Now comes the hard part

Making the country a better place starts with being a better American

Photo by Ömürden Cengiz on Unsplash

Welcome to the latest edition of The Blanks Slate!

As we enter the second Trump era, it’s clear that many people feel the need to be outraged at every terrible thing emanating from the administration and its allies. Some may even believe that it is a moral imperative to elevate and condemn each action or utterance on social media because ‘democracy dies in darkness’ or some other discarded aspirational pablum.

Stop contributing to the media doom spiral

I understand the desire, but this is a bad idea on almost every level.

First, there are just too many potential outrages to count. Many of the most ardent MAGA dweebs wear being awful as a badge of honor, so it’s important to distinguish performative flatulence from actual policy. This doesn’t mean pols and their cheerleaders get a pass on bigotry; but not every implied insult is worth all-caps posts going viral on social media. (N.B.: Billionaires close to the administration who came of age in the death throes of South African Apartheid unabashedly using a fascist salute on international broadcasts while spewing forth on the saving of “civilization” clears that bar.)

Second, “owning the libs” is a tactic, not an ancillary feature of right-wing political discourse. Sure, people wear “Fuck Your Feelings” shirts to Trump rallies to get a rise out of their neighbors and feel a part of something on a communal level, but the professional hustlers get money and political capital from causing online outrage. When a congressman introduces a constitutional amendment to allow Trump to run for a third term, it should be treated as the nonsense it is, not pushed on social media by angry Democrats as a sign that the Republicans are really trying to make him dictator for life. The Constitution is in bad shape, but the arduous amendment process hasn’t evaporated just because Trump won the election.

Third, no one is an expert on everything. Breathless and reflexive re-posting of breaking news headlines or declarations of falling skies does not make the underlying issue true. We are all susceptible to hoaxes, satire, and—most dangerously for the most educated and ideologically committed folks—confirmation bias.

Probably because humans learn by pattern recognition, we naturally expect certain behaviors and actions from our ingroups (i.e., friends, family, and perceived political allies) and outgroups (i.e., perceived adversaries and enemies). In plain English, we can put too much trust in people we agree with and tend to expect bad behavior/intentions from people we don’t like. Everyone—and I mean everyone—is susceptible to this. Even if you think of yourself as independent or you hate both political parties, you use this mental shortcut because you don’t treat every new bit of information as fresh paint on the blank canvas of your mind. You do not have the memory of a goldfish.

You have biases; that’s unavoidable and not a bad thing by itself. But the more aware of biases you are, the more discerning you can be when trying to figure out what is important and what isn’t amid a deluge of bad news.

Responsible media consumption

There are more aspects to life than what is going on in the government and country as a whole. If you’re not directly affected by Trump’s actions, I strongly suggest reassessing your media consumption as you might restructure your work/life balance.

Follow subject matter experts and writers you trust, not just those who reflect your disgust with Trump et al. Dispassionate weighing of facts is often a good sign, but sometimes, it’s also a way to mask bias. Outlets and writers that can’t help themselves with “both sides” arguments are usually tilting one way or the other, and a little reading between the lines to find false equivalencies and straw man arguments tends to give the game away. Another clue is the credulous overemphasis on “heterodox” thinking indistinguishable from a reactionary status quo.

Ideologues and activists have agendas, which isn’t disqualifying, but it does mean you should read their analysis with their biases in mind. This is particularly true when some new massive bill or regulation drops, and they react without having read it yet. Sometimes they get advanced copies, but you’ll know if they can show their work.

Following the right people and recognizing biases leads to one steadfast but hard-to-stick-to rule: be patient and wait until more facts become available. Unless a bill is coming up for a vote that day and people need to call congressional offices, your immediate reaction is neither required nor, frankly, helpful to anyone. You don’t owe anyone your outrage or a re-post on your favorite social media. Take a breath, and wait for written news stories and explainers from outlets you trust.

Many people don’t have time or attention span for written news, and social media is set up to push and promote “engagement” rather than absorption. People want to watch their favorite pundit explain it and tell them what to feel about it. Or, just as often, “WATCH THIS CLIP OF OUR GUY COMPLETELY DESTROYING THIS GUY WE DON’T LIKE. #micdrop #resist #magasucks” And most people who consume this sort of information will continue to do that.

But if you want to be better informed and not just outraged, reading good journalism is the best way to do it. (The outrage, I’m afraid, is unavoidable if you’re paying attention.) You can glean a lot from a well-cultivated Bluesky feed of writers, but the best stuff requires clicking through and reading what those writers produce beyond the headlines.

When possible, subscribe to local news and independent subject matter experts over pundits. (Radley Balko has a good list of recommendations here). Also, remember that an editorial board and the news desks at many publications are quite separate and vary widely in quality and integrity between the two.

And to be fair, there are good subject matter podcasts and decent television news shows. But they are the poles of the information problem: issue depth without breadth or several issues without much depth; and neither typically cover local issues, which will most likely effect you and your family. Just like in school, you have to do the reading.

All of the preceding advice assumes having the time and money to cultivate and consume an array of different media. Not everyone has that disposable income or time. However, if you’re doom-scrolling social media, having the time isn’t really the issue; it’s how you use it.

If you are strapped for cash and can’t afford to pay for news, check your local library to see if membership there gets you free access to local or national news sites. Going that route may take a few more initial steps or typing in your library card number into your phone or laptop every day, but free reliable information is an undervalued and underused resource available in this country. (Indulging one of my strong personal biases: SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY.)

Why does it matter?

Unified government doesn’t mean an unstoppable government. Trump is empowered by his office, but also his popularity; he uses the latter as a weapon against those who oppose him, particularly in his own party. Notably, he’s often reversed course when he’s said or done something wildly unpopular, which means resistance and criticism work. He’s unlikely to do a policy 180 like Bill Clinton did after the 1994 election, but opponents need to take victories where they can get them.

Though some partisans and acolytes will back him no matter what he says or does, many Americans will find out that many of Trump’s policies are unpopular for a reason. This doesn’t diminish the damage he can inflict on institutions and individuals in the meantime, but it is an important limit on his power. Harnessing public disapproval can still make a difference.

While the firehose of unlawful nonsense from the administration last week was sickening, there are some remaining institutional and political checks on unilateral executive action. In all probability, most of the awful things will survive in the near term, but some will not. As a practical matter, opponents must marshal resources and energy toward winnable fights, not spew ire at every single grotesquerie.

It’s not very comforting knowing that most fights will be losses, but years of working against a bipartisan status quo on civil liberties and criminal justice provide a certain familiar perspective for the new era.

“What can I do?”

Since the election, I’ve talked to so many people who feel helpless and deflated. That’s understandable, but unless you plan on packing up and moving out of the country—which I also get—your country* needs you.

Yes, you.

Crucially, as activists and lobbyists push back on government policy, everyday Americans must fight back against the cultural effects of Trump’s victory in their own communities.

As we saw last time, Trump’s ascendancy emboldened once-marginalized racists and heightened other cretinous aspects of the American public. Literal parades of wack-ass white boys wearing facemasks and carrying anti-mosquito torches were the most absurd manifestations of the cultural shift to the right. Trump’s pardons of January 6 rioters and his commutations of Oath Keepers and Proud Boys leadership who planned the insurrection make such displays—and attendant violence—more likely. But dealing with these thugs is as much a policy problem as it is a social one.

What happens in schools, businesses, places of worship, and public spaces, however, is where most good people need to stand up. Immigrants and trans/non-binary people are likely most at-risk, but the backlash against perceived beneficiaries of DEI is broad: women, ethnic and religious minorities, the disabled, etc. When anonymous bankers are celebrating the use of “retard” and “pussy” in the workplace as a personal victory, it falls to good people to do what is right.

People often look to D.C. for change, but it’s too easy to miss what’s happening in their own communities. As Ken White put it the day after the election, start out making a small difference:

But nobody’s telling you that you have to fix everything. You can fix something. In Schindler’s List, Stern tells Schindler, “whoever saves one life saves the world entire.” So save the world that way—one fellow American at a time. You can’t stand up alone against all the Trumpist bullies in America, but maybe you can stand up to a few local ones in defense of a neighbor. You can’t save everyone from mass deportation but maybe you can help one family. You can’t save all trans people from the terrible, cynical jihad against them, but you might be able to support one trans person. Start small. Make a difference for just one person. Use the gifts you have. Use your voice.

This isn’t to say you shouldn’t take time to care for yourself and your loved ones. No one can fight all the time and stay sane or human. But if you want to make the country a better place, you can.

Until next time, wishing you peace, love, and soul…

JPB

*I use “American” and “your country” in the most inclusive sense here.