Today, we have nothing to say. Nothing about film, nothing about books, nothing about television, nothing about pop culture. Last night, we witnessed a disaster of a magnitude that our generations — Gen X, Gen Y, Millennials, whatever — have never had to deal with. Our first black President will be handing over the White House to a bloviating fool whose policies, morals and continued existence on this planet are worthy of nothing but contempt.
No doubt, in the days to come, we’ll find ways to think about what happened last night, ways to engage it, ways to begin to work out how we can live within the parameters that the plurality of American voters has imposed upon us. Art, whether it’s the silliest comedy videos or the most profound books and films, is the nourishment of freedom and resistance — and the common ground that connects different people. We are committed to discussing the creative efforts that give us meaning, help us cope with harsh realities, and dream of a better world.
But not today. Today, our writers and staff will be doing whatever is necessary to deal with this bleakest of dawns. We encourage you, our readers, who we love and value above all, to do the same. Go and protest, go and organize, or just spend whatever time you can with those dear to you. Be kind to yourselves, and to each other. Tomorrow, we think about what we can do from here. Tomorrow, we pick ourselves up and start again. But today, we mourn and we begin the process of reckoning — about how it came to this, and how we can prevent it from happening again.