Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Shares A Message Of Hope In Wake Of The Roe V. Wade Decision
As of June 24, the Supreme Court has officially overturned Roe vs. Wade, ending the right to abortions for people across the country. The decision will now come down to the states, and existing laws mean that almost half the states will ban or limit the act of abortion in some way (via CNBC). Needless to say, not everyone is having a positive reaction to the decision. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez knows that her followers are looking for leadership right now, and she's giving just that with an extremely hopeful message.
At the very least, politicians have the job of informing their constituents of things happening in congress. Good politicians keep that contact constant, but great politicians give people the hope that they need to get through really rocky political moves. That's exactly what AOC is doing with her latest social media message to people who might be struggling with the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.
AOC says that we need to 'stick together' and avoid binaries
No matter what side of the political aisle you sit on, it's hard to deny that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is great at inspiring change as well as driving her supporters into action. She doesn't wait for formal press conferences to make her political statements, either. She gets right onto social media and talks directly to people.
"My honest view is that things are likely going to get harder before they get better, and we will need to stick together," Ocasio-Cortez said in a Twitter message. "What is important in moments like these is to not think in binaries. Good/bad. Screwed/not screwed. There is no doubt that things are bad ... And they may likely get worse. But that does not preclude the fact that slowly but surely, some good can be growing as others [sic] things fall apart."
She says that people can 'be angry' but to also 'create good'
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Twitter message came from an Instagram Q&A where someone simply asked, "are we screwed?" While the person could have been talking about, well, a whole lot of things happening in the world right now, AOC's response remains relevant in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision, since the statement discusses taking action in times of change. "It is really about a choice all of us will have to make in life," she wrote. "Will I be a person who is safe and creates good for others? Will I be a person who stands up? ... Or will I just be a passive, 'neutral' observer of it all?"
Her statement ended with an encouragement to balance negative and positive emotions. "You are allowed to be scared. To grieve. To be angry. But you are also allowed to create good, to be soft, and enjoy the small reprieves," Ocasio-Cortez concluded. "Struggle lasts as long as we do."
Some of her followers found the comments inspiring. "I love this, and agree completely. We have the power to simultaneously feel devastated and still hopeful," tweeted a follower. However, others showed frustration with political leaders. "I voted for the first time in 1996, and every election Dems say to vote for them to stop the bad things from happening. And I have, but the bad things are still happening! When will the Dems actually do something?" another follower asked.