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The Reckoning: An Election Day Retrospective

Rachel Scott Everett | January 17, 2021

Topics: Donald Trump, Election 2020, Joe Biden, normalization

[Editor’s note: This essay by contributing writer Rachel Scott Everett was originally published on her Medium site back on Election Day in November; it was written with no idea what was to come in the days that followed. However, in light of the earthshaking events we’ve seen since then, the points made within remain very important to remember and keep in mind as we move into Trump’s second impeachment trial and the impending inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Therefore, RVA Mag is pleased to republish Rachel’s essay today. Please read it if you haven’t already. And if you have… go ahead and read it again. It’s important.]

Four years ago, I watched in horror and through tears, as an inexperienced, misogynistic reality TV show host assumed the highest, most esteemed position in our country. Among so many thoughts racing through my mind, my greatest fear was that Trump would be normalized.

Since that fateful election night, that fear has come true to a frightening degree. The normalization has caused me to contemplate a number of things.

I wonder if what our nation stands for has ever been real. If decency, virtue, and ethics have a place in modern society. If principles are lofty goals that we preach, but not practice. If bullying is an indication of strength, and kindness a weakness. If truth is no longer based in fact, but in whatever we personally determine.

In short, the normalization of Trump has left me profoundly disillusioned. Not only with our country’s leadership, but who we are as Americans, and as human beings.

“Normal” is defined as what’s usual or typical. The phrase “social norms” refers to the unwritten rules about expected ways for people to behave. They represent an elemental knowledge of what’s acceptable — and appropriate — conduct. They are the basic tenets of humanity.

Normal is often boring, but necessary. It sets the foundation for a civilized, functional society. As such, it’s imperative that our leaders, who inherently act as role models, set an example that champions and adheres to standards of normalcy.

But since Trump began occupying the White House, our world has been anything but normal. Amy Siskind of The Weekly List has been chronicling the ways he and his administration have broken norms, and in turn, transformed the moral fabric of our nation like no other figure in U.S. history. There are more than 34,000 entries.

It’s not normal.

Enlightened discourse and decorum are paramount in the political world, but those norms ended the moment Trump begrudgingly took office. I say “begrudgingly” because like many, I believe Trump had no interest in actually winning the presidency. His candidacy has been likened to a publicity stunt gone awry — apparently even Trump was horrified when he won.

Months before the election, rumors swirled that he was planning to launch his own news channel after complaining he’d been treated unfairly by the media and that the election was “rigged” in favor of Democrat contender Hillary Clinton.

Poised and ready to begin his media empire, the results came in. While Clinton won the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes, our Electoral College, which some believe ultimately will destroy America, decided Trump’s fate — and ours. Instead of pursuing Trump TV, he got stuck being our president, and vice versa.

It’s not lost on me the sad irony that a man who can’t get through a passage in the U.S. Constitution is in the position of upholding it. He is the only U.S. president with no political or military experience and the only world leader to deny climate change. Someone who thinks nothing of the gravitas of the presidential title or the solemn duty of serving the American people.

If the handling of the coronavirus pandemic has determined anything, it’s that Trump cares only about himself.

Just 100 days into his term, the Center for American Progress outlined a list of case studies demonstrating Trump’s self-serving, special interest government. With a flagrant disregard to the political system and the U.S. intelligence community, contrary to his campaign policy, Trump has consistently put himself first and America last.

It’s not normal.

Over the last four years, we’ve been subjected to a constant barrage of nonsensical tweets, conspiracy theories, and brazen lies.

Our once-routine existence has been upended by headlines ranging from Trump paying hush money to porn stars to defending white supremacy to mounting financial crimes. We never did see his tax returns. Or get a clear answer on the solicitation of foreign election interference. And lest we forget, Trump was not exonerated by the Robert Mueller report regarding the high crime of obstruction of justice.

Trump dismisses any and all allegations against him as “fake news,” “a hoax,” and the continued “liberal witch hunt.”

He’s made proclamations that freedom of the press is “disgusting,” even though it’s among our First Amendment rights, and labeled U.S. soldiers killed in battle “losers” and “suckers.” From derogatory racial slurs and mocking the handicapped, to insulting women and disparaging political candidates of both parties, no one has been spared.

Trump’s rhetoric and erratic behavior has turned normal life into a dysfunctional reality TV show of its own kind, with the American people as the cast of characters and the world our shell-shocked audience.

Whether willing or unwilling, we’re obligated to be part of Trump’s maddening circus due to the legitimacy of the title he holds. A title that previously commanded great respect and admiration, but has since turned our country into a subject of ridicule and now pity.

Beyond the cruelty, corruption and ineptitude, Trump’s unworthiness has caused me to impulsively cry more times than I care to remember.

It’s not normal.

I love my country. I grew up believing in the American dream. While I realize now much of it was a myth, I still subscribe to ideals of liberty, justice and equality. I’ve traveled all over the globe, more than 50 countries across six continents, and nowhere have I witnessed the wondrous beauty of complex cultural diversity more than in the United States.

That’s why it’s particularly crushing to see someone like Trump represent our nation. Completely incapable of embracing people of all genders, races, sexual orientations and backgrounds, he has instead created a steady stream of hate and division in our country — once a beacon for the tired, poor, huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

Wrapped in the American flag and using the Bible as a prop, he’s made a mockery of U.S. patriotism, singlehandedly upended conservatism, and shattered international relations — aside from Russia where he continues to defer to Putin. While exploiting the innocent and gullible, he’s encouraged the ignorant and intolerant. An abhorrent performance of empty gestures and unconscionable deception.

The emperor wears no clothes.

For those like myself, who can only see the con and his charades, Trump has inflicted immeasurable emotional pain — a low-grade depression at best; irreparable suffering at worst. It’s no exaggeration. Trump has a unique and sickening ability to resurface women’s memories of abuse and trauma.

When the infamous Access Hollywood tape came out, that was the moment that should’ve changed everything. Instead, his sexual predatory behavior became normalized — even his own wife dismissed it as “boy talk.” It immediately set a precedent for no precedent.

Today, as many as 26 women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct, and those are just the individuals who’ve chosen to come forward.

It’s not normal.

Whether we realize it or not, Trump’s shameless antics have taken a toll on all of us. He has shattered norms so often and to such a degree that our perception of what’s actually normal has shifted.

The ability for humans to adapt to different scenarios has always been necessary for our survival. But in conforming to Trump’s anarchy, we’ve become dangerously numb to what’s unacceptable.

Trump has been associated with so many serious collusions, corruptions and crimes, it will take a lifetime to try and address them all. If Obama had been tied to any stories remotely of the same caliber, it would’ve been the end of his presidency.

The hypocrisy and unyielding annihilation of norms is why I have not, and cannot, remain silent. It’s why I’ve adamantly resisted Trump since day one.

I liken my outlook to that of American clergyman and political activist A.J. Muste. While peacefully demonstrating during the Vietnam War, a reporter asked Muste if he really thought he was going to change the country by standing outside the White House with a candle.

Muste replied, “Oh, I don’t do this to change the country. I do this so the country won’t change me.”

Here’s the thing: When we normalize the abnormal, we risk altering our moral compass. We lose sight of objectivity and instead believe only what we want to believe. We seek out sources, credible or not, that confirm what we already think — or want to think — is true.

The consequences are summed up best by French writer Voltaire: “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”

In draining us of our last reserves of decency, author Tom Nichols believes Trump is making us worse people. No matter which political party we’re affiliated with, “we end up thinking about only Trump, instead of our families, our fellow citizens, our health-care workers, or the future of our country,” he states. “We are all forced to take sides every day, and those two sides are always ‘Trump’ and ‘everyone else.’”

Once the center of only his world, Trump has made himself the center of ours.

It’s not normal.

In a BBC article on the traits that make human beings unique, a study between humans and chimps shows that children have an innate desire to be helpers before social norms set in. Unlike chimps, researchers found humans to consistently behave in an altruistic way from a young age. We tend to be unselfish, courteous, and caring of others. In other words, we possess an enormous natural capacity for doing good.

Yet Trump defies even this norm. Constantly breeding distrust and creating chaos, the notion of promoting goodwill to others isn’t remotely on his radar. How can it be? Before he ran for office, countless psychologists, therapists and mental health professionals diagnosed him with narcissistic personality disorder.

According to a study published in Clinical Psychological Science, liberals and conservatives alike, including those who voted for Trump, perceive him as having a highly disturbed personality. His warped perspective has inevitably caused us to lose sight of what is — and should be — normal.

In an overview on narcissistic personality disorder from the Mayo Clinic, it’s hard to discern between actual symptoms and what sounds like classic idiosyncrasies of Trump. From the need for “constant, excessive admiration” and an expectation to be “recognized as superior,” to the tendency to “belittle or look down on people” and “take advantage of others,” Trump is the textbook example of narcissism.

Having grown up with a narcissistic father (another reason why Trump’s omnipresence has been personally agonizing), I can tell you that an agenda is always at play.

Relationships with a narcissist are purely transactional. People are treated like objects and acknowledged only if they serve a purpose that benefits them. The narcissist lives in a world of delusion, built on a grandiose sense of self-importance, generous to those who indulge their self-interests and vengeful to anyone who doesn’t entertain their inflated ego.

In this alternate universe, not unlike a reality TV show, the narcissist makes up their own rules, but can break them at any time. Like gravity keeping us grounded, norms provide order and stability within our society. Without them, we’re in a freefall existence.

When Trump assumed the most powerful position in the world, it legitimized him, giving him free rein to demolish our norms and keep us in a state of perpetual volatility. That authority has proven not only detrimental, but dangerous.

It’s not normal.

In the 2020 American docudrama The Social Dilemma, investor Roger McNamee states, “If everyone’s entitled to their own facts, there’s really no need for compromise… We need to have some shared understanding of reality. Otherwise we aren’t a country.”

Indeed, in order for us to move forward, Americans must find common ground and agree on fundamental truths.

We must have a collective knowledge of basic rights and wrongs, and encourage a genuine acceptance of one another, despite our differences. Ignorance, hate and bigotry cannot be the foundation. But the only way we can achieve this is to do precisely what a narcissist is unable to do: empathize.

Empathy, the ability to show compassion to others, is vital to our progress as human beings. An article for Scientific American reports that, due to our political polarization and increasing individualism, the U.S.has an empathy deficit.

Putting ourselves in the shoes of someone else is what helps us foster connection and unity. In this unprecedented time, we need empathy more than ever to address issues like the coronavirus pandemic, systemic racism, economic uncertainty, and a host of other challenges.

The President, of all people, should rally and inspire Americans to come together through meaningful dialogue and a demonstration of real care and concern. Under a normal presidency, that would happen. Yet at no time has Trump ever shown the slightest bit of empathy towards anyone. Lost in an abyss of self-absorption, he’s simply incapable of thinking of others.

It’s not only not normal, it’s inhumane. And it’s time to put an end to it.

Envisioning a world without Trump is incredibly cathartic. If he loses the election, he will likely not concede easily. Already, there are warnings of violence and civil war around the country. Some are predicting Trump will claim victory early before all votes have been counted.

If ultimately defeated, Trump may decry a “rigged election.” Were it not for the legal reckoning awaiting him, it’s not improbable to think he might attempt to lose in order to pick up where he left off during the 2016 election. Starting his own TV network, dedicated to what he will undoubtedly declare as “non-fake” news, would surely make him money. After all, he already has a committed audience and quite a few debts to pay off.

I long for the day when Trump is no longer occupying the White House — or my thoughts.

I think back on the amount of time I’ve devoted to resistance efforts. All the protests, petitions, and organizing. The myriad of conversations over how, and why, our country lost its way. The stress, the worrying, the general uneasiness — feeling like a ship without a rudder. The mental anguish of putting up with incessant dishonesty.

My hope is that justice will finally be served so I may never have to speak or think of Trump ever again.

As author and political historian Heather Cox Richardson said recently, “I have come to believe in American democracy with an almost religious faith.” That shared sentiment is precisely what’s fueled my passion these past four years.

Democracy is a concept so much bigger than me and my life. It’s about standing up not only for what you believe in, but for the collective good of the entire country.

It’s about freedom, equity, and justice for all. It’s about understanding the importance of ideals that everyone is entitled to: individual rights, a fair political system, and competent leadership. It means adhering to a code of civility with fellow Americans based on fundamental values including kindness, tolerance, and yes, empathy.

These are the things that desperately need to be normalized — not Trump.

The sober reality is that even when Trump eventually goes away, Trumpism remains. After all, a Trump presidency would not exist without his supporters.

There are literally millions of people who think like him, believe what he believes, and want what he wants. Many are unwilling to do their part in bringing this country together — an unfortunate truth that will likely not change. Others, however, choose to remain willfully ignorant or apathetic to the fact that beyond being an awful president, Trump is an awful human.

I know a few of these people. Extended family members. Childhood friends. Adults I once looked up to. They defend, dismiss, or excuse Trump, yet maintain they are virtuous people, devout Christians, and patriotic Americans. This bewildering rationale has been a devastating reality to come to terms with. I care about them, but how can I possibly condone their support of Trump and everything he represents?

The answer is, I can’t.

When Trump engulfed all of our lives, it was no longer about politics, but about principles. And it became extremely personal.

Coping with the loss of these loved ones, wondering if my perception of them has always been an illusion, adds a final layer of complexity to the profound grief I’ve experienced these last four years. It is the ultimate expression of divisiveness, when even family and friends become estranged.

For a man who is an utter failure at so much, Trump finally found success: making the people of the United States anything but united.

This dark time in America’s history has revealed that the ugly, shameful truths of our country’s past still prevail in present day. I realize now that we have such a long way to go in terms of educating people, advocating for equality, and rebuilding our democracy. The normalization of Trump is a burden we all carry and only we can fix.

If Biden manages to win, despite our outdated Electoral College and rampant voter suppression, there will be no grand celebration on my part. I imagine after years of weeping from heartache, I will weep from absolute relief. And then, the hard work begins. Because it’s going to take decades, possibly my lifetime, to repair the norms that Trump has destroyed, as well as establish new ones.

Nevertheless, we must persist — motivated by those who came before us who have fought longer and harder. We must do it for the generations to come, for those who are indifferent, and for those who don’t understand the damage that’s been done. We must do it to get us closer to an America where truth and justice prevail.

As Joe Biden has stated on more than one occasion, “We’re in a battle for the soul of this nation.” Whatever the election outcome, one thing’s for certain:

There’s no going back to normal.

Top Photo: The author at Marcus-David Peters Circle in Richmond, Virginia (August 2020). Photo by EVERGIB.

The Amazon Trail: But…

Lee Lynch | December 17, 2020

Topics: coronavirus, COVID-19, Election 2020, hummingbirds, Pandemic, quarantine, The Amazon Trail

At the end of a long, extremely difficult year, Lee Lynch tries to find the silver linings to the many clouds that hung over us all in 2020.

The year 2020 wasn’t a total bust, except for the hundreds of thousands of Americans who should not have died or have been permanently harmed by COVID-19. In the U.S., many lay those deaths and disablements at the hands of the greedy, power hungry 2020 administration and its followers. 

Personally, I’ve been taking inventory of the bad and the good with my sweetheart, and finding some surprises. 

Yes, over seventy-four million Americans voted to keep the traitorous officials in office, but eighty-one million plus voted to restore our democracy. 

There are arms-bearing fanatics at the gates, but they have served to expose long-entrenched enemies of this country: racism, misogyny, religious zealotry, fear of any kind of difference, from xenophobia to homophobia. I trust many Americans are finally acknowledging these defects in ourselves. 

I couldn’t see my family this year, but I can call them without the long distance charges that accrued when I was a kid and my mother dialed her family once a week at low Friday night rates, if no one was on the party line.

To compound that loss, our much-loved niece is sick and in pain from cancer treatments, but the treatments will cure her and then she’s going to treat herself to Disneyland. 

We lost our good and gorgeous gray cat Bolo, but we’ve adopted a shelter cat and a foster dog.

A long-term couple, old friends of ours, are no longer together, but are finding their ways. 

Our perfect lesbian neighbors are moving away, but now are our fast friends and are trying to find a buyer compatible with us.

We endured colonoscopies, but have clean bills of health.

COVID isolation made me put on the pounds, but I’ve already lost more than I gained. 

My sweetheart has a demanding job with long hours, but with her sacrifice, we can afford our goofy, loving cat and dog.

We had to give up feeding seed and suet to the birds when rodents discovered the food source — and our house — but our sugar water feeders were so swarmed by hummingbirds that everyone, from friends to delivery people, delighted in coming to our door. The hummers outnumbered humans enough to relax their shimmery bodies and let us watch them from inches away. Other neighbors provided for the birds we lost.

The roof needs replacing like, last summer, but by staying home we’ve saved enough money to get it done next spring.

Our neighborhood cancelled the monthly potlucks, but I’m no longer exposed to that ridiculous number of homemade desserts.

Speaking of food, the women’s lunch, the Mexican lunch, the men’s breakfast, and worst of all, Butches’ Night Out — all were cancelled in 2020, but have I mentioned my clothes suddenly stopped shrinking?

My county just entered the extreme risk category for COVID, but I know no one who has gotten sick and we tested negative, thanks to our ability to isolate. 

A beloved old friend died, but we had one last joyous visit in the mountains around Crater Lake in Oregon before her last decline and her spouse is going to, slowly, be alright.

Top conferences like the Golden Crown Literary Society and Saints and Sinners went virtual. I missed getting together with friends, other readers, and writers, but the popularization of Zoom and Duo and Skype have strangely given us perhaps more in-depth encounters than hurried lunches and large group dinners.

Shopping became an infrequent, rushed chore, but impulse buying, useless accumulation, and shopping as fun may help save the planet.

Between the plague and the threat of a Totalitarian state, I feared my time on earth had been shortened, and it still might be, but day to day I’ve had more time than ever to finish a book, start another, be with my sweetheart, and just be.

For me, the word “but” has become synonymous with the word “gratitude,” as in: the 2020 occupier of the White House severely damaged our country and my gratitude to everyone who helped oust him is strong — no buts about it. 

Copyright Lee Lynch 2020. Top Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on Unsplash.

Franklin Graham Launches ‘Religious Freedom’ Attack on ‘Godless, Secular Agenda’ of ‘Sinful’ LGBTQ Voters

New Civil Rights Movement | December 3, 2020

Topics: Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump, Election 2020, Franklin Graham, Human Rights Campaign, Joe Biden

A lot of shrill voices on the right can’t handle the fact that Donald Trump lost the presidential election; if you ask anti-LGBTQ preacher Franklin Graham, Trump’s loss should be blamed on the LGBTQ community.

Franklin Graham unleashed a vitriolic attack against “sinful,” and “extremely dangerous” LGBTQ Democratic voters over the weekend, striking out in apparent rage after it became quite clear that Joe Biden will be the next President of the United States. Graham, who is an unofficial advisor to President Donald Trump and wholly supports him, vented his anger at his favorite target.

“LGBTQ activists within the Democratic Party are pushing their godless, secular agenda with a potential Biden Administration,” Graham declared on Facebook, pointing to a Christian Post article Saturday night.

“If you don’t conform to their ideology, agree with their sinful beliefs, teach what they say is right, they want to close you down,” he said of LGBTQ people, ignoring that the religious right literally created “cancel culture.”

“They will pressure and bully politicians to get their way. It is extremely dangerous if they are permitted to proceed unchecked. If they are allowed free reign, they will go after the accreditation of Christian colleges, then Christian ministries and churches next, to strip them of tax-exempt status and try to force them to operate under policies that go against biblical teaching.”

Graham runs a Christian “ministry,” and any rescission of tax breaks for religious institutions would greatly hurt Graham’s bottom line.

“This is not only an attack on free speech and expression, but also an attack on our religious liberty. The presidential election isn’t finalized yet,” he says, feeding Trump’s lies about the election, “but this shows why who we vote for is so important. We’ve had four years of an administration under President Donald J. Trump that staunchly defends religious freedom, freedom of speech, and the church. We can see that the one who holds the office of President of the United States has tremendous ramifications on our day-to-day lives and for the future of this nation.”

Graham seems to have been set off by the Human Right Campaign’s “Blueprint 2020,” which, in part calls for a Biden Dept. of Education to ensure religious institutions are not allowed to discriminate against LGBTQ people.

The Trump Dept.of Education, under Secretary Betsy DeVos, became a tool to attack LGBTQ students, students of color, the handicapped, and other minority children.

Graham is literally arguing for the “right” of government-accredited schools to discriminate against LGBTQ students and faculty.

Written by David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement. Image via NCRM

Sparking Conversations: 1708 Gallery’s Billboards Spotlight Social Issues, Civic Participation

David Tran | November 5, 2020

Topics: 1708 Gallery, billboards, Chilalay, Confederate monuments, Earl Mack, Election 2020, Nikko Dennis, police brutality, public art, Wilmer Wilson IV

Two new exhibitions from 1708 Gallery invite guests outside with billboard installations around the city. Artists Wilmer Wilson IV, Earl Mack, and Nikko Dennis hope to spread positivity and start important conversations.

Under the auspices of 1708 Gallery, public art installations by Wilmer Wilson IV and Chilalay founders Nikko Dennis and Earl Mack are currently on display around Richmond, hoping to invoke conversation on themes such as racial injustice, activism, policing, politics, and civil participation.

’til bronze flows through the streets, a billboard series by Richmond-born artist Wilmer Wilson IV, intends to disrupt billboards’ typical role of advertising by using the platforms to display texts and imagery that will initiate discussion about the anti-police brutality protests and other local activism happening around Richmond over the past few months.  

“I hope people will spend time re-imagining our shared institutions from the ground up,” Wilson said via email, “and catching glimpses of the beauty that awaits there, amidst all of the hard work that it will take to truly change how we relate to one another.”

Richmond has been and still is one of the pivotal sites of movements against systemic racism and police brutality. The removal of Confederate monuments, just a few of the many buildings and architectural structures around the city that are rooted in Richmond’s past, has been a discussion over the past summer.

To Wilson, the removal of such monuments falls short of establishing meaningful structural change, and allows systemic racism to silently continue. He wants his billboards to be a starting point for more conversations about this idea.

“Virginia history is one of terror in so many different ways. It’s visible in the very infrastructure of the city of Richmond,” he said. “Intervening onto the infrastructure and the landscape, however small or temporary, felt meaningful, hopefully not just to me but to all whom this place subjugated, and continues to subjugate, to constitute itself.”

The locations of Wilson’s three billboards are no accident either. Wilson said that two of the billboards, which are displayed together on the 200 block of West Grace St and are entirely text, are located across from the Richmond Police Department as an “annotation to or interjection into its existence there.”

The third billboard, located at 21st St and East Broad in Church Hill, is image-based, which Wilson said allows a “more grounded entry point” for conversations surrounding activism and political activity in that residential area, which he notes has recently undergone “fraught social changes.”

Wilmer Wilson IV, ’til bronze flows through the streets, 2020. Billboard, dimensions variable. Photograph by David Hale, courtesy of the Artist and 1708 Gallery.

Bronze and brass are at the core of Wilson’s pieces, two metals that, he said, are historically known for their durability, corrosion resistance, and spark-striking resistance. These copper alloys are used for cultural and utilitarian purposes, and Wilson suggested that in the same way, existing public structures that call to mind, and thereby reinforce, institutional racism can be “melted down” for a better use — perhaps rebuilding our institutions.

The second billboard project 1708 Gallery is currently presenting in Richmond is called SMILE… It was created by Nikko Dennis and Earl Mack, founders of the local design and apparel brand Chilalay.

Driving down Chamberlayne Parkway, drivers and passengers are greeted by a yellow-pink gradient billboard with a reminder to smile. The billboard suggests that a brighter future can be achieved through collective positivity and civil participation, such as voting. Part of the billboard stresses Richmonders to vote for “justice” and “peace” on Nov. 3.

Since the billboard is located in Jackson Ward, it was important for the gallery to make sure the space was occupied by voices within that area, explained 1708 Gallery’s curator, Park Myers. 

“Beyond the incredible importance of the neighborhood, it was important in working with and inviting Chilalay, because of that,” said Myers. “Their entire creative endeavor, their business, where they cultivate their ideas, happens in Jackson Ward.”

Dubbed “Black Wall Street” and “the Harlem of the South,” Jackson Ward has been a historic center for Black entertainment and businesses since the nineteenth century. To this day, the neighborhood remains a cultural hub for Richmond’s Black community.

Both Dennis and Mack are Virginia Commonwealth University alumni. Having launched their Black-owned small business in 2012, their presence in the Jackson Ward neighborhood has been well-established. 

When drivers or pedestrians pass by the billboard, Mack said he wants it to serve a reminder that some things are beyond our control, no matter how hard we try to fix them. “No matter what you’re going through, a smile will last forever,” Mack said.

While planned since before the pandemic began, the billboard installations are part of 1708’s continuous effort during the coronavirus pandemic to hold socially-distanced onsite and offsite exhibitions.

“We’re thinking about how our ambitions to support emerging artists continues in a time when we might not be able to be viewing exhibitions within the gallery space,” Myers said.

‘til bronze flows through the streets is now on view through Dec. 4 on 211 W. Grace St. and at the intersection of North 21st St. and East Broad St. SMILE… can be viewed until Nov. 29 at the intersection of West Jackson St and Chamberlayne Avenue.

Photos by David Tran unless otherwise noted

Five Election Comedies To Watch While You Wait For Results

Marilyn Drew Necci | November 3, 2020

Topics: Batman Returns, election, Election 2020, Long Shot, movies, Napoleon Dynamite, The Campaign

We’re not going to learn who won anytime soon, so instead of making yourself crazy watching the returns slowly trickle in, why not amuse yourself with some topically appropriate comedies? Trust us, you’ll have time.

Tonight’s the night — and I definitely mean that in the Neil Young rather than the Rod Stewart sense. It’s going to be a real nail-biter for all of us, no doubt. If you’re the sort of person to pop popcorn and put on your fave 24-hour news network to watch the results roll in throughout election night and beyond, you better have some antacids next to the pretzel bowl.

Really, though, we might all be better off if we find something else to watch tonight. Virginia’s early and absentee votes aren’t supposed to show up in our state’s count until 11 PM when the registrars report, so things might be totally up in the air for the Commonwealth until then. And considering the differing rules for receiving and tabulating the millions of early and absentee ballots cast around the nation, chances are we won’t really know who our next president will be until tomorrow morning — and then only if we’re lucky.

So instead of sitting on your couch sweating bullets all night, why not try to watch something else on the subject of elections — something a bit more amusing? I know, I know, that joke isn’t funny anymore. But it used to be, and maybe remembering those times for one brief evening won’t be so bad. At least it’ll keep us from panicking every time CBS updates the numbers in the 7th district race or anything.

Here are five amusing films involving elections that all have decidedly lower stakes than the current real-life election. Yes, even the one about a presidential election. Tune in, turn off your brain for a couple hours, and enjoy.

Election

If you haven’t seen this one before, it’s a wild ride featuring a political race just as tense as the 2020 presidential race — only it’s a race for student body president in a small suburb somewhere, one in which the school’s number one overachiever is all but guaranteed to win, until a teacher who can’t stand her decides to throw a monkeywrench into things. Reese Witherspoon is note-perfect in the role of the ultimate Type-A high school overachiever, Tracy Flick, and Matthew Broderick kills it as social studies teacher Jim McAlister, whose shaky personal life and dislike for Flick leads him to overstep personal and professional lines to put his thumb on the scales. This movie is pitch dark and funny as hell, which means it’s either perfect for this time in all our lives or absolutely the worst thing for you to watch right now — you’ve got to decide what’s right for you. Choose wisely, but make no mistake, this movie’s a classic.

The Campaign

How much ridiculous fun you’re in for with this one should be obvious as soon as I tell you that it involves Will Farrell and Zach Galifianakis playing rival candidates for a Congressional seat in rural North Carolina. Farrell’s character has never faced an opponent in his four previous elections, and has grown cocky and complacent. However, a couple of corrupt businessmen (Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow, clearly having a blast) have decided to buy the district in order to pull off a shady trade deal with a Chinese company. They get Galifianakis, playing a certain highly recognizable type of Southern dumb guy, to run against Farrell, and the race immediately goes off the rails. From Farrell getting bitten by a poisonous snake while trying to gain the evangelical vote to a memorable scene in which Galifianakis’s sons admit to some truly appalling shenanigans over the dinner table, this one is full of hilarious moments. Like Anchorman and other classic Farrell comedies, it is completely unrealistic, but considering that the world is way too real right now, maybe that’s what we need.

Napoleon Dynamite

It’s become such an iconic cultural reference that this one is if anything sort of played out by now. But if you haven’t gone back and watched it in a while, it’s worth checking out one more time just to remember how truly weird it is. The plot centers on another high school election, which gave birth to that early-00s fashion fad of wearing t-shirts that read “Vote For Pedro” in iron-on letters. That trend is, in hindsight, more than a little unfortunate, but there are a lot of great bits in this movie, many of which have nothing to do with the overarching plot. From Napoleon’s terrible liger illustrations and Uncle Rico’s NFL audition tape to Napoleon biking pulling Kip on rollerblades and the unforgettable Jamiroquai dance sequence, you just might be shocked at how well this one holds up — even if it doesn’t have any curse words in it.

Long Shot

If you’re looking for a rom-com on this list, here’s what we’ve got — a classic “man dates up” plot in which Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen), a somewhat shlubby journalist, runs back into his old babysitter, Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron). Now the Secretary of State, she runs into Rogen just as she’s seriously considering a run for president. After checking out some of Fred’s work, Charlotte decides to hire him as a speechwriter, and their interactions quickly turn into the most unlikely of flings — one that everyone around Charlotte feels can only hurt her chances to actually get elected. There are twists and turns aplenty from there. The time-honored will-they-or-won’t-they rom-com plotline makes this all a bit predictable, but it remains fun nonetheless. In particular, there’s a pretty great scene in which Charlotte has to engage in some high-stakes politicking while also high on ecstasy (do the kids still call it “molly”?). If worrying about whether Fred and Charlotte get together keeps you from thinking about whether the United States and Joe Biden will get together for two hours, it’s worth it.

Batman Returns

I know, I know, I said “comedies,” and this three-decade-old superhero film is not anyone’s idea of a comedy — at least, not on the surface. But what none of us remember from our childhood viewings of those early-90s Tim Burton Batman movies is that they are pretty goofy in a deadpan sort of way. Michael Keaton is an outstanding actor, and while he doesn’t have Jack Nicholson for a foil in this film, Danny DeVito as Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman are double trouble in the best possible way. For those who don’t remember the plot of this one, aka everyone, the election in this film is the Gotham City mayoral election in which Oswald Cobblepot — the Penguin, that is — is at first attempting to manipulate the results, and ultimately running for mayor himself. What the Penguin really wants is for his gang to take over the city and wreak havoc. The plot is much more convoluted than that, in fact, but my recommendation is to avoid getting caught up in it, and instead sit back and watch Keaton, DeVito, and Pfeiffer at their scenery-chewing best.

Virginia Voters, Legislators Split on Redistricting Amendment

VCU CNS | November 2, 2020

Topics: Amendment 1, Election 2020, General Assembly, gerrymandering, Lashrecse Aird, Marcia Price, voting rights

No one in Virginia likes gerrymandering, but there’s a significant difference of opinion in how to fix it. The amendment Virginians vote on tomorrow offers one plan, but some progressive voices in the Commonwealth feel it’s not the best move.

Before Kelly Herring voted in the presidential election, she was undecided on a key vote, and it wasn’t who she was going to elect for president. 

Herring wasn’t sure how to vote on a Virginia constitutional amendment that will change the process of redrawing congressional and state legislative districts. 

After every 10-year census, the General Assembly is responsible for drawing new congressional and state legislature districts, over which the governor has veto power. The majority of congressional and state legislative districts in Virginia were redrawn after the 2010 U.S. Census, when Republicans controlled both chambers of the General Assembly and the executive branch. The maps will be redrawn again next year with final census counts.

The proposed amendment would put the mapmaking power into the hands of a bipartisan commission. It’s the final step needed to amend the state constitution after state legislators passed the redistricting amendment for two consecutive years.

Kelly Herring, a Norfolk resident, was unsure how she was going to vote on a proposed redistricting amendment in the November presidential election. Photo by Melissa Blue.

Herring is one of millions of Virginians who will weigh in on the amendment — one of two on the current ballot. 

“There was one local issue that I went back and forth on too, but the amendment was a big one,” Herring said. 

The commission would be composed of eight state legislators and eight citizens. An equal number of Democratic and Republican legislators from each chamber of the Virginia General Assembly would be appointed by the political party leadership. Legislative leaders also would recommend people for the citizen positions, which would be selected by retired circuit court judges. 

New legislative district maps approved by the commission would go to the General Assembly for a vote. If any are rejected, the commission would be required to produce new maps. If rejected again, the Virginia Supreme Court would establish the new districts.

The amendment requires maps to be drawn in accordance with federal and state law requirements that address racial and ethnic fairness, including the 14th Amendment and the Voting Rights Act. Maps also need to “provide, where practicable, opportunities for racial and ethnic communities to elect candidates of their choice.”

Some Virginia lawmakers oppose the amendment. They believe it gives legislators more power to choose voters as opposed to voters choosing legislators.

“You have four party leaders that not only control the process, but control the appointment and representation on this commission,” said Del. Lashrecse D. Aird, D-Petersburg. “Ultimately what you get, is legislators actually compounding their party and hanging on to control in the process of map-drawing.”

Delegate Lashrecse Aird. Photo from virginiageneralassembly.gov

Legislators passed a measure in the spring that establishes standards for redistricting. The bill, introduced by Del. Marcia Price, D-Newport News, is intended to prohibit racial gerrymandering, or the manipulation of boundaries that ultimately favors one political party. The measure sets criteria for drawing legislative districts, which includes abiding by equal population requirements, following laws related to racial and ethnic fairness, and creating contiguous districts.

“The Voting Rights Act has been under attack since the day it was signed in 1965,” Price said. “There is nothing that prevents it from being further gutted, so our argument is; don’t just mention it, actually put the protections in there so even if it fails on the federal level, we have the state level that’s protecting us.”

Opponents of the amendment argue that the recently passed redistricting law deals with the effects of racial gerrymandering better than the proposed amendment. Opponents say that passing the amendment could potentially prevent further progress by the General Assembly since it’s difficult to overturn the constitution.

“We have always said that we wanted to prohibit gerrymandering, which is ultimately the main problem that we’ve experienced with map-drawing in Virginia,” Aird said. “There is no language in this amendment that would prevent gerrymandering.”

Nicholas Goedert, an assistant professor of political science at Virginia Tech supports the amendment. Other states have changed the criteria for redistricting but it proved ineffective, he said.

“I think changing the process is much more important as a general rule than changing the criteria,” Goedert said. “Because there are a lot of ways that legislatures can get around the wording of the criteria and still implement a map that suits their interests.”

Goedert said the amendment isn’t perfect, but sees Virginia passing both the amendment and redistricting bill as a step in the right direction to creating more demographically balanced districts.

“We’ve seen, throughout the states that have adopted commissions, that the commissioners take their jobs seriously, and for the most part succeed in drawing acceptable maps,” Goedert said. “There’s always been a couple of exceptions, but I would be optimistic on that point.”

Nicholas Goedert. Photo courtesy of Virginia Tech.

The redistricting amendment is endorsed by several democratic groups, including the ACLU of Virginia and the League of Women Voters of Virginia. Herring, who identifies as progressive, decided to do more research after seeing there were progressive groups on both sides, and ultimately decided to vote no on the amendment.

“The Black Legislative Caucus and the NAACP both spoke out against it, and ultimately gerrymandering is an issue that affects minority voters more,” Herring said. “So, I figured this is probably an issue where I should listen.”

Written by Will Gonzalez, Capital News Service. Top Images of gerrymandered VA maps from VPAP.

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