Hasn’t it All Been Said?
Despots and the dangers of paralysis
One of Donald Trump’s most indisputable accomplishments has been to instill a feeling of defeat and paralysis among his opponents. There’s no contributing anything new to this tired conversation about our imperiled democracy.
In each article written throughout his years in office, there’s been a feeling embedded within the words that they might finally culminate in the column that shifts paradigms. Of course, every writer hopes that their piece might be the one to make a difference.
But part of covering life’s most important topics is doing so with the understanding that our words may fall flat or amount to little more than drops in overflowing buckets. If we write with the hope of saying what’s never been said, we’ll fall short almost every time. In the fight against climate change or a political foe, we can’t expect to craft the call to action that will ultimately change the world, nation, or even our home district.
More than likely when we cover the 2024 election, we’ll be a voice in the chorus urging people to vote like the future of voting depends on it. We’ll come up with new words to say what’s already been said about how one of the people running in this election doesn’t believe in the very institution he aims to represent. We’ll find new avenues for…
