Trump Voters Are People Just Like You and Me
Who are you to sit in judgment?
“‘We have some politicians who are good at calling people names, showing a lack of respect for others with a difference of opinion,’ he said. Harsh language might help get candidates elected, he added, ‘but it doesn’t solve any problems.’” — From “A Lonely Holdout Where Republicans Still Resist Trump: Utah, Bolstered by Mormon voters’ distaste for MAGA politics, the center-right is trying to reassert itself in a ruby-red state,” which hit my NYT feed just now. Here’s a gift link.
Solving problems. At least attempting. How refreshing. Something I wish the Minnesotan moron (I just like alliteration) had considered before calling Trump supporters weird. (See my, Weird Should Be the New Normal, Please don’t tell me not to vote for weird — I’m not voting for Trump but please realize you’re offending me and others (here’s a friend link).
Insults — what a great way to win over hearts and minds.
Even worse, sitting in judgment, and worse yet, before the results of one’s actions are known.
I got very annoyed recently by an opinion piece on Medium from an excellent writer, Ben Ulansey, No, Trump Supporters Will Not Be Forgiven
As America’s institutions disintegrate, the room for compromise between opposing ideologies dwindles into non-existence. For a few days, I forgot about his post, to which I had decided not to respond.
While Ben and I are very aligned regarding policies, apparently, we diverge much spiritually despite his much-approved-by-me explorations with DMT and psilocybin (maybe some would relate more to the phrase internally philosophically), which has nothing to do with God or religion.
When I use the term spiritual, I use it in a manner that transcends the binary of theism versus atheism. One can act entirely spiritually with or without a belief in “god,” however one understands that term. Spirituality only requires love, empathy, compassion, humility, honesty, and courage.
As I define spirituality, there is a flip side to the coin and all those positive feelings — accountability, both personally and holding others accountable for their words and deeds.
Yet, judgment has no place. Spirituality abhors judgment, even more than religion abhors spirituality.
“Religion cannot stand Spirituality. It cannot abide it. For Spirituality may bring you to a different conclusion than a particular religion — and this no known religion can tolerate. Religion encourages you to explore the thoughts of others and accept them as your own. Spirituality invites you to toss away the thoughts of others and come up with your own.”― Neale Donald Walsch
Religions and political parties have much in common. Groupthink. Fealty to leaders. Cults the lot of them. See this great post from Mark Scofield:
Today I changed my mind about not responding to Ben. What triggered my change of heart? This quote from the Democratic Governor of Maine in another NYT article (also a gift link):
“‘You must ask yourself: Who and what will he target next, and what will he do,” she said. “Will it be you? Will it be because of your race or your religion? Will it be because you look different or think differently? Where does it end?’”
My first thought upon reading that took me here:
“First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me”
Then I connected the dots to Ben and those in his echo chamber pot calling the kettle black.
Ironic?
Am I connecting dots where lines don’t belong?
Up to the reader’s vision, but I know I am not.
Will it be because you look different or think differently? Where does it end?
This morning I responded to Ben:
“I tried to ignore this shameful post but decided not to. I can’t stand Trump, and the policies of those pulling the strings behind him, but the way you brand all those who voted for him, half the country, as unforgivable is borderline unforgivable. I don’t really mean that. Exaggerating to make a point.
Far-right MAGA extremists didn’t elect him. People only given two choices in our lousy system, who don’t prioritize what you do when deciding whom to vote for, elected him.
I live in a very Trump area. Two days ago I got a ride home from the market from the guy who owns one of the local bar and grills. Watching the news came up, and I said “I don’t watch it much these days, too depressing, I’m not a Trumper.” He said, and I paraphrase, “I served 26 years in the army to defend everyone's [emphasis added] right to their opinion and vote.”
My 19-year-old son voted for Trump. Should I not forgive him, or should I seek to understand why?
You want not to forgive someone, don’t forgive the Democrats for being terrible campaigners and for terrible messaging and for not being able to read the room, and for forgetting that when you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one, or in the case of elections, not even a simple majority.”
Ben replied:
“There’s a path toward forgiveness that exists for me, but the remorse would need to be pretty plain. There’s a very real apology we’re owed for what’s happening to our country right now, and I don’t believe it’s one the majority of his voters will ever offer. I don’t think your son is some twisted person. I think he was manipulated into voting for the bumbling Hitler of our time. He may not be a witting fascist, but he did vote for fascism. And if the country descends further and further into chaos and my right to vote is erased, or my ability to speak my mind is attacked, it will be hard for me to muster much forgiveness for the people who welcomed this attack on my freedom.”
That is where I got really annoyed. And now I see Ben’s reply received many claps, and now I know I did well not to stay silent and to write this post.
Who the fuck are you and those applauding you to judge others so harshly or at all? Owed an apology, which you’ll only accept with what you deem sufficient remorse? What did they do to you? Do you stand in their shoes? Do you know what their lives are like?
How dare you!!!
That’s why you and your cult lost the election to the other cult. (I am a there-is-no card-carrying independent, whose views are left of center. Political parties should be unconstitutional — the framers almost did that).
Where does it end Ben? How are you better? Because your ideas are better? Because you know better? Do you have a crystal ball?
An NYT guest essay, If You’re Sure How the Next Four Years Will Play Out, I Promise: You’re Wrong, has been open in my browser for 3 and a half months, and now I know one reason why:
“Acknowledging that the future is unknowable can bring some comfort when it feels as if the world is shattered. It can also offer a dose of humility sorely needed in a chaotic world…. Even the Cassandras who manage to anticipate extreme events are usually lucky, not smart; they tend to overweigh unlikely scenarios and miss the mark on probable outcomes.
Our struggles to predict the future aren’t limited to events. They apply to our feelings, too. In the heat of the moment, we over-index on our anguish today and underestimate our capacity to adapt tomorrow.
…
Political defeat is an example of what psychologists call ambiguous loss. We may be mourning the death of our hopes and dreams, but it’s temporary. We forget that unlike people, plans can be resurrected. That was true for Trump supporters in 2020, and it’s true for Democrats now.
Pain and sorrow are never permanent. They evolve over time, and ideally they help us make sense, find meaning and fuel change. As the author and podcaster Nora McInerny put it, ‘We don’t move on from grief. We move forward with it.’”
I clapped for a few responses in Ben’s story. Mitch Trachtenberg wrote:
“I try to remember that if I’m going to judge someone, I want to judge them by the values they seek. Because people are different, they will seek different means to sometimes shared ends.
There are people who care only about themselves, and there are more people whose only concern is the well-being of their family.
There are people so convinced of the virtue of some ideology or other that they are willing to sacrifice their lives, or, more often, the lives of others, for their ideology.
And it’s built into each one of us to be convinced we are right, often despite substantial evidence to the contrary.
I don’t understand how an honorable person of reasonable intelligence could vote for Trump, yet I’m convinced that some did. [Ben did highlight that sentence]
We need to balance between holding on to what we believe is right and Zen master Seung Sahn’s instruction: ‘only don’t know.’”
I didn’t fully agree with Richard Clark, at least as far as one can tell when reading comments, but I loved this part:
“So feel free to double down on hate and see where that gets you!”
Which par for the Democrats' course, received a defensive whataboutistic reply from Ben.
“You can tell yourself that we’re the ones doubling down on hate, but it just doesn’t hold any weight for people who are following what’s going on right now. A vote for Trump was a vote for outright fascism. It was a vote for hate and regression, and you won’t be forgiven for it. The idea that we’re the party of hate right now couldn’t be more ass-backwards oblivious.”
No, Ben, by most, it was not a vote for fascism or hate. It was simply a vote for different priorities than yours and mine.
On August 1, 2023, which feels like a lifetime ago, I wrote a poem after whichever indictment had just come down, which I think will conclude my thoughts well:
Please do not rejoice
Tragic day for our nation
Feels like my divorce
How did we get to this point?
How do we together heal?Kool-aid drinkers left and right
Scream into echo chambers
I urge cooler heads prevail
Trust the UniverseCivil War happened before
Oxymoron may again
Extremists will stoke your fears
In the name of GodAsk yourselves upon which feeling to act
Quiet the noise, remove emotion, and discern how to react
Listen to and learn from The Beatles as depicted by Fiona Apple:
As I am not placing this essay behind the paywall, and want to be heard, especially, in the spirit of Argumentative Penguin, by those who may disagree with me, I’m tagging those who responded to Ben’s post or comments thereon and a few clappers I recognize (I thought about tagging all 65 clappers, but that’s too much effort and probably overdoing it): Law and Ordnung | Catherine ~ On Spirits' Wings | John Pearce 🌻 | Shirley Jones Luke | Danny Stoppenbach | David Johnson | Robin Palmer | Julie Lea Blooms | Stefanie Morejon | P Anderson | Political Pat | Lorri Willett Thatcher | Kendalin Jane | Sarah Paris | Richard Lowenthal | David Price (you should appreciate the spirituality) | Marcus113, aka Marc Dauphin, MSM, CD, MD.| Michael Burg, MD (Satire Sommelier) 😬
Peace out, Cub Scouts
In Rama I create, with soul energy surging through my body, inspiring me and breathing wind into my sails,
Further reading:
(Friend Link to the above)
(Friend link to the above)
(Friend link to the above)
