The Fear That Keeps Me Up at Night: Inauguration Day, the TikTok Ban, and the Future of America Under President Trump

Market Manipulation, Censorship, and the Oligarchy: How the Rich Keep Get Richer While We Lose Our Voices

I have many feelings this inauguration day.

As I start this piece, we're about an hour and a half away from the infamous President Number 47 swearing-in. By the time I finish and publish, The Orange will be on the American throne, taking his place as Ruler of the Oligarchy.

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A collection of moldy oranges.

I didn't sleep well last night.

Since the election results were announced over the past few weeks, I've felt an impending sense of dread, worried over all the "promises" 47 has made to do great harm to many people I care about (and people like me).

It's like watching a train crash slowly while powerless to stop the inevitable damage resulting from its impact.

One of my closest friends has fled the country. Others I know from my advocacy work have done the same (or moved to blue states from red states) if possible. However, many of the most vulnerable to the attacks of the alt-right are stuck (doing what they can to shelter in place).

David and I have been preparing as much as possible for all the "what-ifs" (despite having minimal resources) for the past few weeks.

We completed some of the most necessary things, like dog vaccinations, passports, and getting our RV safe to drive (though still far from perfect due to needing a sticker and some more work). However, I'd expected we'd be further along in our preparations by now.

As of today, we may be out of time (though I hope I'm wrong).

David and I plan to stay in Texas for now (partially because David has a job that can't be done from the road). However, if things get bad enough, we've done what we can to ensure we can move (if we have to, though I hope things don't get that bad).

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A few things about the TikTok temporary ban aren't sitting right with me.

Before 47's right-hand man bought (and ruined) the social media platform Twitter, it had been our country's oasis for independent news and media. Today "X" is an alt-right, Nazi hell-whole. Then we moved to TikTok.

I am bothered by the fact that the TikTok ban is about censorship and authoritarian control over the information we share and see online.

According to testimony in the case, they banned TikTok because they were worried it had the potential to "skew the perspective of American citizens to be anti-American," which means the "national security threat" the US government is worried about is Americans waking up to how badly we're being treated by our own government.

I'm also bothered that the rich are getting richer at our expense, and many of those supporting the TikTok ban (including Zuck and several of our congresspeople) have a lot to gain financially if TikTok is banned or devalued (due to being Meta stockholders or TikTok competitors).

It's fishy that many of the same people (who tried to ruin TikTok) have just as much (perhaps more) to gain if the value of TikTok drops, making it more affordable for a US organization to buy in or take it over entirely. How is it not market manipulation and insider trading?

I am bothered that TikTok went dark for a few hours this past Sunday, even though Biden said he wouldn't enforce the ban and Trump had said he would to stop the TikTok ban.

What were they doing while it was down? What did they change?

What was up with the creepy, gross messages praising The Grump?

I am bothered to see people thank The Orange for "saving TikTok" when he was a massive part of the original reason it was initially under threat. It is frustrating to see how many people do not know (or have forgotten) what he said about TikTok in July 2020.

Moldy orange cheese.

Something about this is off. I don't trust what we're being told by our government.

Pre-Elon Twitter was excellent, and its loss was significant to members of the independent media.

When we lost Twitter, TikTok became where many of us with marginalized voices went to share our lived experiences and causes (often not represented or heard on mainstream media and other social media platforms).

With Twitter's loss and now the threat of losing TikTok, many (including myself) have since begun to branch out to other platforms (like Substack, Patreon, Blue Sky, Mastadon, and Xiaohongshu) to avoid having our voices suppressed (as human rights and left-leaning content is often downranked on Meta's platforms like Facebook, Threads, and Instagram).

I've grown to depend on social media to do my work. However, our government's deliberate disruption to platforms that enable regular people (like you and me) to be seen and communicate with one another has left me worried that I may have to start looking for alternative career options.

Years ago, realizing the company I worked for was harming people, I set out to find the "right livelihood," a livelihood that doesn't hurt the world or its people and helps to make the world a better place for all of us, and I found it. However, recently, I've been more worried that this job I love may not exist for much longer.

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- Lyric