After Trump: The Hard Work of Rebuilding

Have you ever had an argument so convoluted, so long, and so frustrating that at some point you stop and realize, I have no idea what we are even arguing about? The mental gymnastics people perform become so unbelievable that, eventually, shouldn't we just stop and consider the simplest answer?

A large segment of our country—mostly dominated by men, primarily but not exclusively white men—suddenly seems very interested in "restoring" what they see as the proper place of women in society. They are tired of "uppity" and outspoken feminists. They feel criticized and suppressed. They've convinced themselves that if everything falls apart, they and their families will be on the "right side" and could never be falsely identified as the enemy within. Add in bigotry, racism, and the personality disposition of some who favor conservative politics, and that's enough to bring us to this point. When studying the history of WWII and the Holocaust, historians often highlight the subtle ways in which complicity took root and the willful ignorance that enabled it. Perhaps they were right.

The real outlier in history is the past 40 years since the Civil Rights movement. From the imperfections of our complex history emerged a fragile democracy. Yet instead of cherishing it, building a strong, collaborative society striving for true equality, the Roberts Court decided that what freedom really required is for money to equal speech.

Is it really surprising that we're here?

I remember sitting in college political science classes, listening to endless debates about whether we live in a "color-blind" society. Meanwhile, every Black person in class was either furrowing their eyebrows, politely probing to "understand more," or completely checking out because the assertion was so absurd it was hard to take seriously.

We've always known these forces existed, but we rationalized them away: "They mean well," "That's not really racism," "Everyone has equal opportunities," "This is a meritocracy," or insert any other hollow argument. Even now, many people, including well-intentioned ones, suggest that the left's embrace of "wokeness" and trans rights is what pushed people into Trump's arms.

What does that even mean? When social actors make you feel judged, is the appropriate response murderous rage? If every time any of us were confronted with a completely absurd, baseless assertion that insulted our sense of right and wrong, we responded by embracing violence and vulgarity—within a week, all of society would devolve into The Purge. We have to accept that many of our fellow citizens are, at best, indifferent, and at worst, disdainful of the "other."

Is it surprising how many people think Kamala Harris is "dumb"? Let's be clear: what is really meant is that Black women are dumb. As a Black woman with five degrees from MIT and Harvard—three of them advanced degrees—and often the smartest or one of the smartest people in many rooms I walk into, I can personally attest to how frustrating it is to be disrespected by people who are, at best, of average intelligence, and at worst, below average but convinced they are near-genius. God bless Vice President Harris. There is no amount of money or power in the world that could convince me to endure the nonsense she faces daily.

When your friends of color talk about racism everywhere, it's these people—the unfair bosses, the coworkers who don't support you, the managers who dismiss you. About 47-48% of the electorate supports Trump? That feels about right.

It is true most people in America aren't racist; however, the second part is equally true -- not most, but a little less than half. They have always been hiding in plain sight.

Apparently silently suffering under the thumb of a tranical democratic fascist elite preventing them from saying what must have felt so obviously true -- the women at my job are just "dumb, unserious, not intelligent" -- "damn you affirmative action!"

I will be honest, I didn't really realize how much rage they were holding in. I surely would have smiled more if I knew these slights would 20 years later drive these men into the arms of an authoritarian. (Another aside, in graduate school someone kept repeatedly sabataging my experiments by throwing away my cell cultures. My students and I narrowed it down to two dudes, but we could never find definitive proof. Trump is now my proof and those side eyes were for sure silent wispers of "you are so dumb.")

My hope is that, if we somehow dodge this bullet, we finally complete the work of the Civil Rights movement and Reconstruction, and genuinely work to dismantle the power of white supremacy embedded in so many people's worldviews. Hatred is corrosive to both the perpetrator and the victim. Don't adopt these ideas simply to be considered "woke" (trust me, wokeness annoys everyone, most of all those it aims to help), but because you don't want your grandchildren growing up in Trump's hellscape version of America.

Forget what Trump will do—what will we do to each other under his leadership? Do you think there will be more or less inflation with mass deportations, exodus of knowledge workers, and a touch of street violence? I am not sure if eggs will be more or less expensive.

Here's an interesting thought experiment if you really want to lean into despair—imagine future generations reading about this point in history. Watching Trump rallies, trying to find the deeper meaning in Trump dancing awkwardly to his favorite playlist. Imagine the dissertations that will be written. The countless man hours invested in trying to unravel how one seemingly unintelligent, inarticulate, possibly unstable individual brought down the most prosperous civilization in history. Think of all the human talent wasted trying to understand this clown instead of, say, working on new cancer treatments or addressing climate change.

How many countless hours has Trump cost you in wasted worry, podcasts, deep dives into right-wing ideologies, and contemplating why some of our wealthiest fellow citizens have used their wealth not for good, not even for fun, but to try and bring back the monarchy?

There is something intrinsically hilarious about the absurdity of the moment—it would be much funnier if this was a Netflix series and not forces that will literally impact every human life on this planet. Though, if you embrace your inner MAGA -- and forget the inevitable human suffering that will emerge from a Trump presidency, there's an element of dark humor to it.

It still feels like a privilege to have lived in what is, to date, the most prosperous and privileged society of all time. It makes you realize how small we are as humans and how brief of a snapshot in time we experience. Trump may just be a correction—a reversion to the typical social organization seen throughout much of history. We might need to pray for the humility to be able to accept this reality.