of white female voters in this country voted for him, showing me that this was a election about race more than anything. As Van Jones said on CNN, this was a "white-lash" against the incredible black president we have had the honor of having in office, as well as the continually louder voices that speak out against the hate crimes committed in this country. White people are afraid that as this country becomes more diverse and more vocal, they will lose their own privilege. And as ashamed as I am to be a part of the white demographic right now, I need to understand my privilege. I need to fight back with the privilege I have, even if I don't feel directly in danger. It's imperative that we fight back with whatever power we have. As horrendous as this has been, I am so inspired by the way people around the country have been using their voices.