Halfway Decent Advice

Q.

I am so angry and disgusted by the people who follow Trump in our country. I know there is a right-wing trend around the world. How can we forgive these people? How can we ever forget the racism, misogyny, degradation of our rule of law and societal norms? It started with the MAGA’s hating us liberals. But now, the animosity runs deeper on our side. I don’t see how we can forgive and forget with our former neighbours and friends.

A.

As Michelle Obama said, “when they go low, we go high.”

Ah, the curious case of Donald Trump, it’s pretty amazing how one man can “almost” (and may still do so) break a system. And this system being democracy, it’s no mean feat. It does kinda show the power of greed and capitalism, or, let’s reframe this slightly, like how now self-interest is over-riding the common good

But look, on this advice column platform, it’s not really my place to give personal political opinions, so all I’ll say is that I wish some people would look at this a little more closely. To read a bit more, to forget the conspiracy theories, then to maybe look a little further into the future. Authoritarianism long term, it’s not something that (especially in such a “free” country as America claims to be), damn the future could become very ugly.

Okay, enough beating around the bush. So, how can you “forgive” Trump supporters? Well, to maintain a line of neutrality here, I do think at least to some point you have to observe somebody else’s right to an opinion and ideology – no matter how ludicrous it may be in your eyes. But, with this said, you also have the right to disagree with them, hence giving you the right to your own opinions and ideologies too. And this is exactly hoe democracy works. Which, as a human being living in the first world (which does come with an incredible amount of inherent benefits), this is just a concession that we have to make. Everybody’s voice is equal, but if you feel like you have something important to say (and thus want to try and influence others), you can absolutely speak up too. This is obviously yet another part of the democratic process, only due to some current societal fractures, I would be selective where and in what ways you do this. Sadly.

Still, to really get to the crux of things here, so I don’t think this question is so much about “forgiving” people, rather it’s about seeing people on a human level. Politics aren’t everything. Find common ground, be kind (and “go high”), also know that people’s political viewpoints come from their exposures, ignorance or level of education; and often from their upbringing and/or childhood wounds. And these influences, these are often reflective of current geographical demographics and/or where somebody is born. Which, in my eyes, this issue of political hatred so complex.

Anyway, I don’t really want to say any more than this, but for what I have said I do hope that this has helped. Yep, don’t meet hate with hate