I’ve been dizzy over this. Silent and then words come like a firehose and then confused and sa
I’ve been dizzy over this. Silent and then words come like a firehose and then confused and sad. I get overwhelmed by how little I understand. How half of our country supported a science denier, a conspiracy theorist, a misogynist. Why? Because he promises jobs for those left behind by progress. Coal. Oil. Bringing factories back. Keeping immigrants out. He promises a conservative Supreme Court. . The ‘coastal elites,’ who work in the new economy and live in multi-colored communities… cannot fathom how someone like Trump could inspire 50% of America. They cannot even role play and imagine, because they live in a different world. They say 'ditch coal.’ They say 'ditch oil.’ They say 'factories are dead, get a different job!’ They don’t understand. . The 20th century brought millions of white-Americans out of agrarian poverty into the middle class: with factories, with coal, with oil. These things gave flesh to the American dream, and 'hard work’ changed your family’s future. But these companies never belonged to the employees. They belonged to the shareholders, and cheaper labor could be found overseas. The American Dream wasn’t serving the bottom line, so millions were left behind. . And as we fetishized innovation and the future, the hard working average American was laughed at. And they organized against the enemies of a life they once knew: globalization, environmental regulation, and immigration. These things have taken away their livelihoods, or at least that’s how they feel. And when you can’t feed your family, you don’t care about recycling, or polar bears, or Syrians. You can’t empathize with complex things you can’t see. You’ll chop down every last tree to feed your kid… unable to see your own doom. Especially when you’re scared. And the locomotive of progress laughs as it runs you over. . I think Trump is a nightmare. But I’m starting to understand how we got here. . The dignity of the worker was replaced with the idolatry of the entrepreneur… and millions were stripped of their pride. And so they doubled down on nostalgia and anger. And here we are. . Just thinking out loud, seeking understanding and compassion… . : @lulubeeisme -- source link