I found out last night that a friend of mine in America killed herself shortly after the election results were announced.
She had a health condition that was painful and disabling, and which required daily medication to manage. And, from what I can gather, she died because she knew she would not be able to afford that medication if Obamacare was repealed.
She was a wonderful writer, a collector of folktale retellings, and an adopter of rescue cats. I’ve known her for fifteen years online. I never met her in person, and now I never will. But that did not make her less of a friend.
She is not the first casualty of this election, and she won’t be the last.
Lest we forget.
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Please, everyone, look after yourselves and each other. And if you are not coping, please call someone.
(The link above has a list of suicide helplines for countries all over the world (the USA ones are in the right sidebar).
Hello Catherine, I am so sorry for your loss.
Many people are feeling bad because of the US Presidential election results. I believe your blog yesterday gave a wonderful list of ways we can all try to be better. Thank you so much. (I have posted a link to you blog “Fear” on my Facebook page.)
I truly hope no one else becomes a casualty as your friend has.
We have elections because we are democratic societies. As such we must live with the results.
There are alternate societies, I have never lived in a non-democratic society, but I believe deomocracy is better for me.
Sandy
Thank you, Sandy.
I’m feeling rather upset and pessimistic right now, which is probably fairly normal in the circumstances! And yes, the important thing is to keep trying to help people on a micro level, even if we can’t currently affect the macro level. I agree with your comments about democracy, though I’m unconvinced that America has a particularly functional one (I am always shocked at the low turnout, and at the way legislators try to pass laws to suppress this even further. How does this even make sense?).
The trick is to keep on going, I think.
Catherine
So sorry to hear this. 🙁
This is why I just cannot deal with Americans who confuse “universally accessible healthcare is a human right” with “ZOMG big gubment is trying to take over my life!” The two are so far apart that it’s insulting to those who struggle to live with disabilities and chronic medical issues in America to conflate the concepts.
Thank you. And no, I don’t understand that attitude either.
I’m so sorry about your friend. I’m sure you’re right that she won’t be the last casualty of this election. There will be others like her who choose to end their lives because they can’t figure out how to go on under the circumstances, and more who die due to not being able to afford medical care or other necessities of life if the Trump administration does what he’s promised. I believe there will also be people murdered due to a perception that hatred of whatever variety is now acceptable again. Plus a refusal to believe in, let alone take action against, climate change is almost certainly going to lead to more deaths for years to come.
I would so much like to be wrong about this, but one hears so many tragic things. And the climate change bit is terrifying, frankly.
Stay safe.