Choose Your Avocados Wisely…I am clear-eyed and resolved on how to go forward
Well, as I write this, it is a week after the November 2024 US elections. We have been through a time, a journey, an intense campaign for truth and the needs of healthcare, education, housing, women’s rights, rule of law, civil rights and genuine decency. From my perspective it’s not with a happy ending. My most significant candidate didn’t win, more on that later. What has been the most important take-away for me is the clarity I now have. I am clear-eyed and resolved. I am more confident than ever of who I am, what I believe, what I am willing to do, conversely what I am no longer willing to do, who I want to associate with and who I will give up my last nickel for.
Maya Angelou told us many, many times: when someone shows you who they are, believe them. Well, America’s values have been shown and I believe it. I think it is useless, not productive and just plain not truthful to utilize the statement, “this isn’t who we are” when wishing to confront the racism, sexism, homophobia, and misogyny that we see every day in America. It is who they are. It is America. It is white people, more than half of them. It is even Latinos who have become citizens of this country, more than half of them. As Kendrick Lamar said, “They not like us.”
Latinos who immigrated to this country and voted for the convicted felon who has utter contempt for them but they claim to have voted for his appearance of strength and the lies he put out … all of which were easily disputed if they had cared about the actual issues. As Kendrick Lamar says, “once upon a time, all of us was in chains. Homie still doubled down callun us some slaves. No, you not a colleague, you a colonizer. The family matter and the truth of the matter, it was God’s plan to show y’all the liar.” When their family and friends get impacted by the policies to come, will they then still be comfortable with the decisions they made.
To further understand Latinos, I turned to Paola Ramos, a journalist who covers Latino issues for Telemundo and MSNBC. She says that Latinos in America have become Americanized. A large majority of them don’t see themselves as immigrants. They have been here for such a period that they believe they’re in a different category than Latino immigrants now entering the country. She said that is largely the rationale behind their voting, (albeit for a con man who has promised to not let any more of their people in). Their values have changed to be more like white Americans and they’re resentful that new immigrants are encroaching on what is now their adopted country.
I suggest you consider reading Ms. Ramos book, “Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America,’ which was recently published in September 2024. It’s educational. Ms. Ramos also helped uncover for an MSNBC story that Glenn Beck and Republican evangelical Christians have been financing major recruitment of American Latinos. Yes, that Glenn Beck who was on Fox News. Republicans used religion to help pull many Latinos to the far right. It is incredible that they voted with and feel allegiance to someone whose only religion is to honor himself. Well, the 2024 election shows the results of their work. And even the Colonizer showing his true feelings at the Madison Square Garden rally wasn’t enough to sway them away from him and Republicans. These Latinos believe their Americanness, their fidelity and opportunity in America will be better served by shutting the door on any more coming in.
That’s where we are.
So, hence this edition of my podcast has me centering on the thought, “Choose your avocado wisely.” While this might feel like just an ethnic connotation, let’s just to be open to what happened, why and where it leaves us. The 2024 elections remind me of that fruit, yes avocados are fruits not vegetables and our way forward might be guided by the advice of “choose your avocados wisely.”
Let me provide some context on avocados for this analogy. Avocados are largely grown in Mexico but also very significantly grown on the South America continent in Colombia, Peru and Chile. And maybe to your surprise, China began cultivating avocados in 2017. As an aside, be aware that Republicans focus on China for politically expedient reasons, an ally of Russia. Is it a coincidence that most of the immigrants the Republicans have condemned are from South America and Mexico … not likely and it doesn’t seem coincidental that the voters who moved to the far-right side with the Colonizers came from South America and Mexico.
Now, just a few words on avocados themselves. Historically, avocados were considered to impart strength during the Aztecs period and were deemed sacred. In fact, during the period before Columbus, tributes to the Aztec empire could be paid in avocados, that’s how revered the fruit was. Fast forward a few thousand years, avocados are all over the USA. It took longer for avocados to expand to Europe and Asia.
Once cut, avocados go from perfectly green & ripe to a mushy mess that spoils quickly. Their shelf life is short. Hmm, that sounds like what we might expect from the new collaboration that has brought the country Project 2025. How quickly will the constituents who elected the Chief Colonizer see their avocado (collaboration) get fully exposed and mushy. We will see.
Back to the analogy, the current situation makes me think it could be useful to think about avocados to understand the present moment and guide us forward. My advice is to choose your affiliations like choosing an avocado. When choosing an avocado, know that when it feels firm or hard, it isn’t ripe yet. And the harder an avocado is, the longer it will likely take for it to ripen. If an avocado feels soft, it’s overripe and you should avoid it. As an aside, an avocado doesn’t ripen on the tree, they only start to ripen once they are picked. So, when choosing an avocado, it’s best for it to notbe rock hard or too overripe. My mother would appreciate that philosophy for life.
There was a hard-core message from Republicans, in fact their message was very direct on who they are, what they value and who they value. American Latinos thought what was being said about immigrants and deportation wouldn’t apply to them or their families. In talking to journalists and pollsters, the American Latinos expressed that the negative views about Latinos and immigrants was all directed at someone else, not them personally. And yet the lies and fears that were peddled by Republicans looked overripe, worn-out, and used-before-stereotypes.
When choosing an avocado, be mindful of the blemishes. Many bruised spots or places where the avocado is soft will mean it’s not going to taste good, especially if it is past its prime. The Chief Colonizer had multiple bruises, felony convictions, bankruptcies, business failures, long trail of lies, and he constantly spewed hate and was most certainly past his prime. Yet, the majority of white women, white men and Americanized Latinos chose him.
America your values were revealed by the 2024 federal election, and it turns out it was kind of like choosing an avocado. Time will tell how good it is but for sure the shelf life of good taste isn’t long.
I also don’t want to lose the obvious fact that a woman, a very qualified woman, was not voted for in favor of a man. The clear message from white men, white women and Latino men was “women shouldn’t apply for President.” The 2024 election wasn’t 2016 with Hillary but at least now we know it wasn’t Hillary’s emails; it was that Hillary and Kamala are females. To have elected Trump, a person extremely flawed, problematic, with a proven track of what he did that hurt our country, and a clear vision of what he values to go forward … versus the other candidate, a woman, who had an unblemished record of service, the only candidate in history who had already served in all three branches of government, had thoughtfully proposed plans to lift everyone, to support families, seniors, women’s health, housing, education and the climate. We saw a repudiation of truth and actual plans. Instead, lies, fearmongering and concepts of terror. I believe at its core, it was bro-mocacy versus democracy. The bros won. I saw journalists interview white women who said they didn’t think a woman should be President, that a woman wouldn’t be strong enough with foreign leaders. Wow.
During a post-election appearance on MSNBC, Professor Eddie Glaude says we’re a country of selfishness and white freedom. This country bought into a con job and smiled all the way to the ballot box. Professor Glaude said there is a sense that whiteness is under threat, and he thinks that was at the core of the 2024 election. This is who we are so we should face that. Glaude says the reality of the United States of America is people don’t want to say what they believe, that whiteness matters and the threat of it was central to their vote. They didn’t tell pollsters, but their vote was their voice.
Anyway, where to go from here. Here’s the advice I’m taking. What matters most to me is where I will direct my energy. I matter, my family matters. So, I’m taking another look at where I spend my time and who & what I pour myself into. My money and effort will be spent in a way that reflects my values, me, what my family needs, and those who have shown they value what I value. This is how to own my own authentic power.
Maybe you should do the same. Look at the places where you spend your time and your money. Prioritize based on the places, organizations, and people who show they value you and value those who you are closest to. Get off autopilot and check it out before you keep doing what you’ve been doing. The 2024 election showed me that people and organizations revealed what they value, and they acted accordingly. We should now heed the lesson of the results.
Some say it’s not polite to ask how someone voted, that it should be personal yet at the same time people will tell you “It’s not personal” when they voted for someone who is vastly opposed to your being. However, the answer to that question tells their values, priorities and core character. I no longer wish to tolerate in a friend what I wouldn’t vote for in a candidate.
Make the effort now to find out & confirm who shares your values, collaborate with and associate with who shows up for your causes and your people.
Be clear on you, who you really are, what your values are, who matters to you and as situations come up, choose your involvement the way you would choose an avocado: “when choosing an avocado, it’s best for it to not be rock hard or too overripe. Be wary of the blemishes.” Once exposed to the air, it might get mushy. And lastly, remember it has short shelf life but the implications of what you consumed may live longer. Be sure you’ve chosen wisely.
I am clear-eyed and resolved about my values and I’m not too interested in compromising or continuing to ride along with people, companies and organizations that don’t align. For the greater good, I encourage you to consider doing the same.
I will wrap up this with the lyrics from a song titled “Look Up” by the artist Daley:
“I wish that we could face
The things that hold us back
Before we fade to black
Instead we choose to chase
The things we know won’t last
There’s so much we lack
But something keeps me hanging on
Those words that we don’t say
They make the biggest sounds
They call us out, yeah
Cause there are quiet truths and pains
But still we love somehow
something keeps me hanging on
Yeah some feelings just never go, so
Look up.”
Thank you for listening. Always own your own power and you
will win in all ways.
