Thank you for this Derek. I just "found you" on Substack. I honour you for taking on studies like this in your fourth decade. I think perhaps one of the differences between you and your much younger classmates, is that many of them may not have yet reached the wisdom to say..."I fully recognize my mountainous ignorance about the human psyche". All the best Derek.
Beautifully rendered, Anna. As a cis white male, there are many lenses through which my privilege doesn't grant a worldview. And based on this limited perspective, my knee-jerk reaction is to assign a large chunk of blame to my demographic - at least those scared of a swiftly-changing nation - for the results of this election.
However, while I could play armchair quarterback all day, the numbers reveal a different picture. Trump won the popular vote by 2.5 points, which isn't huge by any means, but it is explicit. A significant contributor could be that he had some huge turnouts across several minority demographics, including Hispanic/Latino (42%!! voted for him), young people 18-29 (46%), and women (47%).
So, I have to step back and ask myself, "What am I not seeing that the majority of Americans are?”—even among demographics that will be some of the most heavily impacted by his forthcoming policies?
I enjoy Pod Save America's clear-eyed breakdowns, and while there are tons of nitpicky counterarguments, they essentially outline the case that Democrats were destined to lose; there simply wasn't enough time to mount an effective campaign for Kamala.
With that said, old-guard regimes are also falling globally, and politics have been leaning increasingly authoritarian. Citizens all over the world are fed up with how things have been handled politically, especially since the pandemic, while they’re also being squeezed financially from all sides because of inflation. In poll after poll, the economy was the #1 issue for voters this election, and Trump hammered it home time and time again. Essentially, the only thing Democrats responded with was scolding, “Can’t you see this is one of the greatest economies ever?”
Apparently not. Therefore, it seems most Americans—including many that Trump is hostile to—are willing to put their pocketbooks above his many, many faults. And among my mostly conservative friends, they don’t see his upcoming policies and promises as fascism. Or at the very least, fascist-leaning.
All in all, this is an ideal time for me to practice what I preach: to walk the middle path.
However, that doesn’t mean complacency, not standing up for what's right, or not using my privilege to support at-risk populations. Instead, it’s recognizing that I can harness my dissatisfaction (let’s call it what it is: deep anger) as fuel for action, while also refraining from hanging that anger on a politician, stomping my feet, and repeating, “They’re the reason.”
The American citizens have spoken. May we support one another and remain centered throughout the upcoming shitstorm. And use its lessons to ensure it doesn’t repeat.
Thank you for this Derek. I just "found you" on Substack. I honour you for taking on studies like this in your fourth decade. I think perhaps one of the differences between you and your much younger classmates, is that many of them may not have yet reached the wisdom to say..."I fully recognize my mountainous ignorance about the human psyche". All the best Derek.
Thank you, Ian! Grateful to connect.
Thanks so much, Ryan! That's a great quote, and summarizes our predicament perfectly. Please keep up your outstanding work as well!
Beautifully rendered, Anna. As a cis white male, there are many lenses through which my privilege doesn't grant a worldview. And based on this limited perspective, my knee-jerk reaction is to assign a large chunk of blame to my demographic - at least those scared of a swiftly-changing nation - for the results of this election.
However, while I could play armchair quarterback all day, the numbers reveal a different picture. Trump won the popular vote by 2.5 points, which isn't huge by any means, but it is explicit. A significant contributor could be that he had some huge turnouts across several minority demographics, including Hispanic/Latino (42%!! voted for him), young people 18-29 (46%), and women (47%).
So, I have to step back and ask myself, "What am I not seeing that the majority of Americans are?”—even among demographics that will be some of the most heavily impacted by his forthcoming policies?
I enjoy Pod Save America's clear-eyed breakdowns, and while there are tons of nitpicky counterarguments, they essentially outline the case that Democrats were destined to lose; there simply wasn't enough time to mount an effective campaign for Kamala.
With that said, old-guard regimes are also falling globally, and politics have been leaning increasingly authoritarian. Citizens all over the world are fed up with how things have been handled politically, especially since the pandemic, while they’re also being squeezed financially from all sides because of inflation. In poll after poll, the economy was the #1 issue for voters this election, and Trump hammered it home time and time again. Essentially, the only thing Democrats responded with was scolding, “Can’t you see this is one of the greatest economies ever?”
Apparently not. Therefore, it seems most Americans—including many that Trump is hostile to—are willing to put their pocketbooks above his many, many faults. And among my mostly conservative friends, they don’t see his upcoming policies and promises as fascism. Or at the very least, fascist-leaning.
All in all, this is an ideal time for me to practice what I preach: to walk the middle path.
However, that doesn’t mean complacency, not standing up for what's right, or not using my privilege to support at-risk populations. Instead, it’s recognizing that I can harness my dissatisfaction (let’s call it what it is: deep anger) as fuel for action, while also refraining from hanging that anger on a politician, stomping my feet, and repeating, “They’re the reason.”
The American citizens have spoken. May we support one another and remain centered throughout the upcoming shitstorm. And use its lessons to ensure it doesn’t repeat.