Mo Amer

Resisting in Any Way I Can

I’ve been watching Call the Midwife. It’s a wonderful show with an amazing cast of what seems like realistic people.

The thing I have to complain about is that, in my state of illness, every pain on television feels more real than it should. And this is a show about women giving birth, women having complications while giving birth. It is a show that illustrates our need to support women’s reproductive rights, in detail.

Have you ever had that feeling of hurting when you see someone get hurt? When someone says they had a visceral response and your gut clenches just thinking about the stuff that comes next in their story? Maybe Call the Midwife isn’t the show for me right now, but I can’t stop myself. It’s a really good show.

Plus, there’s nothing else I haven’t already watched on Netflix. I watched six or seven seasons of Drop Dead Diva. I’ve rewatched all the movies on my list including The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, three times. I’ve watched almost all of the standup comedy specials.

It’s a good time for standup comics. When I find one I like, I search for all their specials. My favorite right now is Mo Amer. He’s a Muslim American who lives in Texas, looks and speaks Spanish like a Mexican, travels frequently, and doesn’t have a regular passport because of his route to citizenship. Oh those stories are hilarious.

But they weren’t hilarious when he experienced them. Were they? This man is a testament to the work of a true comedian, turning pain into laughter. These situations had to be frightening, time consuming, and frustrating when they happened to him. So, if you want to learn about racism, xenophobia, and problems with immigration, but want to laugh your ass off while you’re doing it, check him out. My favorite is when he’s in Walmart yelling for his cousin, Osama.

I figure that by supporting Mo Amer, I am furthering my effort to #resist Trump and his awful racism and ridiculous views on immigration. I haven’t been able to support the movement all that well lately because I’m on the couch and slightly high from low oxygen saturation. No, the doctors haven’t figured that one out yet, so pray for me. I don’t want to have brain damage when this is all over.

And after you’re done praying, watch Mo Amer to do your civic duty.

And vote!

You should know that for this critical election, any vote for a Republican is a vote to support the status quo. And the status quo is some crazy fascist shit right now.

So vote and vote wisely.

Thank you for listening, jules