Together, let us write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told. pic.twitter.com/yQkwUGfgyQ

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 23, 2024

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There’s pushback on joy these days, and I don’t know why.

We need it. There’s nothing wrong with feeling good, hopeful, and yes, incredibly excited about the future.

Joy is a contagious ride and I am buckling up.

Most media outlets want to steer the narrative. But have you noticed a shift? Many Americans no longer trust the news. We act like we “never did,” but that’s not true. We did. We trusted we knew the difference between fact, fiction, and opinion, and we respected the vessel.

But we are jumping ship. There’s a mass public exodus when it comes to the “news” and our biased sources. Instead, we’ve finally started to believe what we see and hear with our own damn eyes and ears.

People are turning away from talk news and other entertainment programs that push opinions in an effort to gain viewers, make lots of money, and polarize the nation. Our daily American reality is not black-and-white. It never was, and it never will be. Most of us have more than one opinion and land squarely in the middle. There are too many exceptions to the rules on either side because life is life and experiences matter. I’m done being told what to think.

This election feels like a colossal public pushback, doesn’t it? For a lot of reasons.

Maybe “World War 3” is right now (you heard it here first), and it’s simply a bloody battle for truth in journalism.

The New York Times, like a wet blanket on quickly spreading flames, is looking to snuff out our joy. Our joy in the present moment. Our joy in the overwhelming success of our pivot. Um, yeah, they’re trying to tell us what to think.

Mere weeks ago, we were wallowing inside what felt like a lack of choice. We were reluctant, stagnant, and…joyless. After the disastrous debate, we wrung our hands and resolved to vote blue, but our hearts and minds weren’t in it.

Joy is not a strategy? Says who? Not me. Sorry, NYT, but you have zero credibility these days, which is what happens when the faux currency of opinion is valued and pushed over the anchoring gold standard: facts.

The pushback is real, and I want joy. I’m tired of the evil for sure, but to be honest, I’m tired of the echo chamber too. Joy just is. It’s hopeful and exciting.

A vote for the Harris-Walz Administration is in my best interest—as a woman, as a citizen, as someone who is middle class and part of a diverse community. I want good schools. I want equal rights for all under the law, I want reproductive freedom, and I want more jobs. I want gun safety, and yes, I also want citizenship to be less complicated for those seeking a better life, those who are willing to work and pay taxes just like me. I want what’s best for the environment too, but I also want what’s best for me. Selfishly, I want to make my own life great again in the process of helping others.

I’m a human being and I want joy. I’m not alone. Yes, it’s a strategy, and right now, it’s all the rage (flipped on its head).

But that’s just my opinion, of course.

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