Based on last week's events, it's obvious that our country is in trouble (even more than we previously thought!)
We are very divided, by geography, by education, by gender, by race, and more.
While we could argue the merits or perils of such an arrangement, we operate in this country basically with a two-party system, and you are essentially left with two viable choices in voting in most (at least national) races, if you want your vote to count.
The extreme wing of one party wants to give everyone publicly funded health care, education, equal treatment under the law, and to protect the environment ("SOCIALISTS!" some people say with fear). Last week, the voting base of the other party sent an armed militia (instigated by the current president) into the Capitol building looking for bloodshed and to overthrow the government because they believed (because they were told) that the recent election results were fraudulent and shouldn't be certified. We all claim to be patriots who love and want the best for our country, but these are not morally equivalent "extremes."
I know some intelligent and kind people who have identified as Republicans and dislike Trump but find Democratic policies or politicians somehow too problematic to be able to vote for "the other side," even with our current (and, thankfully, soon-to-be-former) president and everything he stands for on the ballot. While I might still have respect for them and the way they live their lives as individuals and wouldn't have thought their personal voting patterns to be relationship-deal-breakers in the past (as it never was even a topic of conversation and I sincerely didn't know how they voted, although I'm sure now that we voted extremely differently!), I have more and more seen how their political views have become directly (and indirectly) harmful (frankly, downright offensive) to the fabric and systems of our country and its people and thus hard to see their actions as consistent with good conscience. I am sincerely wondering where, after the events of last week, they stand (but I'm actually a bit too scared to ask as I fear they haven't moved much). Where is the line, and has it been crossed (as it apparently hadn't been in November 2016 or November 2020)? Will it ever be crossed?
While I have tried to still pray/care for and continue to engage with some of them through common ground, despite the disappointing choices they've made (either by action or inaction), it's proven quite difficult for me in recent years based on who has been holding the power and who has been inflicting the damage. I am in a much better emotional space since the election in November (and again this month in Georgia), relieved to admire the people who are now called to lead our country, and so much of my existential anxiety has been lifted in recent months and I feel less exhausted by the prospect; however, I'm still very troubled by some of the moral bargaining that these individuals have made and I'm not sure what I can /should do in this realm. Do we continue to have tough (but respectful) conversations about politics and ideas and try to listen but also try to be heard? Do we just sweep it all under the rug ("not talk politics") and ignore our differences, as they seem irreconcilable? Do we step away, and let people go because of the marked dissonance we feel about what their views indicate about the content of their character? Do we try to "stick around," praying and hoping people will come to different conclusions on their own terms and let current events stand for themselves, while trying to serve as consistent moral examples (and trying not to say “I told you so”)? Blog-ranting (another way of shouting on the internet, which I realize that I'm doing here again!) is obviously not the solution either (but writing is weirdly therapeutic for me, especially when we can't always articulate things out loud/face-to-face without hurt feelings/confrontation).
It's extremely hard to change people's minds, as the pull of political "tribalism" overrides most people's courage at thinking and acting independently from many in their communities and support systems. I do worry a lot about the future for children growing up in such environments--the children of small towns in Red America, full of white people, who aren't exposed early in their life to people of different shades, backgrounds, viewpoints, and religions (and even when their parents may claim to “not be racist” but vote the way they do to end up upholding white supremacist systems). Some may see other parts of the country/world via travel and/or go away to college. Many may not. And so the divide gets bigger, and views, multiplied over generations, get more entrenched. The (now) "minority" feels forgotten and increasingly victimized... and this is where we get as a country.
Facebook, and social media in general, is good for virtual connections in many ways but is also problematic for many reasons (I don’t use Twitter, Instagram or any other accounts other than FB). Viral videos or statements and the dark corners of the very accessible internet undoubtedly contribute to the spread of dis- and mis-information (the former being intentional and more malicious, the latter less insidious but with similar outcomes), and allowed the type of organizing that right-wing terrorists used last week in the Capitol Insurrection, as evidenced by the companies of Twitter and Facebook reactively suspending the President's accounts (which should have been proactively done a long time ago!). Our biases and perceptions of the world are confirmed by those we consider "friends," as we can conveniently unfollow or ignore people who don't share our values (and can be shocked by election results that don't follow our perceptions of what "most people" think).
People can be mean on the internet, and lies and "alternative facts" propagate wildly, leading to large groups of people believing in conspiracy theories, even though (to them), these things feel like absolute truths. I have been conscious to disengage some from social media (especially with regards to political or negative posts) more lately because it tends to bring me more anxiety and anger than joy much of the times. I don't get in Facebook discussions anymore (or at least don't pay attention to people whose views I find offensive), even when information is false. Nevertheless, there is a lot of shared solidarity from my current (remaining) on-line friend and family group (and, admittedly, great memes!) in such turbulent times, and I wanted to share something my cousin shared on FB, which really struck me and which I'm glad I read. Unfortunately, I don't know the original author.
"Huge numbers of our population believe in a complete alternate reality. Alternate facts as it were. But just as intensely as I believe they are deluded, they think I am the one who is deluded. Maybe I am. So how can I be confident in my perception? It can be quite difficult, but I have found that in times of political confusion, particularly when emotions are running high and creating tunnel vision, the presence of Nazis can be an extremely helpful indicator.
If I am attending a local demonstration or event and I see Nazis, Neo-Nazis, casual Nazis, master race Nazis, or the latest-whatever-uber-
It is tough to argue moral equivalence when I am standing next to a Nazi.
Look to my right. Is there a guy wearing a 6MWE (6 million wasn’t enough) t-shirt? I am on the wrong side.
Look to my left. If that guy is wearing a Camp Auschwitz t-shirt? Wrong side.
Are Speakers being applauded for referring to things that Hitler got right? Wrong side.
Team-spirit face paint and hat with animal horns? This is actually an unclear indicator that could mean anything, but safest to keep my distance from that guy anyway, even at a football game.
However, I can always, always, always rely on the presence of Nazis as a guiding light through a fog of disinformation. Some things are relative, and politics can absolutely have its opposing sides and grey areas. But sometimes evil and good are absolute. As are the lessons of history. So, just look for the Nazis, and make your own decisions."
The House of Representatives voted to impeach the President (for the second time!) yesterday, with a few (ten, which is ten more than the previous party-line Impeachment) Republicans joining the Democratic majority in the affirmative decision (NO other U.S. President has been impeached twice). I don't agree with these GOP members' political viewpoints or behavior in the past, but I applaud them for their political courage in this moment in putting country over party (especially as their physical safety may be at risk due to the angry and gun-loving members of their own party), despite the fact that removing this president from current and future office for sedition could be the way Republicans recover some of their credibility after an atrocious record over the past few years. It may arguably also be the smarter political move in the longer term, as the figure they held as their savior has lost the party the House, Senate, and Presidency. We will see what the Senate does (I, and many other progressive parents, would relish telling my kids in the future why Mike Pence was president for two days, but feel that Senate Republicans breaking rank to convict the president prior to next Wednesday is pretty unlikely). We will see what future elections hold or how this party and its members will be judged.
I wonder-- in twenty years, where will we be as a country? Will we have more viable political parties, or will we have reformed our current parties in other ways? Will we be more a progressive free democracy, or will we have slid into authoritarian rule? Will we be more interconnected, or more isolated? Will technology help us, or drive us further apart? To those current or former Republicans, what will you do because of the Nazis in our country? Will you have stood with (excused, sympathized with, stayed silent on behalf of, voted with) them, or, like some brave individuals did during the Holocaust, will you have actively joined the resistance going forward? Will you have wished you had done more to de-radicalize your neighbors? What legacy will you leave for your children and grandchildren, and what side of history do you want to be on?
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