Why We Need to Have Respectful Conversations with Trump Supporters
Polarization and tribalism don’t help with anything
Now that the Trump vs. Biden rematch is upon us, there is something very important I need to say: let’s not turn it into an us-vs-them exercise. I’ve always been clear that I’m no fan of Trump, and I will never shy away from sharing my opinions in that regard. However, I’ve also said repeatedly, since 2016, that painting all Trump supporters with a broad negative brush is not the way forward. If you are going to condemn someone simply for the way they vote, then you are part of the problem, period.
Divisive statements like ‘all Trump supporters are racist’ are not only objectively untrue, they serve to heighten the polarization, with all the associated harmful effects down the line. In fact, I would argue that such statements have contributed to the toxicity of American politics since 2016, more so than the existence of Trump himself. While I agree that it would be better had Trump not been elected president at all, I still think that the reaction of some who identified as ‘the resistance’ had a more harmful effect than Trump being president itself.
A similar example can be found in Britain, with the Brexit vote (also in 2016) and its aftermath. Brexit probably did more to polarize Britain than even Trump did to polarize America. The aftermath of Brexit saw British politics transformed beyond recognition, as a result. A decade ago, I often said that Britain under Cameron was an exemplar of a healthy, rational political landscape, at least compared to many other countries. In contrast, today’s British politics is truly disappointing. It is dominated by hot-button culture war issues, and extremist narratives and positions on both sides. If you want to see an even more polarized and unhealthy political conversation than what exists in America, just look to the UK.
On the other hand, people can actively make a decision to avoid tearing society apart. For example, in Australia, the progressive side lost last year’s Indigenous Voice referendum. Yet most on the losing side refrained from calling all those who voted ‘no’ racist. Although there were predictions that this could have become Australia’s Brexit moment, it appears that this fate has been avoided. Australian politics has not turned toxic like British politics, despite similarly having gone through a divisive referendum where the Right won. The difference is that the kind of polarization that marked the Brexit vote was clearly not present in this case.
This is why, perhaps, the kind of discourse we see in the next year is going to be even more important than the actual result of the Trump-Biden rematch. After all, administrations come and go, and either Trump or Biden will only be in office until January 2029 at most. On the other hand, political polarization can persist for a long time, and can be very difficult to heal, as post-Brexit Britain has shown.
Originally published at https://taraella.substack.com.
TaraElla is a singer-songwriter and author, who is the author of the Moral Libertarian Manifesto and the Moral Libertarian book series, which argue that liberalism is still the most moral and effective value system for the West.
She is also the author of The Trans Case Against Queer Theory and The TaraElla Story (her autobiography).
