Election Reflections - Some Random Babbling

I often write as a way of processing things; be it random philosophical inquiries, family and emotional dilemmas, understanding of certain behaviors. It's something I started doing in college and haven't stopped since. Much of that relates to why I started a blog in the first place all those years ago, though much of what I write - short reflections, random thought quotes, poetry - never makes it to this blog. But over the years, I have occasionally written about politics, and after last week's election result here in the United States, I feel the need for more processing that the act of writing can provide, as haphazard and unconnected and rambling as it is sure to be.

As I sit here typing this, I'm not sure of what to add to the multitude of things that have been written in the last week, many of which I have read. Donald Trump is going to be the next President of the United States. Its not a sentence I ever wished to be factual. I've always thought of myself as someone averse to hyperbole, but I have found it difficult this past week to not attach hyperbolic thoughts to what a Trump presidency will mean. For me, the campaign Trump ran represents the opposite of my idea of America and its constitutional ideals. The racist rhetoric; the gloating of misogynistic behavior; the complete utter disregard for facts; the meanness; the complete and utter lack of qualifications and experience.

When it comes to politics, I generally never worry about policy differences when it comes to candidates and elected officials. I focus on intelligence and character. My reasoning - any person possessive of intellectual rigor and solid character can have their mind changed on policy; in fact, such an individual would gladly do so in favor of a better idea, a better solution, a better way forward. You can reason and discuss and respect such an individual, despite the difference in policy preference. With intellect and character, though, such cannot be changed. A person, particularly as someone eligible for President, is who they are going to be, for the most part. If they feel like their wealth and power gives them the right to take advantage of those "beneath" them (as Mr. Trump's boastfulness of his misogyny makes clear that he does so believe), its not going to change upon reaching  a certain age. If they don't care about facts and knowledge (as Mr. Trump apparently doesn't, calling climate change a Chinese hoax and proudly proclaiming that he doesn't read books), there's very little chance of even being able to engage in conversation that could change his mind. so, with Mr. Trump, we get a President with apparently little of both qualities, which means there's little chance he compromises or changes his mind on much of anything (which cannot, in any way, lead to good governance). Couple this, particularly his apparent aversion to learning new things, with his thin-skinned nature in responding to criticism, makes me cringe when I think of him having the power of the State as his disposal.

But, Mr. Trump will be President, and with the aching sense of dread I have for what it means for the country I love, I'm somewhat at a lost of how to engage with this future (particularly with my strong desire not to engage in any course of action that will normalize Mr. Trump's rhetoric and actions). There's what feels like a constant pull of competing ideals and philosophies tugging in different directions - the desire to avoid anxiety and seek happiness in life; the duty and obligation to be an informed citizen; the acquisition of knowledge; engagement in civil dialogue. The past week, reading news stories have left me feeling a invasive sense of anxiety; the faith in our system of governance has been rocked, and I worry about the tests our constitutional republic will face over at least the next 4 years. I feel a duty, both in a civic sense and in a moral sense, to stay informed, educated, and knowledgeable about matters of public import and current events. But I wonder about the ability to do so, in today's instant media world, and maintain any sense of calmness and peace. I worry that the act of staying informed results in a threat to living with happiness and being free from anxiety.

This cannot, in my opinion, be divorced to how news and information is consumed in today's world (and I know that many people have already written about the possible connect between this and Mr. Trump's election). Social media has made everything instant, everything in the moment. If one has even the slightest worries or fear of missing out (FOMO), social media can be addictive (and is often designed to be addictive). But in addition to making everything instantly pressing, it reinforces our echo chambers and confirmation bias. As I've shared before, we don't have to confront people with different ideologies (or even different "facts"), we just unfollow or unfriend. And while this happens on both sides of political thought (see - right is to climate change and left is to vaccines), this past election seemed to exacerbate those impacts on the right. As some stories this election season detailed, if one only gets their news from Facebook and Twitter, and is unable to discern the difference between credible sources and non-credible (and already has a pre-existing bias against the media establishment [who is always liberal conveniently enough]), they can end up believing things that are divorced from reality. And in those situations, how do you even engage in conversation. For example, for the individual who believes that President Obama was secretly a gay muslim, that Michelle Obama was actually a transvestite, and that together they had kidnapped their children, how do you have a conversation about the actual impact of the ACA, let alone climate change and foreign policy?

I don't know the answer to that question. I don't know if it even needs, or deserves, an answer. What I do know, that for me, this has made me question and reflect on how I consume news and how I engage (or don't). Typically, I have been a vociferous consumer of news via my Twitter feed, but I rarely engage in political conversation that might lead to disagreement or conflict (I have enough "conflict" or argument in my job; and, as shallow as this may be, I have not wanted to potentially damage any relationship over "ideas"). Reflecting now, I think both those things need to change.

Being informed is important, but distancing such actions from the moment may lead to less anxiety, and a better ability to avoid the "Twitter attention span" and remain focused on more substantive issues. Reading weekly magazines and periodicals that provide longer reads and analysis seems like an obvious solution here, and one I think I will enjoy immensely. As for engagement with others despite disagreements, its still a difficult proposition.

My background in philosophy embraces the high purpose of dialogue and debate, but its only effective if all parties to that dialogue and debate are interested in truth. That's the case with philosophy, but rarely so with politics, it seems. Politics always seems to be about each party just saying what they want to say, without real listening and engagement. But, perhaps, this is where philosophy can inform the political discussion. Socrates knew he was right in all of Plato's dialogues; but he never said so, he just asked questions. Perhaps its time we all did some more questioning in our political dialogues. Engaging with others with facts and knowledge they don't have but contradicts their existing view will likely result in them just rejecting the discussion outright. Asking others to answer for their own beliefs and "facts," to make them critically examine such ... well, it feels like it has a chance. And ultimately, if we are unable to even engage in conversation, I'm not sure much else in the political realm will matter.


"Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look and do nothing." - John Stuart Mill

"A society without the means to detect lies and theft soon squanders its liberty and freedom." - Chris Hedges

"Convictions are more dangerous foes of truth than lies." - Friedrich Nietzsche