We have to fight for what we have: US poet on Trump Presidency

While the prospect of a Donald Trump presidency that is all set to begin today, may sound frightening for most, poet-activist Anne Waldman advises that the way forward is to fight for "preserving the progress made so far, be it through force of law, or through art".
Despite calling Trump the "worst" for being a shape shifter who does not stand by his words, Waldman, a fervent activist, told PTI that she still holds out hope for change.
"Trump is the worst. I mean he is like a shape shifter. You can't nail him down. It is like the last gasp, the last bastion of old white males, of white supremacy and hegemony," she said.

"Because I have been involved in cultural activism, and I have seen change happen - for gay people, civil rights, I have seen how things have changed for the blacks. There is still more to do, but you can drink at the same fountain if you are a black person," she said
The writer, who is attending the ongoing Jaipur Literary Festival here, has been associated with several artistes and poets of the iconic Beat generation -- a literary movement in post World War II in America, which sought to reject traditional narratives and materialism, and also explored spirituality through art.

"We have to fight for what we have because our country is bigger than that," she said.

However, she also warned that change does not come easy, and would not happen overnight.
"The challenge lies in the fact that the planet has limited time. Be it climate change or nuclear fallout, there is very little time. You have to pick your cause. There are so many causes, so many directions to go and what is most important to you," she said.
While apologising to the "younger people" that her generation did not "do more", she took a dig at the incoming regime, saying they "want to take us back to the "confederacy".

"They talk about making America great again but want to take us back to the confederacy. There is incipient racism as we see from the comments on social media.
"They want to take apart the progressive social nets put up by the Democrats. These people are not qualified. These are people who should be in therapy," she said.
Yet, amid all the gloom and doom, she ended on a hopeful note, saying the "influx of diversity" in the US would do the trick.
"They are going to be outnumbered by the all the influx of diversity. I am hopeful because of the people I am associated with in spirit... The artists, the poets...They continue their work," she said.