Dear Bottles & Banter Readers,
Where to begin? For us, this is one of the most difficult situations we’ve ever come across in our adult lives. The 2016 Presidential Election has been perhaps the most divisive campaign seasons since the pre-Civil War era. And we don’t feel at all as though we are exaggerating in the least. If you have social media, you’re Twitter Feed and Facebook Timeline are a veritable battlefield of extremes in opposing viewpoints with a few people trying their hardest to mediate. Support him or loath him, barring an incredible shift in decorum for the Electoral College, Donald J. Trump will be the 45th President of the United States of America. Let that sink in. We’ll wait.
Trump, who encouraged racist, xenophobic, sexist, and violent behavior, was a change agent in an election about change. He also reached out to middle-America who has been struggling and ignored. We know for a fact that a vast majority of his voters don’t buy in to all he has to say (though it certainly has emboldened a vocal minority) and they were simply voting to change things in Washington. They weren’t voting out of hate. We get it. But people are also rightfully afraid for their safety because of the increasingly accepted hate speech during the campaign. We get that, too. This is ultimately where we are. And now, we as parents, will have the task of answering questions in the future about this. Thankfully as parents of a 4-month-old, we have a long time to let the dust settle. But when we explain to Olivia what happened and how it happened, we plan on taking a whole world approach and explaining that no, not all of America is hateful. In fact, a vast majority are not. What happened was a combination of years of frustration with the status quo. We’ll also warn her of how to fight this feeling in the future by getting involved, volunteering, and voting.
Who We Are
Bottles & Banter is a parenting blog, first and foremost. That in and of itself presents a large number of differing viewpoints that people are very passionate about. It’s a microcosm of the world. And while we may not agree with all parenting techniques, we embrace your right to practice them. We know some of you might not agree with even the way we’ve conceived of Olivia – through IVF and the ultimate result in discarding embryos – but we know that if you’re reading, you respect our choice. So with that, we say this:
We are, and will continue to be, an accepting community of all walks of life. Traditional to non-traditional, religious or not, liberal or conservative, white or black or Hispanic or Asian or whatever, straight or gay, so on and so forth. Our plea is that people respect one another.
We Are Wearing A Safety Pin
We are your ally – wearing a digital safety pin. We stand in solidarity with those who feel marginalized after Tuesday’s results. The #SafetyPin movement came into play after the Brexit vote left many UK immigrants feeling scared and helpless as their country voted to leave the European Union rather than accept more immigrants from war torn areas. It’s a small gesture – wearing a safety pin on your clothes – that says “You have no need to fear me.”
We are going to go into this new phase in American history with an open, respectful mind. Because that’s what the Office of the President of the United States deserves. And it’s what all Americans deserve. We will respect the process. But you better believe we are going to fight like hell for the rights we cherish. The right to create and have a happy family. And we’re all one family where everyone deserves to he happy and loved. Everyone.
Love,
Nick, Brittany, and Olivia
