ArtwordBlog

Why it happened

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by

Ronald Weihs

Explanations for the Trump catastrophe are sprouting like weeds, all over the internet, in the newspapers I read (Guardian, Times, Washington Post, Hamilton Spectator), on MsNBC, CNN, and random posts on YouTube. I haven’t seen anything convincing. And I think I know why. The real reasons are not speakable among decent liberal people.

Here’s what nobody talks about, that I think happened.

  1. LGBTQ+ fear. Schools are talking openly to children about sexual alternatives. I personally think this is a good thing. However, I think we underestimate the reaction against it. Parents are afraid that one day their child will walk in and say “the teacher says I’m a girl/boy.” They’re even more afraid that they won’t be told. Reassurances don’t matter. The fear is visceral. It has led to a widespread increase in home schooling, and in rejection of federal support for education. All this is amplified by the issues of participation in sports, and in who gets to use which washroom.
  2. White privilege. The trend lately has been to insist that White people are all guilty, whether they think it or not, of racism, simply by virtue of their “whiteness”. It is a very bad idea to make someone feel guilty, because they will inevitably close up and become hostile. It is a super bad idea to do this to an entire group of people. Especially if they are privileged. Do it at your peril.
  3. Save the middle class. This has to be the worst slogan anyone ever invented. Nobody loves the middle class, not even people who are in it. In the USA, to be middle class is to be a failure. Americans are rugged individualists, on their way to spectacular success, or crashing into splendid ruin. If they are struggling, they have to try harder. It’s up to them. Class conciousness belongs to the working class, but that’s a Marxist idea, so no one can mention it (except Bernie Sanders). It used to be a truism that, unless you were a capitalist, if you worked for someone else, you were working class. Now, according to the Democratic Party, everyone is in the middle class, but a middle class that can’t pay the mortgage. How dreary. Trump will make you “Great Again”. Harris will cement you into your dreary middle class life.
  4. It’s the economy, Stupid. People don’t understand the economy. When people talk about it, they feel stupid. They don’t get it. (Full disclosure: me too.) When it gets explained, they tune out. They like it simple: “It used to be Great, now it’s Awful, I’ll make it Great again.” Anything more complicated is breath wasted.
  5. You can’t say that! They talk about “freedom of speech”, but you can’t say anything these days. There’s all kinds of words you can’t use, ideas you can’t utter. Jokes you can’t make. (Except on social media, of course.) If they catch you, you can lose your job! If you find someone (e.g., a woman) attractive, keep it to yourself! (Especially, keep your hands to yourself, you creep!) And then this guy Trump comes along, and he says anything he wants! He doesn’t care. If it comes into his head, it comes out of his mouth. He lies. He makes stuff up. He’s crude. What a relief!
  6. Trump is a really bad guy. He’s allowed to be. He is a Master. Ask Nietzsche. He’s bound by no law, no morality. Americans love their heroes, their Rambos, their Gordon Gekkos. They are expected to transgress. Trump treats women badly? They probably aren’t good women anyhow. Porn stars. Fashion models. Actresses. Does he cheat in business? That’s how you get ahead. Is he a criminal? How fascinating! His bad behaviour has nothing to do with us ordinary men and women. He probably doesn’t notice us. What a guy!
  7. Women should control their own body. Obviously. So why did so many women vote for Trump? I’m guessing that it’s because they don’t feel that they do control their own body. They aren’t career women, independent, trying to break a glass ceiling. They are wives and mothers, or aspiring to be so, and their sexual activity and options are within the family, and subject to its values. They think the right to an abortion is not about them (until it is). Denial is a powerful thing. And then, we come back to point 1. Does her daughter have the right to choose?

I suppose there were a lot of people who cared about the economy, child tax credits, expanded health care. These people voted for Kamala. The others didn’t vote against Kamala based on those issues. They voted for a “Great America”, with a Master in charge, and an end to their guilt and fear.

Comments

4 responses to “Why it happened”

  1. Colleen Harrison Avatar
    Colleen Harrison

    Last week many got up and were shocked. What the hell happen? I wondered what are they thinking? Why would they want someone like that to represent the USA? Some of it was financial. Many will make tons of money when the enviromental laws are rolled back. Are the american people stupid or gullible? Some maybe. But the answer is no. It is the way the American people see themselves. They see themselves as a people who are heroes going around the world, sorting out other countries. They see themselves as the greatest country on earth. They refuse to look at the ugly side of their macho society. They refer to themselves as living in the greatest country on earth. Take a look at New Zealand. A after a mass shooting they were able to ban automatic weapons in weeks. After Sandy Hook the USA was able to move on. Business as usual afther the slaughter of 20 small children in their school. The most important thing is having a gun. It is a macho society that can’t seem to ratify women’s rights. They talk religion and shooting their enemies in the same sentence. They are racist and misogynist. At least half of the voting citizens proved that last week. There are a lot of really good Americans but the other half. Not so good. It will probably be a few generations before they take a good look at who they really are.

    Reply
  2. Ronald Weihs Avatar
    Ronald Weihs

    There is some truth to what you say. However, I believe that the population of the US does not divide into good half and a “not so good” other half. The left has been too quick to throw around the labels “racist” or “misogynist”, and the result has been to solidify the polarization. In the election, many people voted against their own interests (as they will find out soon enough). Why would they? Because they felt belittled and insulted by a Democratic Party that told them what and how to think, and what they could and could not say. Trump, an intensely angry and resentful man, provided an outlet for their resentment.

    Reply
  3. Pip Avatar
    Pip

    Here’s some of Robert Reich’s thoughts, which seem similar, don’t they? :

    Democrats might reconsider their use of “identity” politics (in which people are viewed primarily through the lenses of race, ethnicity, or gender)

    Democrats must no longer do the bidding of big corporations and the wealthy. They must instead focus on winning back the working class.

    Only by reducing the power of big money in our politics can America grow the middle class, reward hard work, and reaffirm the basic bargain at the heart of our system.

    Robert Reich

    Reply
    1. Ronald Weihs Avatar
      Ronald Weihs

      Yes, Pip, Robert Reich is right about many things. However, I believe that the problem goes deeper. In fact, the Democrats in the last campaign moderated their identity politics considerably. It was too late. The progressive movement had fragmented itself, identifying common-held attitudes as unthinkable and words as unspeakable, alienating and angering people who should be allies. No one likes to be told what to think. No one likes to be bullied. That goes especially for the working class, who value their dignity. Shame and guilt doesn’t cut it. The phrase “winning back he working class” reeks of condescension. Yes, big money is a huge part of the problem, but honest and straightforward communication would go a long way. Calling a spade a spade, i.e., calling a worker a worker would be a good start. “Save the middle class” indeed!

      Reply

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