Posts tagged USA
Following the Election
Anna Osgoodby Life + Design :: Following the Election

I didn't intend to write a blog post following the election -- discussing politics in public forums is generally something I shy away from. Being upset after the election though, I let down my guard and shared my dismay for the results, and as social media often does, I was challenged on my thoughts. I was told that the election was never about hate and that it was the result of media hype and that these results have proven we can break down the system. Opinions that I don't personally agree with, but that many others in our country do.

While it's easy to snap back with name calling or telling people their opinions are wrong -- as I know we've all witnessed throughout the election. I think now more than ever, we need to understand each other. So I took a few minutes to really put my thoughts into words that I felt were respectful but also expressed my raw emotion about the results. While I definitely didn't write this with the intent on sharing, so many said the message resonated with them so I thought it was worth reposting on my platform in case any others could relate.

"I respectively disagree. I feel as though the hatred that has been spewed throughout this election season will be hard to reverse -- hatred towards other religions, hatred towards immigrants and refugees, hatred toward our allies and our current president. Those words don't simply go away and truthfully I believe many in this country are very misinformed and have used hatred to mask their fear.

As someone who believes in equal rights for everyone no matter their race, sexual orientation, age or gender, the results of the election pain me. I understand the realities and beliefs of everyone are very diverse, which is part of the reason America is great, but in 2016 I just cannot wrap my head around why we would want to take a step back on all that we have achieved. 

I've lived in small towns, medium-sized cities, and the largest city in America -- all of which have given me different perspectives on the world. As someone who now lives in New York City, someone who encounters more cultures in a subway car than many encounter in months, the rhetoric of this campaign terrifies me. And if as a white female I feel that fear, I can only imagine what the woman standing to the right of me wearing a hijab feels like, whose entire religion has been told they're not welcome in America. To the child on my left whose parents may have immigrated to America illegally but who was born in America and may now fear being deported to a country he's never been to. To the African American man sitting across from me who is already living in times with high racial tensions and could face racial profiling because of the re-emergence of policies like stop-and-frisk. To the woman in the corner of the train who has been subjected by advances from her boss, but is afraid to pursue action because similar behavior from our President-Elect has been deemed "locker room talk" and she's afraid of losing her job. These are real and valid concerns I have, none of which were a product of media propaganda.

It's more than just the change of leadership. I don't need to align on every policy, issue or statement of a candidate. We are blessed to live in a country where no one person has the power to implement change simply on their behalf. What I do need is to feel a sense of respect for our leader and the trajectory that they will put forth for our country, and that's where I falter. This is more than just a shake-up in the system and the lack of experience, knowledge, and temperament that Trump has exhibited is concerning. But this is where we're at. Democracy has spoken and we must accept the outcome for the sake of the country and I truly hope my fears are wrong. 

I hope that he will be a president for all of the people and not just for the white working class. I hope he acknowledges that Global Warming is not some sham by the Chinese but a real concern that we need to do whatever we can to deter. I hope that he will focus on progressive immigration reform implementing steps to fix a broken system rather than building walls. I hope that he focuses on actual steps to fight terrorism instead of just saying he'll "bomb the shit out them". I hope that our markets will remain stable during this transition. As an entrepreneur, my business relies on economic stability and growth and I have worked too hard for those dreams to be washed away. In a day where I truly feel as though our country has lost a sense of hope, I hope I'm wrong. He proved many of us wrong by winning this election and I truly hope his administration can prove that all of my fears are simply that, fears because I can't fathom the contrary."

Tour de USA :: The Monuments

I’m backkkkkk! For a few days anyways ;-) I’ve decided to title my series to DC as Tour de USA, because it seems fitting. On Friday I started out in New York then traveled through New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and ended up in Washington DC. Which, isn’t actually located in a state if you didn’t know. I realize it is called a district, but I thought it was catchy to call it a non-state during the weekend, because you know, I’m awesome like that! I’m going to break this trip into different posts over the week because we covered quite a bit of ground.

I reached DC late on Friday evening, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a little time left to explore! We caught a cab from Union Station and asked the cab driver if he wouldn’t mind driving us around to see some of the main monuments. He was awesome (much better than any of my NY cabbies) and was happy to take on not only cab driver duties but also part tour guide. It was so awesome to get off the bus and already start to see some of the famous landmarks including the Washington Monument, The Lincoln Memorial, and The Jefferson Memorial. We also drove by the White House, but we literally drove right by it and missed it because we learned that the White House shuts its lights off at 11 p.m. Early bedtime Mr. President, especially for a Friday night!

After getting a little taste of the city we caught a few hours of sleep before an early an early wake-up call. The next morning, we hopped out of bed and onto our trolley! When I visited Boston last summer we used this trolley service and after a good experience we decided to try them again out in DC. They’re a really great way to get around the city and they have some awesome facts so you’re able to learn as you ride. We made a quick stop at the welcome center and something caught my eye in the window of the gift store. Yep, that would be this hat…

Oh yes I did. It gives me a little character to playing tourist right?! Ha! Now. now, I was ready to explore. Our first destination was… you guessed it. The White House!

THE White House! We’ve all read about it, seen pictures, but to be right next to it? Now, that is a surreal experience! I mean the president was a mere few yards from us! Not only that, but think of all of the men and women who have lived in this very house. Incredible. I was pretty surprised by how close you can get to it too. There was a gate that I stuck my phone through to get this picture, but you can still get pretty close! You could get much closer on this side than the other one though. Here’s a view of the other side.

As you can see, it’s much further away on the back side (or front?) If you look closely, those two black outlines on the roof towards the center were sharp shooters that were walking back and forth. Don’t even think about messing with the president of the United States.. they’ll get you. This side was pretty cool too because you got a glimpse at the White House garden and Michelle’s bee hives. The only thing missing was the first dog running around.. I guess he doesn’t get free range of the yard!

If you pretend you are me in this picture, and look straight forward you will see…

The Washington Monument! Not a bad view to have from your house huh? The Washington Monument is one of the most iconic views in DC, not only because its history but also because it is the tallest landmark in the city and you can see it from just about everywhere. There actually aren’t any buildings taller than 130 feet inside the city because of the Height of Buildings Act. It’s interesting because while the city doesn’t have any skyscrapers, the buildings are still massive! Not as much in height, but rather in their structure which is something you just don’t see anymore. 

Beyond the Washington Monument lies the Jefferson Memorial. We didn’t go inside this one, but it was still a beautiful site from our trolley. A memorial we did go in though was the Lincoln Memorial. Looking out from the steps of the memorial, lies the other side of the Washington Monument that I showed you earlier. The really cool thing about DC is nothing was created without being well thought out. There is meaning for everything from the way monuments and statues face, to the layout of the streets. Really impressive. The reflection fountain of the monument was under construction (as everything on the east coast seems to be), but it was still a nice view.

The Lincoln Memorial was hands down my favorite memorial. It’s really neat because from the street you can’t see Lincoln. Instead you can only see the outside and the pillars, so you really have to actually come to the memorial to see inside.

Once inside, you’re faced with this guy!

Honest Abe! You can’t tell by the photos (you never can) but he is HUGE! And When I say huge, I really mean it. They told us on the trolley that he would be 28 feet tall if he were to have been standing up.

And here’s the view that Abe has! I would love to come back here and just hang out at this memorial. It truly was even more majestic than I could have ever imagined. 

Well, that’s all I have for you on the memorial side. Stay tuned tomorrow for a look at some of the other historic sites we visited!