My anxiety peaked this morning when the Associated Press called the Presidential election in favor of Trump. I wasn’t surprised by the results, and I certainly didn’t think that he cheated. Instead, I felt massively disappointed and extraordinarily tired.
The primary reason for Trump’s win is a lack of connection, understanding, and empathy between members of disparate social groups in this country. Modern communication methods do not often invite togetherness. Groups of people who truly understand each others’ hopes and fears do not elect selfish, hateful leaders like Donald Trump.
The past eight years have highlighted new or growing challenges with human communication. As humanity builds higher-resolution computer simulations, it becomes clearer that reality is subjective [1]. Emotional, exaggerated language and lies get attention, causing massive shifts in our perceptions of truth. You and I are subject to misinformation campaigns that we may not consciously detect. It takes exhausting effort to break through our hardened exteriors and find the human underneath.
Republicans rely on these overwhelming aspects of society to gain power and control. Our yawning socioeconomic gap will grow. A popular vote for Trump means that a majority of voting Americans feel comfortable with dangerous, harmful forms of classism, sexism, racism, and authoritarianism. This makes me feel afraid. While we can, we must continue to resist such a change and remember our humanity.
I believe it is my duty to use the safety of my privilege to have honest, vulnerable conversations with people, including folks outside my community. This message can be the start of one such conversation; you can DM me to share your thoughts and feelings.
I love you. We’ll be OK.
[1] See “The reflective nature of humanity and the metaverse” by Liv Erickson: https://github.com/misslivirose/unsound-mind/blob/gh-pages/docs/01-07-23.md