Creative Anti-Trumpism: We Zig When They Zag
By Saul Idariti, TFP*
Light up the darkness — Bob Marley
Friends, we have all been casting around for a way forward, and the options have narrowed rapidly.
We cannot accept an ideology that we find odious, or policies that we find un-American. We cannot have a second civil war, and carve up our purple America into a red nation and a blue one. We cannot round up all the Trumpers and set them adrift on an ice floe. We have to find a way to relate to them as people, even though we disagree with their worldview.
We are not going to get very far if we set out to change their minds. But this we can do: we can show them, unequivocally, who we are.
To borrow inspiration from our graceful former First Lady Michelle Obama, when they go low, we can go high:
1. When they hurl insults, we extend courtesy. If they call us names like “libtard,” we can address them respectfully, as “ma’am,” and “sir.”
2. When they impugn our character, we respect their humanity. If they deploy ad hominem attacks, and call us buffoons, or liars, condemn us, or attempt to damage our reputation, we use language that shows we respect them as intelligent human beings.
3. When they vow to destroy us, we vow to help them. They have hatred and drama, so we will have compassion and calm, clear minds.
4. When they pass judgment, we present facts. If they throw around a lot of adjectives, like “horrible,” “fake,” and “crooked,” that’s our sign to marshal the best evidence we can find. Adjectives are nothing more than opinions. Evidence is much harder to ignore.
5. When they shut their doors, we open ours wider. If they keep out the press, drive out peaceful protesters, or silence dissenting voices, we redouble our efforts to hear as many perspectives as we can.
6. When they argue with hyperbole, we respond with evidence. We practice transparency and show where, how, and by whom the evidence was obtained. We say it precisely to the degree we mean it.
7. When they cast doubt, we practice due diligence. The difference between doubt and skepticism is that doubt merely assumes guilt; skepticism investigates it.
8. When they generalize, we get specific. If they obfuscate with vague language and oversimplification, we write and speak with clarity, so as to prevent misunderstanding.
9. When they prey on fear, we put things in perspective. We must acknowledge the threats that exist, but we can take great care to show that the world is not “a mess,” that Muslims are not “people who want to behead you,” and that Mexicans are not “rapists.”
10. When they whip up anger, we exude calm. We will not allow them to use our own emotions to manipulate us.
11. When they get myopic, we get back to the big picture. We decide what our priorities are, and we don’t permit their scandals and squabbles to draw our focus from the real work, securing the well-being of our nation.
12. When they try to distract us with circuses, we keep focusing on what matters. We need not react to every tweet, every headline, every angry posting. We can gently return the conversation to the important matters at hand.
In short, it may very well be that the only useful thing we can do to draw our country out of this political darkness is to dust off our own lenses so that our lights may be seen.
We are protesting against the legion of Trump because we disagree with what it stands for, how it behaves, and how it views the world. We need to be clear about what it is we are protesting, and we need to monitor ourselves carefully to make sure that we are never tempted to become the things we despise.
Because if we do, then what light will remain to guide our country out of shadow?
Shine on, my friends.
(*totally fictitious person)
