Remember Who's Voting Next

I haven't even checked election results. Like most democrats, I'm pretty sure I'm hiding in an enforced media blackout until tomorrow for the sake of my sanity.

Anyway--my kids were NOT super invested in their phones today on the way from school, with the exception of a rather unfortunate picture of a man with a penis shaped like SpongeBob, but other than that, it was all discussion.

ZoomBoy *tapping on my window as Squish and I wait for him*: ADHD Squirrel forgot his meds and would like food.

Me: Sure, where we going?

ZB: Carl's Jr.. Did you vote?

Squish: Yes she did, although I'm not sure what we're voting for here.

Me: Ballot measures--keeping the gas tax that's fixing our roads, not killing people on kidney dialysis to make the pharma business happy, giving first responders breaks, that sort of thing.

ZB: Good. Remember, the local races are important.

Me: Yes, I know--

ZB: Because it's important we make bad stuff illegal.

Me: I know--

Squish: Remember, last night? You told us that everything Hitler did was legal in Germany. So we can't let that happen here.

Me: Doing what I can.

Squish: I didn't get a chance to tell my history teacher that--but do you know who killed more people than Hitler and Stalin together?

Me: Uh--

Squish: Chairman Mao-- he was really bad.

Me: Yes, yes he wa--

Squish: And we read in the Red Scarf Girl about how the prejudice started, and how the girl in the class did everything right, and because she followed what she was supposed to, because the government made prejudice legal, eventually she ended up really prejudiced. And you see how a bad government can hurt individual people.

ZoomBoy: Yeah, and like, in 1984, when they had the two-minute hate, that was so people could get all riled up because the government knew they were easier to control when they hated people without reason. So we need to make sure we don't let the laws get bad.

Me: Guys, I kno--

Squish: Red Scarf Girl was really sad--it was written by someone who survived Mao. I don't want our country to end up like that.

ZoomBoy: Squish, 1984 was scarier, because it's exactly how that happens. Like, you've got to be careful about what teachers and stuff tell you because if it's not true, that's for us to figure out.

Me: *desperately* Guys! I voted! It's like a big group project--I did my part right, we'll just hope for the rest of the country, okay?

Squish: Okay. Can I have a strawberry shake?  And that thing ZoomBoy sent to us was totally gross--you have to take away that app that lets him browse those memes.

Me: I'll talk to his father.

ZoomBoy: No, no--I'll be more appropriate, I swear!  And I want an Oreo shake. And tenders. And if you order those zucchini things I'll eat some.

Me: I get a tender.

ZoomBoy: Deal.

Squish: I want fries.

Me: Deal. Anything else you want to talk about?

Squish: Can I tell you how happy I am that there's no soccer today?

ZoomBoy: Can I tell you how much it sucks that it's almost dark?

Me: Yeah, got it. Time to order....


And the moral of this story is,

A. I think California teachers are unsung fucking heroes because that was some good frickin edu-ma-cation those young-un's were spouting,

 and

B. You Republican assholes out there who think the young are malleable and easily led? YOU'RE the generation that has been proven to have difficulty sorting fact from opinion. My children? Both generations? Are gonna save the fuckin' world from your mess. Just hope they don't have control over your old age homes. I mean, my kids are gonna take care of ME, because Carl's Jr. and soccer and dance and love, but they are SO unimpressed with the dumbasses that elected the fascist traitor  leading our government.

They're growing up, they're smarter than you are, and they're coming for you.

I'm gonna sleep well tonight.

How about you?