Quoting myself from a piece first published before the 2016 election and subsequently here (The Donald, The Damage and the Do-Over): http://art511mag.com/2017/06/16/the-donald-the-damage-and-the-do-over/
“I think there is at least a little part in each of us that tries to agree with Trump. Why? Because it’s safer.
“No, not saying that he’s safe to have in office. Rather the opposite, that he is the sort of person we learned very early that it was dangerous to disagree with.”
These were my words in 2016, shortly before the US government embarked on a voyage down the rabbit hole of far-right extremism, featuring a pandemic and leaving us with a firmly right wing, idealogical Supreme Court majority and leading to a coup attempt by weaponized cosplayers.
And it all because THEY…
Time out. The situation is bringing the crazy to all of us. If we all feel unhinged, it is perhaps because we are unhooked from what we thought were safe engines colored Red and Blue driving the trains of democracy in a direction we understood and staying on the tracks with the rest of us as passengers. And it seems both trains are headed straight to a total collapse of our well-being and security and even the climate itself.
But Democracy is by definition not passive, it is the rule of the people by, but it only by, the election of representatives. One can argue that the minority rule enables by the “legal” constructs such as the Senate and Electoral College exist at odds with the notion of the US as a democracy. This goal is also not helped by the dominance of 2 mega-parties that has existed for so long that challenges to it are often automatically called a “third party”.
Back on the trains…. The pattern of passivity will continue as long as people keep buying their blue or red ticket thinking they don’t need to read the fine print to see where they are really going. But the longer the train, the more likely it is to derail. One car decides to change direction and the whole thing stops until it is forced into alignment.
If the madcap civic acrobatics we call politics in 2024 are triggering us to regress into childish behavior patterns, it’s time to inject some sense into the system. If we lose the free press and right to speak to one another without hindrance, it’s not just democracy that’s doomed, it’s people. Because in reality they are the same.
Back to the 2016 article:
But what if both trains ended up at the same station for a stopover. And it’s a hub, for many other lines piloted by different engines in different colors vie for the attention of the riders? So many times, on social media I have heard from international contacts that America needs more parties. And they may have a point, think of how much easier it would be to understand which group you feel aligned with if instead of just Republicans and Democrats being the competitive parties, we had Republicans and Trumpists and Berners and Democrats playing for our affections in the main forum. And that’s not all, parties can address issues. Ideas like Medical Justice, Financial Fairness, Childhood and Education, and a Peace in Practice are all lines that can run through that same station and pick up riders to their desired destinations. Who wouldn’t want to explore?
If this sounds confusing, which is an excuse that will be given by people who enjoy working in the streamlined environment, profit there and don’t want change, relief comes in the form of innovative voting reforms that are already being implemented around the country! Add Ranked Choice Voting https://uniteny.org/issues-advocacy/ranked-choice-voting/ and Nonpartisan Primaries https://uniteny.org/issues-advocacy/open-primaries/ to the mix, and it will elevate the dialogue, increase involvement and interest, and make it even easier for the voter to know what they are actually voting for, with no more fine print sneaking onto the ticket.
“For years I have tried to communicate the notion that what I will call the “vocal right” actually misleads and abuses the public by using a tone of voice and style of speaking that echoes familial bullying of women and young people, to manipulate large numbers of voters into the service of the oligarchy against their own best interest. Most of us learned as kids to shuffle along with at least some of this idiocy because one refused at their own peril, so just give yourself credit for being here. And hopefully learning not to respond to the triggers once we remember we are safe now.”
It has always reminded me of Claude Steiner’s work in transactional analysis, addressing the “Pig Parent” state which refers to a controlling, critical and perfectionistic parental ego state characterized by rigid expectations and a lack of emotional nurturing. The “Pig Parent” refers to a controlling, critical and perfectionistic parental ego state characterized by rigid expectations and a lack of emotional nurturing. It can also perpetuate emotional abuse, neglect and sometimes, physical abuse… is it any wonder that it triggers terrifying emotions?
Fear tactics undermine the adult sense of agency and safety by triggering a childlike reaction. The difference between the sides come down to fear of the loss of the parent authority, the nasty voice so familiar it can soothe the unwary as long as it is obeyed, and a culture of fear (if you get blue party emails you know what I am talking about) of that authority, which is a threat to democracy and hence to people. All the people!
So, when you hear a certain person say that immigrants are eating pets and using a phrase “Our little secret…” which is well known to be used by adults grooming children for abuse, including sexual, and then open a text addressed to you by name “from” another candidate saying that the party is counting on you because you were somehow selected to take a survey, I say again: “Americans, you will not be struck dead for admitting to yourself, or saying out loud – ‘that’s insane.’”