Something’s been simmering deep inside me for a long time, something important and not very pleasant. It got pulled to the surface last week by Sara Amis. Writing on Facebook, Sara said:
For many years, I was driven by the belief that the world could be a better place and that it was my duty and obligation to contribute to making it so.
I’m not sure I believe that any more. The combination of Trumpism, people’s horrifying reaction to Covid, and the general descent into *waves hands* all of this, plus some personal stuff that happened before all of that, broke me.
I’m perfectly aware that history is full of horrors. I just thought we’d managed to improve, a little, and that therefore things could get better.
As the Quakers say, this friend speaks my mind.
I started writing a description of “*waves hands* all of this” – I got about 800 words into it and realized I was replowing too much old ground. You know what I’m talking about – a litany of horrors isn’t helpful. But I need to talk about what’s bothering me.
The soul of America is rotten
It starts with something I said the day after the 2020 election: the soul of America is rotten. There is no other explanation for 74 million people experiencing Donald Trump day in and day out for four years and still voting to re-elect him.
We’re seeing the same rottenness with the Covid deniers and the anti-vaxxers, with the non sequitur rants against Critical Race Theory, assaults on voting rights, harassing trans kids, book banning and book burning. It’s what’s behind assaults on flight attendants, assaults on teachers, and assaults on the very concept of public education.
It’s primary season here in Texas. None of the Republicans are talking about school funding or healthcare or the power grid that failed last year. They’re all talking about “securing the border” and about “fighting Biden and Harris.”
I’ve never heard candidates promising to fight a Vice President before. Wonder what’s different this time?
When people show you who they are, believe them
And what’s our reaction? Too many of us think James Carville spoke the eternal truth in 1992 when he said “it’s the economy, stupid.” We blame our current situation on the very rich exploiting the poor and middle class. The very rich have much to answer for, but 74 million people didn’t vote for Trump because they were duped by his empty economic promises.
They voted for him because they liked the way he governed.
They voted for him because he hates the same people they hate.
There were no unemployed coal miners in the January 6 insurrection. There were a few quacks like “Q Shaman” but mainly it was ordinary people like small business owners, lawyers, and retired military. People who could afford to take a couple days off to go to Washington.
People for whom the system already works.
And yet they feel so threatened by cultural diversity and social progress they were willing to buy into his lies of a stolen election and tried to overturn the results.
Progress is neither continuous nor inevitable
I understand that the myth of progress is a myth, both in the sense of “a story to live by” and in the sense of “a story that’s not factually true.” Still, Western culture has made significant progress over the past 300 years or so. Over the past 150 years this country has ended slavery, recognized the rights of women and racial minorities, decriminalized same sex relations, and then in 2015 recognized the right to same sex marriage.
In 2015 it was easy to think while we still had a good ways to go, the arc of the moral universe was bending a lot more sharply toward justice, and that progress was going to continue.
We all know what happened in 2016.
Martin Luther King Jr. said “it may be true that the law can’t change the heart, but it can restrain the heartless.” Now those restraints are being lifted. The damage is done – the courts belong to the conservatives for a generation. Gerrymandering and voter suppression are limiting the ability to correct that through legislation.
So is the fact that more people are heartless than I ever imagined.
An agenda to return to the 1950s
I hear some of you saying “you’re just mad because your team is losing.” I’m a democratic socialist – I have no great love for the Democratic party. I also recognize that a significant number of people in this country prefer a more conservative approach. I’m nothing if not a political realist and I can live with pro-business Republicans even though I will never vote for them.
I can’t live with people who promote lies, suppress teaching actual history, try to criminalize providing medical care to trans kids, and who call discrimination “religious freedom.”
It’s not that my preferred economic and political policies aren’t as popular as I wish they were. That’s cause for a bit of sadness and a recommitment to the political process.
It’s that the agenda is being driven by people who hate those who aren’t like themselves and who aren’t willing to go one step out of their way to help others, unless they themselves get to decide who’s worthy of help; people who are trying to drive this country back to the days when straight white Christian men ran the show and everyone else knew their place.
We aren’t as far removed from George Wallace (the 1963 version), Joseph McCarthy, and Plessy v. Ferguson as we like to think we are.
And I don’t know how to deal with that.
What did you expect?
Part of me says “what did you expect?” I’ve been telling people we’re in the beginning of a long descent for over a decade now. That was never going to be a gradual dismantling of empire and a series of green glowing birds. It was always going to be difficult and painful.
I suppose I thought the battle lines would form according to economic class. I thought the culture wars were over except for cleaning up. Clearly, I was wrong.
I hope things get better with the November election. But history says the party who holds the White House usually loses seats in the midterm elections. There are some viable Democrats running here in Texas – including Beto O’Rourke for Governor – but people have been talking about Texas turning purple since I got here in 2001 and it keeps not happening. Worse, many of the pro-business Republicans are being primaried by Trumpists.
Perhaps the election will go well. Perhaps Brett Kavanaugh will find a conscience. But even if the less evil people win, the beliefs and ideologies that led to Trump will still be there. Trump is a symptom, not the cause.
I’m going to be an engaged citizen and do my best to help things turn out for the good, but I’m not optimistic.
We aren’t alone
Sara Amis said she’s having “an ongoing crisis of faith in humanity.” I’m not sure I ever had much faith in humanity, but I’ve always felt like things were getting better. And now they’re not, and it looks like much more than a temporary setback.
I really don’t want to fall into despair.
I’m encouraged by the fact that while 74 million people voted for Donald Trump, 81 million voted for Joe Biden (who was my last choice in the primary and who is an imperfect President, but who is light years better than Trump). 24% of eligible Americans aren’t vaccinated, but 76% are. When a local school board banned Maus, interest zoomed and people made copies available to those who could no longer read it through their school.
I truly believe there are more good people than bad people in this world (yes, I’m fully aware of the problems with such binary distinctions) and while that doesn’t guarantee that everything’s going to be OK, it does mean we’re not alone.
Let’s put our trust in each other
On numerous occasions I’ve encouraged people not to put their trust in politics. Politicians will always disappoint you. Even the good ones will dig their heels in when they should compromise, and they’ll compromise when they should stand firm.
Instead, let’s put our trust in our Gods and ancestors. Let’s put our trust in each other.
Take care of yourself, and take care of those around you.
Pay attention. The environment is different in Texas than in California. Mainly it’s different in the suburbs and rural areas than in the cities. And never forget there are good people in every state, every city, every neighborhood. Each of those also contains people who mean you harm, or at least, who don’t care if you live or die. Pay attention and take necessary precautions.
For years I’ve been telling people “you won’t get through this alone.” That always annoys those who, out of preference or out of circumstance, are alone. That doesn’t make it not true.
I’m starting to understand that means me too.
Accept reality and then deal with it
That’s all I’ve got.
I do my best to be the voice of reason and to keep my head while others are losing theirs. I do my best not to drag others down with my venting. But this isn’t venting in anger. This is a step on the path to accepting that the future isn’t going to be what I wanted it to be, what I hoped it would be, what I genuinely thought it would be.
And when we accept reality, we can begin the process of dealing with it.
Blessings and good luck to you as you navigate these difficult times.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In