“Don’t Look At Me, I Voted for Kamala!”

Here are 4 reasons why this phrase kind of needs to die

Photo by Gabriel Silvério on Unsplash

In the week since the election, I’ve seen a few ads on social media for apparel sporting the phrase, “Don’t look at me, I voted for Kamala!”

I’ve seen it on sweatshirts, shirts, hats, and I’m sure it’s probably on a sticker or a water bottle or a pillow somewhere too.

It may sound cutesy and fun to don a slogan like this and openly criticize (or denounce) Trump. But the whole thing deeply bothers me.

Let me tell you why.

1. It’s flippant and careless

I’m not a big fan of flippant, careless vibes in times like these. It comes off as very apathetic and privileged — whether or not it’s meant that way.

There’s a lot at stake with the outcome of this election, and people are feeling emotions that are anywhere from terror to depression to despondence to anxiety to panic. To say “Don’t look at me, I voted for Kamala!” feels like invalidation of that vast spectrum of emotional responses people are having. It feels like saying, Meh, at least it wasn’t my fault, who cares. Or, I did my job, so now I’m washing my hands of picking up the pieces.