[image: https://www.neh.gov/news/press-release/2013-01-08]

Whether you’re planning to watch it or planning to skip it, here are 10 things that may interest you about tomorrow’s Inauguration (and lots of hashtags to use and links to follow if you want more information). And after the list, stay tuned for some commentary.

1. The Inauguration is on Friday, January 20 at 11:30 Eastern/8:30am Pacific. It is airing on many networks including Fox, CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC & NBCNews…streaming  is available online in various places including on the White House website (complete list is here)
2. Some people are boycotting attending the inauguration. This includes many of the members of Congress, and other lawmakers, who are making a point of not going, either to support John Lewis – who is in a fight with the PEOTUS and skipping this inauguration as he did the 2001 Bush inauguration – or because they otherwise object to Trump as President.
3. Some people are boycotting watching the inauguration on television, as an act of resistance against the incoming president, or because they don’t want to contribute to the numbers/ratings that the event will receive (see next item).
4. According to a Facebook message, the way to “deny Trump ratings” for the event is to have your TV on and tuned to stations that are not carrying the Inauguration. Snopes has determined this to be false, because only Nielsen families contribute to TV ratings.
5. Some religious leaders have called for a fast day on Friday, designating it as a day of interfaith social protest and prayer.
6. Some people are focusing on action: Taking an Oath to support the Constitution as PEOTUS takes his oath; or looking toward the Administration’s first 100 days as “The Big Hundred” – 100 opportunities to do good things in the world. #thebig100 #taketheoath
7. There are “Women’s Marches” happening on Saturday in various cities (and in 57 countries, according to this Vox article). The original and probably biggest one is in DC, but there are 609 others across the country (find a local march here). People are making signs of protest, everything from “tear down the wall around hate” to variations on election buzzwords like “bad hombre” and “we, the pussy.” Some signs available for download/printing are here at Join The Uproar. #womensmarch #whyimarch #jointheuproar
8. People are creating humorous posts around this Inauguration and the PEOTUS, but others don’t think they’re funny, either because they are themselves PEOTUS and tweet about how not-funny they are and perhaps that they are “SAD!” or because they can’t find PEOTUS jokes funny anymore because this is really happening and will be the next four years.
9. According to one report (on Twitter without news source verification), actors may be getting paid as seat fillers for the Inauguration. Actors – and non-actors – are routinely used at awards shows and big events to prevent the visual of empty seats, so if true, this may not be a big deal, unless the number of inauguration seat-fillers is massive (and if it is, we should see more coverage of it unless there’s a massive NDA happening).
10. My dictation tool just auto-corrected “inauguration” to ”me know if you’re Asian,” which sounds racist, probably twice, and also (perhaps) hints at the possibility of a racially intolerant future (but probably it was just an auto-correct).

Whether you watch or not, whether you believe he’s going to make America great again or initiate a four-years-long #TBT in which we all go back to 1955 and tell Biff “hey you, get your damn hands off” Lorraine, as of Friday, the PEOTUS becomes the POTUS, even if you proclaim that he is #notmypresident.

I understand the grief, the palpable feeling of loss, because I’m right there with you. But as with all loss, we need to move forward. He may not be “my President,” but he will be President.

If Trump as President makes you happy (probably a minority of the people reading this, realistically), be sensitive to those who are not happy – not by telling them it’s all going to be okay (even if well-intentioned, this message can seem condescending and dismissive), but by focusing on the importance of your relationship. After this weekend, there will be more work to do, engaging in respectful conversation if you can as we mend the cracks and move forward.

If Trump as President makes you hopelessly depressed or angry, do not take it out on your loved ones, especially those who may feel that this new era brings promise of change and prosperity through disruption.

What this election taught us – well, among many things – is that the country is still divided in some stark ways, instead of being the United entity we’d hoped it would be. Yes, we should write and fight and protest and march for the things we believe in. But we should also try to repair local and familial connections, respecting the opinions of other people when possible, and “agreeing to disagree” when not possible. If we do not care for each other, we will not care about each other, which will fragment us even further.

There’s no question repairing these relationships and moving forward will be challenging, personally, and – in some cases – even morally. And there are those who rail against the incoming reality as if, through sheer force of will and denial, they can change this moment in time to be what they’d imagined: inspiring and hopeful, swearing in the first woman President in our nation’s history, instead of anxiety-laden and anger-provoking as a former reality TV star and longtime symbol for material excess takes office. I admire those who persist, who still believe, who are unwavering. I’m not as strong-willed, or maybe the word is “optimistic.” I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and while I’m still in the “I can’t believe this is happening” camp, I must work to believe it.

I must work toward accepting the new reality – accepting the things I cannot change, at least – and working within that framework, however flawed, to preserve and protect my rights and the rights of all who are threatened by the world that Trump has described for us during the campaign. I hope that good sense will prevail, that once in the seat of power, Trump will use that power to strengthen rather than divide us. I don’t know that he will, but I don’t know that he won’t, because that’s the tricky thing about predicting the future – that we don’t know until it happens. But what I know for sure is that so many of us have relationships that have been damaged by this election and its rhetoric; so now that the election is over, I’m aiming to refocus on personal relationships, respectful conversation (some of which I hope will happen here on GrokNation) and – of course – love.