Yesterday was a day for mourning.
Today is the day that we band together and fight. And Aaron Sorkin's open letter to his wife and daughter is exactly the rallying cry we need.
The West Wing and Social Network writer is famously outspoken when it comes to matters of politics. His TV shows and films pull no punches when it comes to matters of what's right and wrong and, indeed, neither do the actors in those shows and films. All you had to do yesterday was look at the Twitter feeds of Allison Janney, Bradley Whitford and Richard Schiff (CJ, Josh and Toby from The West Wing) to see that Sorkin's political ideals extend far further than what is shown on your screens.
His letter, published in Vanity Fair last night then, comes as something of a galvanizing call to arms for the people of the United States, and around the world, who feel hopeless after the election result.
'Sorkin Girls', he begins, directing his words to his ex-wife Julia Bingham and their daughter Roxy Sorkin. 'The world changed last night in a way I couldn't protect us from... I won't sugarcoat it - this is truly horrible.'
He goes on to say that yesterday's win for Trump wasn't just a win for Trump, it was a win for the Ku Klux Klan, for 'white nationalists' for 'sexists, racists and buffoons', for 'angry young men who think rap music and Cinco de Mayo are a threat to their way of life'.... 'men who have no right to call themselves that and who think that women who aspire to more than looking hot are shrill, ugly and otherwise worthy of our scorn'.
He's got a plan though. And that plan is to fight back. 'First of all, we remember that we're not alone. A hundred million people in America and a billion more around the world feel exactly the same way we do.'
'Second of all,' He says, 'We get out of bed.' He says Trump supporters are looking to see us moping and panicking and 'talking about moving to Canada'. But, he says, 'I won't give them that and neither will you.'
'We'll fucking fight.' He says, addressing Roxy and telling her that this is a time where it's OK to use swear words. 'We're not powerless and we're not voiceless.'
'Roxy, I know my predictions have let you down in the past, but personally, I don’t think this guy can make it a year without committing an impeachable crime. If he does manage to be a douche nozzle without breaking the law for four years, we’ll make it through those four years. And three years from now we’ll fight like hell for our candidate and we’ll win and they’ll lose and this time they’ll lose for good. Honey, it’ll be your first vote.'
'Your tears last night woke me up, and I’ll never go to sleep on you again.'
Read the whole thing in full over on Vanity Fair. Trust me - it's worth it.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.