I've been disappointed at the state of discourse. Due to the financial incentives driving print and digital media, as well as social media, companies are incented to provide individuals information they want, instead of information they need. This leads to very, very polarized camps of individuals who are increasingly isolated, harboring an "us versus them" mentality. I believe the current administration, despite criticizing the media, fuels these outcomes further, again by forging narratives of winners and losers and loyalists and enemies. People appear less willing to listen and more willing to be combative.

I've found small ways of supporting causes and creating dialogue because the stakes appear to be much higher than they ever were. It's been useful to find a voice that stands up for personal values, especially as a minority. I'm not sure I would've been as vocal, or as involved in my various communities, if the 2016 election had gone in a different direction.

Being cognizant of whether everyone in your various communities has a voice and feels comfortable using that voice is critical. As a woman and a minority, perhaps it was the culture in which I was raised or the way I've been treated, but I have been reluctant to "take up space" in ways I've noticed others belonging to a "dominant" culture don't hesitate to. To the extent that changes in the future, it would be interesting for people later on to know that despite having a number of general advantages (or feeling like you do on paper), it is still possible for people to feel as though they are silenced, or imposing by speaking or taking up space. I'd also like people 100 years from now to appreciate what a nation of polarized individuals, refusing to engage with different views or respectfully listen to each other looked like, and where that brought us. I hope they'll truly learn from it and value honest and respectful conversation, and that they will seek out experiences to interact with people across the boundaries they draw, or are drawn for them.

An emerging consensus of protecting the environment, choosing to be kind, and seeing communities grow. I heard on a podcast that only 19% of millennials responded they would trust their neighbors (compared to 65% of baby boomers). I think the 2016 election changed that, for better or worse. People are much more willing to gather, brainstorm and help create lasting change. I think that'll continue through 2021 and beyond.