When the world's biggest loser won the election, my faith in humanity lost a little bit of its shine. It sucks to think that this is who we are, or at least forty-nine percent or so of the American electorate who even bothered to cast a ballot.
It would be easy to think that the voters who opted for this vile, despicable turd see something of themselves in him, that they too are illiterate, egocentric assholes who covet his gilded toilet and hate anyone who exposes their own insecurities. That, however, is an unfair oversimplification, as I know a lot of people who voted for the orange fascist felon, many of whom are intelligent, generous and kind. None of them are billionaires, but you probably already knew that.
It's hard for me to reconcile that people I know and love voted in support of hatred, ignorance and regressive politics. But hey, at least he doesn't laugh like an actual human being, right? In fact, I don't think he is even capable of humor, only cruelty, and somehow that's not a giant red flag for people.
Nonetheless, when I speak cordially to voters of the red-hatted persuasion, I generally find that we aren't all that different in most respects. I would even say that we have far more in common than otherwise, and many of these people I have known for a very long time. Believe it or not, in my experience, many of them are truly decent human beings, albeit easily manipulated by propaganda.
I think that the key difference between my left-leaning friends and family versus those who lean to the right is essentially a difference of perspective that varies from idealism on one end of the spectrum to cynicism on the other.
In my own view of human nature, I am an optimist -- even now. I believe that most of us are fundamentally good, whereas it seems that many of my Republican friends and family would argue the opposite. Personally, as a scholar of humanity and a card-carrying member of the human race, I see civilization as being precisely what allows us to not only survive in the face of extreme adversity, but even thrive for tens of thousands of years. When people come together for a common good, we are all better off. If the totality of human existence has one important thing to tell us, that would probably be it. That, and if we don't adapt to an ever-changing world, we will inevitably go extinct.
I believe in helping those who need help, no matter the reasons behind their suffering. I also believe that democracy and government can and should be tools for the people to achieve and maintain a higher standard of living for all of its participants. I recognize that many people are drawn to careers in public service because they genuinely want to serve the public good. Not all politicians are greedy, corrupt sociopaths. Two misanthropic elections in recent years are not enough for me to abandon my belief in humanity's better nature. I do, however, worry about the future that we are creating and the trajectory that we are now on, in a society where sociopathy is increasingly normalized, even celebrated.
When I ask some of my friends and family how it is that they are willing to overlook all of the countless shortcomings of a man with zero redeeming qualities, the common refrain is that all politicians are like that. They are all crooks and liars, so why not? Sure, he says terrible and idiotic things all the time, but the assumption is that everybody else just thinks these things, whereas he "tells it like it is."
I find such a sentiment to be incredibly disheartening, rooted in a toxic stew of cynicism and apathy. Not once have I ever thought that this man speaks for me or represents any of the values that I hold dear. It is painfully obvious that he is only in pursuit of his own interests (i.e., money, power, and staying out of prison), and frankly, anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional and/or tragically misinformed. Pretending to be a successful businessman on a reality TV show does not qualify a person to make important decisions for the rest of us. He is all of the worst characteristics of humanity stuffed into a bloated sack of shit, the antithesis of ideal in every imaginable way.
I usually keep that last part to myself, but in spite of my general restraint, these conversations that I have with my friends and family, of course, lead nowhere. Nobody wants to admit that they've been conned, over and over again, just as nobody wants to believe that they are part of the problem. A lot of people seem to think that fascism is fine as long as it doesn't affect them personally. Meanwhile, the billionaires continue to pick our pockets and get us to blame each other for the theft. Distract, divide, and conquer. To be cynical is to be complicit in the whole destructive enterprise. It is the ideology of whatever.
It pains me to say it, but cynicism now rules the day and may very well lead to the end of democracy as we know it. That is not hyperbole. These are not liberal tears, for it is basic human decency that I mourn. The public institutions of a functioning democracy have historically been fueled by an intrinsic belief in our benevolent nature, the idea that together, we are stronger, and that we can always improve upon the past by learning from our mistakes. Without that hope, that optimism for a better tomorrow, then a better tomorrow will never be.
We can and must do better. Resist fascism, oligarchy, and kakistocracy. Reject cynicism. And if the opportunity ever presents itself again, please embrace empathy and vote for a common good.
It is not too late to recognize that our common humanity should rightfully supersede any blind allegiance to a tiny, terrible man who only cares about himself. I still believe that collectively, we are better than this.
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