An Atrómitos Series
Worried. Tired. Frustrated.
5 Reflections On Our Current Reality
The Atrómitos Founder’s Letter, normally written by its Founder, Michealle Gady, for this short series, members of Atrómitos were given the platform to speak up on issues important to them. These are their words.
From 2009 to 2010, I worked as Health Counsel to a Member of Congress.
This means that I ate, lived, and breathed the Affordable Care Act (ACA). My boss was a Democrat from Texas (yes, those exist), and he was deeply committed to the passage of the ACA because he knew the positive impact it would have on people, especially in Texas. He was vocal and consistent in his support.
Enter the Tea Party
His event during August recess was the first of many events in which, deeply misinformed and intentionally misled, protestors loudly expressed their opposition to the bill. These protests moved to Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
The vitriol and seething undercurrent of hate and violence of these protests shocked me. People spat on a genuinely good man, Congressman John Lewis, and shouted racial slurs. It reached the point where, for my safety and peace of mind, I did everything I could to ensure that there was no indication that I worked for a Member of Congress when I traveled to and from work.
The hate and anger weren’t just outside of the office, however. Every day, a dentist in the district faxed a hand-drawn picture of Hitler and wrote hateful notes—every day for months. I received calls from people in the district shouting hateful and threatening things at me.
Every day I thought, WTF is going on?
Then, one of the scariest moments in my life happened. During a key vote on the ACA, while my boss was on the floor of the Capitol voting, Tea Party activists descended on our office. It was late, so the only people in the office were me and my colleague, the front desk receptionist. The activists banged on the door, shouted hateful things, and shoved written threats of harm and death through the mail slot. I locked the doors and called Capital Police.
Then I sat there listening, scared and confused, and thought, WTF is going on?
It’s been 13 years since the ACA became law. There have not been any death panels. US citizens did not have their insurance taken away so that it could be given to undocumented immigrants. Seniors on Medicare have not lost their benefits. All the evil and terrible things that were promised did not happen.
What did happen, though, was a fundamental shift in the rules of public discourse. Civility and mutual respect have been replaced with hostility and aggression. Informed dialogue over ideas and policies has been replaced with ad hominem attacks. Violence is tacitly – and sometimes overtly – approved, if not outright encouraged.
That night, 13 years ago, was the first surreal time that words failed me, and I could only think, “WTF is going on.” But it has not been the last time. Maybe it’s the weariness that comes with age and experience (and let’s be frank, recent years have thrown a lot at us), but I find myself wondering this every day now.
LGBTQ+ people are under attack. Women are left to die rather than given the healthcare they need. Our children are dying from gun violence. Racism and xenophobia are rampant.
Every day I ask, WTF is going on?
I keep trying to understand because if I understand, I can do something to make it better.
As part of my effort to understand, I reached out to my colleagues and asked how they feel about what is happening in the world. Are they, too, asking WTF is going on? The response was a resounding yes.
Because I find writing a valuable exercise in working through an issue troubling me, I offered my colleagues the Founder’s Letter platform to write about an issue important to them. Below are their stories.
An Atrómitos Series
Worried. Tired. Frustrated.
5 Reflections On Our Current Reality
The Atrómitos Founder’s Letter, normally written by its Founder, Michealle Gady, for this short series, members of Atrómitos were given the platform to speak up on issues important to them. These are their words.
From 2009 to 2010, I worked as Health Counsel to a Member of Congress.
This means that I ate, lived, and breathed the Affordable Care Act (ACA). My boss was a Democrat from Texas (yes, those exist), and he was deeply committed to the passage of the ACA because he knew the positive impact it would have on people, especially in Texas. He was vocal and consistent in his support.
Enter the Tea Party
His event during August recess was the first of many events in which, deeply misinformed and intentionally misled, protestors loudly expressed their opposition to the bill. These protests moved to Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
The vitriol and seething undercurrent of hate and violence of these protests shocked me. People spat on a genuinely good man, Congressman John Lewis, and shouted racial slurs. It reached the point where, for my safety and peace of mind, I did everything I could to ensure that there was no indication that I worked for a Member of Congress when I traveled to and from work.
The hate and anger weren’t just outside of the office, however. Every day, a dentist in the district faxed a hand-drawn picture of Hitler and wrote hateful notes—every day for months. I received calls from people in the district shouting hateful and threatening things at me.
Every day I thought, WTF is going on?
Then, one of the scariest moments in my life happened. During a key vote on the ACA, while my boss was on the floor of the Capitol voting, Tea Party activists descended on our office. It was late, so the only people in the office were me and my colleague, the front desk receptionist. The activists banged on the door, shouted hateful things, and shoved written threats of harm and death through the mail slot. I locked the doors and called Capital Police.
Then I sat there listening, scared and confused, and thought, WTF is going on?
It’s been 13 years since the ACA became law. There have not been any death panels. US citizens did not have their insurance taken away so that it could be given to undocumented immigrants. Seniors on Medicare have not lost their benefits. All the evil and terrible things that were promised did not happen.
What did happen, though, was a fundamental shift in the rules of public discourse. Civility and mutual respect have been replaced with hostility and aggression. Informed dialogue over ideas and policies has been replaced with ad hominem attacks. Violence is tacitly – and sometimes overtly – approved, if not outright encouraged.
That night, 13 years ago, was the first surreal time that words failed me, and I could only think, “WTF is going on.” But it has not been the last time. Maybe it’s the weariness that comes with age and experience (and let’s be frank, recent years have thrown a lot at us), but I find myself wondering this every day now.
LGBTQ+ people are under attack. Women are left to die rather than given the healthcare they need. Our children are dying from gun violence. Racism and xenophobia are rampant.
Every day I ask, WTF is going on?
I keep trying to understand because if I understand, I can do something to make it better.
As part of my effort to understand, I reached out to my colleagues and asked how they feel about what is happening in the world. Are they, too, asking WTF is going on? The response was a resounding yes.
Because I find writing a valuable exercise in working through an issue troubling me, I offered my colleagues the Founder’s Letter platform to write about an issue important to them. Below are their stories.
Freedom From Fear
Tina Simpson, JD, MSPH
School shootings are not uncommon in the United States. The child’s youth is not even all that unusual (although the clear intentionality is). In 2020, guns were the leading cause of death for children over a year old in the United States, per the CDC.
Xenophobia in America
Kate McNulty, MA, CHC
I’m a first-generation American. When the opportunity arose for my paternal grandparents to flee with their children to America, away from their financial struggle and the fear they were living with, they took it without hesitation.
Attack on Trans Care
Liz Church
Fifteen years ago, I was sitting with my sibling, who suddenly expressed that they didn’t like being a girl. Rapidly going through early puberty, faster than I did, the struggle they faced left them heartbroken about their body’s change.
Culture Wars
Peter Freeman, MPH
Culture Wars – and the vigilant defense of human dignity, opportunity, and freedom is important. It’s important to realize that polarization and warlike demarcation zones can hold us back and limit what is possible.
Racial Inequality
Lavondia Alexander, RN, MSN, MBA
We all remember Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, right? These examples of the mistreatment of Black people highlighted the racial injustices in our nation. While there has been a lot of change in America around the attitudes, equality, and advocacy for Black people, has it really changed to the extent it could have?
So, Where Can We Go From Here?
“Knowing how important it is for people to speak up and speak out to achieve change, I invited members of the Atrómitos team to write about an issue that is important to them, one that is central to the well-being of our communities…”
So, Where Can We Go From Here?
“Knowing how important it is for people to speak up and speak out to achieve change, I invited members of the Atrómitos team to write about an issue that is important to them, one that is central to the well-being of our communities…”