Damn, that's a lot of mold.
My perception of reality broke last night and I'm trying to remain calm.
Last night was like finding mold in your basement that has been festering for four years and the problem is much worse than you imagined. That pit in the stomach feeling. Dread. It’s a scary feeling. It locks you up. It makes you paranoid. It makes you lash out, turns you into a child again.
HOLYSHITOMGWHATTHEFUCKDOIDO?1
The thing that concerns me most is that people will just continue to become fractured, distance themselves from friends and family and relatives. Honestly, watching the MAGA people in that auditorium last night was like watching a bunch of non-sports people jumping on the bandwagon of whatever team is cool, donning the jersey, and cheering even though they don't know what's entirely happening during the "big game".
This is what politics has become in America. But mold is everywhere, and I feel like a lot of people voted for Trump out of fear and alienation and loneliness, honestly. When you're scared and isolated, you seek out community, and MAGA is that community for a lot of lonely folk who only find comfort in the internet.
I really think the solution is to think small, go local, befriend those close to you. Have conversations and build comradery. People desire to feel loved and wanted, like it's pretty obvious that's why Trump is the way he is. His politics and rhetoric are terrible, but rich people intentionally isolate themselves, like yeah, no duh he hates immigrants, he literally doesn't have a "community" of supportive people, just a bunch of sycophants who he can boss around.
And this is gonna be the cheesy Christian in me speaking, but we're supposed to build community and friendship and listen and empathize with others. Some people might make that impossible. I'm not saying you gotta befriend your hardcore MAGA uncle here, but maybe you have a neighbor or a coworker who voted Trump for the first time and doesn't want to admit it. But SOMETHING caused them to make that vote. Fear? Insecurity? Maybe some hate, sure, but I think talking about that little mold spore of hate is best dealt with now than in another four years when it's festered in another dank basement.
Spend more time in your community. At your local coffee shop. Join a club. Attend local events. Know your neighbors. I know it sounds stupid, but it's not like the online vitriol in the last four years has improved anything. It's like, facts now.
There is a mold problem.
Closing the door over the mold isn’t going to fix it.
The basement is calling. We kind of have to go down there. We can’t end the horror without going down there. So let’s try our best to remain calm. The fortunate thing about IRL horror is that we have the ability to make allies. We don’t have to do it alone. The isolation is in our hands, in that little nightmare rectangle you’re likely reading this post on.
Limit your time on it. I’m pretty sure it’s where a lot of the mold is coming from.
For the record, I’m Canadian, but our current polling has the Conservative party pretty much taking the election next year, so we’ll be in the same boat too.