How Geeks Can Get Through the Trump Presidency

It’s going to be a tough four years as we try to get through the Trump presidency, but we’ve got to stick together and be active.  RESIST.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that The Geekiary’s staff is peopled with liberals, progressives, and fierce independents.  After the election of Trump we wrote Progressive Geeks: We Have Work to Do.  We run the gamut of liberal politics on this website, with many of the US based members voting for Clinton, several continuing to rally behind Bernie, or some even supporting Stein or Johnson for various reasons.  If you disagree with any of the above choices, I can guarantee you someone else on staff adamantly disagrees too.  We’ve got a pretty diverse group here, but all of the regular contributors to this website are united against the Trump presidency and we will continue to represent progressives in the geek community with all that we do.

We will continue to fight for an inclusive community both here in geek spaces and out in various other spaces where political discourse is prominent.  While the focus of our blog has always been geek culture and media, having a president who embodies so many aspects of the trolls we battle daily on the Internet has caused national and global politics to bleed into our discourse like never before.  There’s always been political bleed in our discussions, but now someone who has rallied the GamerGaters and Sad Puppies holds the highest office in the land.

So what do we do?  How do we fight?  Here’s some tips.

1) Self Care

Please take care of yourself.  Don’t Feel Guilty Seeking Comfort In Fandom.  If you can’t handle the Trump presidency right now mute everything that’s bothering you (and unmute later when it’s died down, of course).  Or just step away from social media.  Go read fanfic. Go write fanfic. Go watch your favorite movie or TV show or read your favorite comic or book. Take care of you.  It’s alright. Honestly. It’s okay. For instance, Geekiary co-admin Tara feels no shame in the fact that her TV has been recording Star Trek The Next Generation all day with the express purpose of avoiding anything about this inauguration.

2) Donate to Helpful Organizations

If you have a comfortable income with some cash to spare, please consider throwing whatever you can afford to the following organizations:

• ACLU – Defends American civil liberties. Sign their petition. That’s free!
• Planned Parenthood – Supports reproductive health
• The Trevor Project – Assists LGBTQ+ youth – we at The Geekiary are big supporters of TTP and have even raised money for them in the past
• The Refugee Project – Supports refugees globally.

For more recommendations, see this excellent Huffington Post article.  These organizations are going to need your help combating the Trump presidency and they can’t do it without financial support.

3) Attend Protests, Rallies, and Events

The most popular event right now is tomorrow’s Women’s March on Washington.  You can attend from anywhere in the world! There are local groups in 33 countries.  My local march on Oahu is expecting over 6,000 attendees.

But that’s not the only event.  Find your local groups and get involved.  Browse local Facebook events.  Ask friends. Join a club.

4) Blog and/or Tweet About It

Now this is our wheelhouse here at the Geekiary, and is probably the way most geeks feel comfortable resisting the Trump presidency.  If you are a writer, get involved in a blog.  It’s not hard.  Blogs are always happy to have quality contributors, so shoot your favorite website an email with a pitch and see what happens.  You’d be surprised how many of our own writers joined us this way.

Not a blogger?  Amplify the voices that represent you.  Tweet about the issues that matter to you.  While this doesn’t always send a message to the older people in power, it does help spread messages and inspire those who are willing to hit the streets.  Don’t let people discredit your work just because you’re doing it in an online sphere.  If possible, though, do go out and be visible to those who aren’t too tech savvy.  It’s sad to say, but most of those in power don’t really care about what’s going on on the Internet.  We do. And we are inspired.  But let’s inspire others to go out in the real world and make their voices heard, too.

5) More Self Care

Overwhelmed by all these suggestions?  That’s okay.  Do what you can, then go take care of yourself again.  It’s okay.  Anyone who guilt trips you into needing to be active every second of the day is simply wrong.  If we can’t enjoy our lives, then what are we fighting for?

Author: Angel Wilson

Angel is the admin of The Geekiary and a geek culture commentator. They earned a BA in Film & Digital Media from UC Santa Cruz. They have contributed to various podcasts and webcasts including An Englishman in San Diego, Free to Be Radio, and Genre TV for All. They identify as queer.

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