I spent the past few weeks sick of watching MSNBC and CNN, sick of listening to NPR and various podcasts. The very name of Trump or of MAGA made me anxious. I just knew in my heart of hearts that Kamala was not going to win. It doesn't matter why I thought it, just suffice it to say that when I woke up at 6am and drove to work (listening to NPR) I was not surprised at the outcome; surprised at the sweep Trump and Republicans made, but not surprised Trump won.
I'm not a fan of Trump. He supposedly said back when he was still a Democrat that if he ran for office it would be as a Republican. It's a falsehood that he called Republican voters dumb. Still, he left the DNC for the GOP and cleaned house. I hoped during the first term that he would pivot center or even back to his old self -- pro choice, not anti-gay, you know, not hateful. I wish he would pivot center this time. But I think he is surrounded by those who would not let him if he wanted to.
If you're a woman, a member of the LGBT populations, a person of color, you may be offended and feel threatened by the vitriol that has not only come from Trump, but his supporters and sycophants in the GOP. It's only logical to be afraid. There are some pretty radical hate groups who support Trump and he refuses to distance himself from them. He courts strongmen like Putin and Ping. Then there was January 6.
But instead of crying about it, I don't feel much of anything. I voted Democrat. No junta showed up at my door yanking me out of my home for voting that way. That doesn't mean the potential for such a thing isn't there, but we aren't there yet.
Look, our country is a pretty centrist country. People live in progressive bubbles and are annoyingly surprised at how most of this country is NOT like them. Racism is part of our core. The Patriarchy rules. We can try and fight it all we want to but this crap is old, and we are naïve to think that decades of activism is going to undo centuries' of xenophobia, racism, and millennia of patriarchal structures. Power has been consolidated to a select few. The tax burden is on the workers of this country. The rich manipulate the rest of us to fight over resources when they gobble said resources up themselves. This isn't new. The Puritans persecuted the Quakers. The Irish hated the Italians. Everyone treated blacks and indigenous people poorly (even many Quakers). Each group that "makes it" in American society seems to adopt this xenophobic strain that runs deep.
That also doesn't mean we have to accept it, but I sometimes think that there is this unrealistic expectation that we are going to socially progress rapidly, when rapid progression usually results in backlash. That, too, doesn't mean we should not fight the fight, but I guess in my mind this is another setback in a struggle that has a long time ahead of us.
So, I sat in a meeting for worship last night where some Friends were in tears, some Friends were angry, lashing out at all of the racists who voted for Trump. Yes, overtly racist people voted for Trump. The DNC is full of liberal racists too. Quakerism is full of racists too. Wagging tongues and pointing fingers is not a good look, and while I understand the anger and frustration, people are complicated and vote the way they do for more than one reason. And let's not forget the media that many of the MAGA supporters watch. They often don't see the same side of Trump that the media we watch shows us.
I could guess and surmise why people voted the way they did but it comes down to many of those same people who voted for Biden either didn't vote or didn't vote for Harris. Basta! It's the economy and immigration, guys.
Our coalition of ethnic, gender and sexual groups is a fragile one. Brown skinned immigrants, many of whom are Muslim, threaten the white patriarchy that is North America and Europe. So there will be people opposing immigration for racial reasons only. One might argue that because many parts of our coaltion are religiously conservative, this also threatens liberalism (look at what happened in Hamtramck, MI when liberals helped a Muslim majority get elected then the council turned around and banned gay pride flags on city property). Liberals have been used to a coalition that supports each other because each member group is picked on by white conservatives. That's not to say that there aren't liberal immigrants, but I'd be curious what the stats really are.
LGBT, racial groups, religious minorities, we all have banded together because we have a common opponent. Only, now, this coalition is fracturing and shifting. The same people who support gay marriage can be opposed to certain aspects of trans rights. Many ethnic minorities are socially conservative. They hold their noses when working along side LGBT people. They may not agree on abortion rights. When it comes down to it, the very racism that has been rampant among white liberals is now coming home to roost. Liberal policy was made by and for white people with perhaps some input from black and brown Americans. Over time, however, we have seen how white supremacy has hurt the progressive cause. Conservatives see it. They've called us out on it.
So we have this loose, fracturing coalition that did not hold together enough to beat Trump. Fear of immigrants, of crime, and economic insecurity drove Trump into the White House, while we got side tracked on social issues. Identity politics isn't playing in our favor anymore. People see rising debt, increasing prices, emptier bank accounts and are afraid. Trump played to those fears. Democrats didn't answer with much that was convincing.
So what do we do, those of us who didn't vote for Trump? First, we take care of our own. We need to be there for our LGBT friends and family who got raked over the coals this election cycle. We need to support our immigrant neighbors and let them know we are there for them, whatever that looks like. We can continue to advocate for policies that expand freedoms and build wealth and opportunity. But we also need to listen. There is a huge portion of this country who are fed propaganda that drives their actions as well. Relationships are the key. Ghettoizing ourselves and withdrawing from challenges and people who are unlike us only exacerbates the problem.
Not everyone can do this. Not everyone is called to be a prophet and those who are are often despised in hometown family. Not everyone is called to be a pioneer in communities that otherwise would not welcome them. I spent my entire adult life among Quakers who didn't like Christians (and yet I was one) and Quakers who didn't approve of my sexuality (but approved of my theology). I've been among social conservatives and liberals. I hear them talk about each other usually ignorantly. But I felt called to be where I was, a sometimes faithful servant of Christ who happens to be gay. Or a gay Quaker who happens to be a follower of Jesus.
So, I've been on the receiving end of judgment and discrimination in the Religious Society of Friends. So it's really rich when I hear Quakers calling out people who didn't vote like them. Righteous indignation isn't a good look on anyone. Doesn't mean they're wrong in their assessments, but it also means it's time to look within.
And that's where i am now. It's time to regroup. What actions am I taking that contribute to everyone being able to pursue life, liberty and happiness? What actions am I taking or have I taken that prohibit said pursuit? How am I contributing to the great divide? How does my community do the same? I think it's time to look at our own house before casting stones at others'.
Yes, lots of racists voted for Trump. Yes, they're threatening the social safety nets that are in place. Yes, many are aggressively anti-choice and anti-trans/gay. But the lesson I've taken in life is first to make sure I'm not a hypocrite in my judgments. If I am, to fix that. And then to form relationships with people who are open. Eventually people accepted me because I'm gay, though not all. Eventually people accepted my Christianity (though not all). It's time for me to go within, to listen to the Voice, and see what it would have me do. It's not time to call names and judge.
So I won't tell my friends to get over it. That would be callous. But I feel like saying it. Instead, it's time to take stock, to get my house in order, and be ready for what God would have me do.
Trump one. It's ok, Friends. For now.
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