1.
Then again, maybe I'm wrong.
"Inequality is a problem." Maybe not. "Climate Change is the major challenge of our time," You whine. "Women deserve equal pay, equal say, and the right not to be groped." Nope. "Racism is horrible. We must overcome." God, you're dumb. "Reasonable gun control is important." You should be shot. "Citizens United undermines democracy." Why not try theocracy? "Every worker deserves to receive a living wage." For a prince, yes, but not for a page. "We need to keep calm." We need to bomb. "We need to fight for human rights!" Especially for whites.
No, no, no. All those responses sound like translations from a foreign language--quite possibly Russian.
2.
What went wrong? The Democratic Party believes in inclusiveness. But maybe it hasn't been inclusive enough.
I saw the electoral maps on TV. In many states, nearly all the counties were colored red. A few islands (where the cities are) were colored blue. The reds were rural and white. The people who lived in the red sea demanded that the waters be parted so that a new Moses could lead the chosen people to the promised land. Trump, the new Moses--OMG!
The Democratic Party practiced identity politics. Many whites, especially working-class whites, felt powerless and left-out. Those are dangerous emotions, both for them and for the rest of us. Their brains had been programmed by years of Republican manipulation: memes replaced analysis; anger replaced sobriety.
The white working-class was dismissed by many liberal pundits as a bunch of racists who couldn't accept diversity. Lord knows, that is indeed a major part of the problem. But the root cause of their despair is a feeling of powerlessness and decline, intensified by memories of the "good old days." When people feel helpless, they seek scapegoats. Since racism is in our drinking water, it's not surprising that they have tried to quench their thirst with that corrosive-filled liquid that is even more destructive than Flint's
I think the Democrats should have stressed that they were on the side of the white working class as well. Instead, they largely ignored them. We all will be suffering from that omission for a long time.
Why should Democrats reach out to a group that is so full of hate? I will give you an analogy. When I practiced pediatrics, I was confronted over the years by many cases of child abuse. A child with a broken arm was found to have healed fractures in other bones, indicating abuse. You of course react with anger, but you do your best to hide it. Let's say, as is frequently the case in very young children, that the mother did it. Before the child is returned to the mother--most abused children, by the way, eventually return to the care of their parent or parents-- you do your best to see to it that the mother's life is improved. Get the child in day care, for instance. See to it that the mother has opportunities for herself, time to unwind, counseling, educational opportunities, etc. In short, when you make the mother happier, you are doing a lot to ensure the safety of the child.
Demonizing the white working-class as a bunch of racist rednecks was a grave mistake. Ignoring them almost amounted to the same thing.
3.
After finding out that Trump had won, I went to bed. When I got up, I couldn't find my slippers. In the dark, I stepped into a pool of cat vomit. As I cleaned off the muck, I thought to myself, "What a perfect way to begin the first day of Trump's triumph."
4.
Too many of us are getting news off the internet. Too many of us listen to those who share the listeners' anger. Too many of us don't read. Too many of us spend far too much times watching TV or streaming movies or playing with mobile devices. Is this the way we get the government we deserve? Yes, indeed.
5.
Has our politics degenerated into a reality show? Maybe it's even worse. Maybe we're part of a minor recitative in a major opera. In Bellini's opera, Norma, the eponymous Druid princess is asked to lead a rebellion against Rome. This being an Italian opera, the audience knows that she is secretly in love with a Roman. She is reluctant to fight against her lover's homeland, and tells the Druid warriors the following: (My translation.)
I am able to read the books of fate,
the name of Rome is written
on the pages of death.
Rome will fall one day,
but not through you--
Rome will be brought down by its own vices;
consumed by them Rome will perish.
Await the hour, the fatal hour
when the grand decree will be accomplished.
I never thought that Norma's warning could apply to us. Although I still hope it doesn't, I am no longer sure it won't.
6.
That's all for today. I need a drink.
Then again, maybe I'm wrong.
"Inequality is a problem." Maybe not. "Climate Change is the major challenge of our time," You whine. "Women deserve equal pay, equal say, and the right not to be groped." Nope. "Racism is horrible. We must overcome." God, you're dumb. "Reasonable gun control is important." You should be shot. "Citizens United undermines democracy." Why not try theocracy? "Every worker deserves to receive a living wage." For a prince, yes, but not for a page. "We need to keep calm." We need to bomb. "We need to fight for human rights!" Especially for whites.
No, no, no. All those responses sound like translations from a foreign language--quite possibly Russian.
2.
What went wrong? The Democratic Party believes in inclusiveness. But maybe it hasn't been inclusive enough.
I saw the electoral maps on TV. In many states, nearly all the counties were colored red. A few islands (where the cities are) were colored blue. The reds were rural and white. The people who lived in the red sea demanded that the waters be parted so that a new Moses could lead the chosen people to the promised land. Trump, the new Moses--OMG!
The Democratic Party practiced identity politics. Many whites, especially working-class whites, felt powerless and left-out. Those are dangerous emotions, both for them and for the rest of us. Their brains had been programmed by years of Republican manipulation: memes replaced analysis; anger replaced sobriety.
The white working-class was dismissed by many liberal pundits as a bunch of racists who couldn't accept diversity. Lord knows, that is indeed a major part of the problem. But the root cause of their despair is a feeling of powerlessness and decline, intensified by memories of the "good old days." When people feel helpless, they seek scapegoats. Since racism is in our drinking water, it's not surprising that they have tried to quench their thirst with that corrosive-filled liquid that is even more destructive than Flint's
I think the Democrats should have stressed that they were on the side of the white working class as well. Instead, they largely ignored them. We all will be suffering from that omission for a long time.
Why should Democrats reach out to a group that is so full of hate? I will give you an analogy. When I practiced pediatrics, I was confronted over the years by many cases of child abuse. A child with a broken arm was found to have healed fractures in other bones, indicating abuse. You of course react with anger, but you do your best to hide it. Let's say, as is frequently the case in very young children, that the mother did it. Before the child is returned to the mother--most abused children, by the way, eventually return to the care of their parent or parents-- you do your best to see to it that the mother's life is improved. Get the child in day care, for instance. See to it that the mother has opportunities for herself, time to unwind, counseling, educational opportunities, etc. In short, when you make the mother happier, you are doing a lot to ensure the safety of the child.
Demonizing the white working-class as a bunch of racist rednecks was a grave mistake. Ignoring them almost amounted to the same thing.
3.
After finding out that Trump had won, I went to bed. When I got up, I couldn't find my slippers. In the dark, I stepped into a pool of cat vomit. As I cleaned off the muck, I thought to myself, "What a perfect way to begin the first day of Trump's triumph."
4.
Too many of us are getting news off the internet. Too many of us listen to those who share the listeners' anger. Too many of us don't read. Too many of us spend far too much times watching TV or streaming movies or playing with mobile devices. Is this the way we get the government we deserve? Yes, indeed.
5.
Has our politics degenerated into a reality show? Maybe it's even worse. Maybe we're part of a minor recitative in a major opera. In Bellini's opera, Norma, the eponymous Druid princess is asked to lead a rebellion against Rome. This being an Italian opera, the audience knows that she is secretly in love with a Roman. She is reluctant to fight against her lover's homeland, and tells the Druid warriors the following: (My translation.)
I am able to read the books of fate,
the name of Rome is written
on the pages of death.
Rome will fall one day,
but not through you--
Rome will be brought down by its own vices;
consumed by them Rome will perish.
Await the hour, the fatal hour
when the grand decree will be accomplished.
I never thought that Norma's warning could apply to us. Although I still hope it doesn't, I am no longer sure it won't.
6.
That's all for today. I need a drink.
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