For most of my life I haven’t been a very political person, mostly because it doesn’t affect me personally to a large degree. But last night I couldn’t sleep. The reality of Donald Trump as a candidate for President disturbs me greatly to the point where I feel compelled to speak. Truthfully, I don’t see this as a political issue. It’s not a Democrat vs. Republican thing – Trump is neither. It’s not about partisan politics or gridlock, it’s not about fiscal conservatism vs. liberal activism, it’s not about economic advancement vs. social justice. It is, quite simply, about right vs. wrong.
Trump is not running a political campaign. He has no clear policy positions, only vague notions that change repeatedly, largely dictated by what he thinks the audience wants to hear. He is running on a much simpler message, one designed to tap directly into the emotions of the listener without engaging any thought. He reaches the crowds with an acknowledgement: I understand. I understand you are frustrated; that the world has not been fair and that your life is not as safe and bountiful as you feel it should be. In that he is correct. We all feel that way. It’s totally natural and human to need validation, to want to the world to be as good as we remember it, to expect the world to be better for our children. There are many difficulties in life and it feels good to have someone in power acknowledge that. But that’s only the start.
Once faced with that reality, with the recognition of hardship and the longing for something better, Trump appeals to a primitive and fundament aspect of human nature facing danger – it’s us vs. them. He calls to rally ‘us’ by pointing out the danger that the other represents. Whether it’s the Muslims who threaten us Christians (ignoring the millions of decent Muslim Americans and over a billion peaceful Muslims across the globe). It’s the Mexicans who threaten us real Americans (ignoring the tens of millions of decent Hispanic Americans), the immigrants who want to take our jobs (ignoring the fact that we are all immigrants except for the native Americans who don’t enter into the discussion). The Chinese, the Iranians, the women who dare to question our white male leaders – they all pose a threat. In the end ‘us’ represents a relatively small group of people, but each and every person can identify some group they belong to and some other group they can villainize. It’s natural and instinctive, but it’s wrong.
It’s the separating of groups that leads to repressing the rights of others. It’s lead to slavery, to genocide, but also to simple stratification of society. It dehumanizes minorities of any stripe and suggests that we can raise ourselves up by pushing others down, but in so doing it lowers the bar for all humanity.
For what accompanies Trump’s appeal to division is a call to violence. How often has he expressed a desire to punch out, a wistful longing for the days when we could prove our right through might. That manliness is represented by talking tough and insulting anyone who disagrees. It’s an immature response, the kind you see from a teenage boy complete with bragging about penis size, calling women ugly, and mocking the disabled. Again, it has nothing to do with political parties but everything to do with base human behavior.
While its appeal can be strong, and I understand how easy it is to give in and wish for that simple solution to all our very real problems, we owe it to ourselves and our future to be better than that. A small amount of reflection and cursory review of history shows us that such a path leads to chaos and disaster. No good has come from spewing hatred and sowing dissent.
I believe people are capable of compassion. If we reject that notion that ‘they’ are the problem and understand that we are all in this together - that if we turn away from violence and accept that peaceful solutions will require hard work, compromise, and a less than ideal solution - then we can make progress as we have over the past century and a half. Even if we return to the bitter stalemate of Republicans vs. Democrats, it will be better than a descent into the anger and frustration that fuels Trump’s movement.
I urge everyone to take a moment to be political because politics will affect you this time around. Take a moment to think about what kind of human being you want to be and what type of world you wish to live in. Consider how far you want to divide up ‘us’ and how many people will be standing next to you vs. on the other side of that wall.
I’m angry. I’m frustrated. Life isn’t fair and I deserve better and I see a world filled with people who are not like me – people who make different choices, worship a different god and have a different belief system. People who are angry and frustrated because life hasn’t been fair. In that I recognize my own humanity in them. I want better for myself and that means I want better for them. I want life to be fair for a straight white male like me, so I want it to be fair for all of those with darker skin, a different gender identity or sexual preference, or even a different political preference. I will not hate them. I will not accept violence as a solution. ‘Us’ includes only myself or it includes everyone. I’ve made my choice and I hope for all our sakes that enough of us will choose love over hate while a choice can still be made.
