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When I saw the reaction to the L.A. Times handing their letters page over to Trump voters this past week, I wasn’t thrilled at the pushback on them providing these non-Liberal viewpoints. I am already not a fan of our media, which always leans left or right, never reporting facts without editorializing. There are too many qualifiers; too many adverbs. But to never publish views from the other side isn’t news–it’s a perpetual opinion section.
It’s great to know that half of America envisions and strives for an America (and maybe a world) similar to the America and world I envision and strive for. But it’s important to remember that half of America does not.
I will start by saying: I don’t believe that this page in the L.A. Times will bridge any divides as the paper claims to be trying to do. The Trumper vs. Non-Trumper divide isn’t going to be bridged by the guy whose main concern is who is going to double his net worth. Nor is it being bridged by someone who has looked at the things Trump has said and decided, “This president never disappointed me.” I truly can not figure out how his behavior as a head of state isn’t disappointing.
I agree, however, that Trumpism isn’t going to disappear on January 20th. I’m personally concerned about how that Trumpism is going to be re-directed. Trump hasn’t attracted just plain political supporters–he also has a fanatical, die-hard fanbase. I’m concerned about where those fans who have (so oddly) flown giant Trump flags will go, once they’re no longer backed by the Oval Office. I’m concerned about what path Trump himself will take with the base he has riled up–what he’ll do with that following and whether he’ll continue to foster divide and encourage uprising. I’m concerned about the politicians he has birthed, who clearly don’t respect Liberals and are unlikely to represent people who didn’t vote for them.
And like many folks, I’m concerned about a Civil War.
But without some exposure to viewpoints from non-like-minded individuals, I’m losing access to those who would be my opposition in a Civil War. I am very serious when I say that I have sat across from someone and listened to him telling me, one-on-one, about his and his cohorts’ plans for after the Revolution. I am concerned because I don’t know how many people are preparing for a Revolution like he is.
((Edit to add 11/21/20: Yesterday, my husband and daughter were at our local supermarket. My husband watched as the young male cashier was telling the older woman in front of my husband that we are in need of a Revolution. The woman remained silent. When my husband and daughter were up, the kid started over again; my husband said it was as if he had one spiel that he repeated to people all day, customer after customer. My husband told the kid to keep his opinion to himself.))
Yes, I know that this lack of access will be a result of my own choices. Personally, I refuse to join the exodus to Parler. I’ve seen who’s heading there and the reasons some of them are heading there, and I’ve seen some of what people have screenshotted. It’s not a space where I’d feel comfortable, nor a space where I’d be changing any minds or people changing mine.
But that means I’m going to miss out on the expression of a huge portion of Conservative viewpoints. Views shared by nearly a solid half of America.
That’s why I support mainstream liberal-leaning media showing the viewpoints of Conservative Trump supporters. And considering that multiple demographics who increased their votes for Trump are the very demographics that the Democratic Party insists hate Trump, there’s obviously a reason to listen to what Trump voters are saying.
I do understand the aversion to seeing full pages dedicated to Trumpers. I made a recent change in my own platforms. In the past, on my personal Facebook page, I intentionally welcomed every viewpoint under the sun. I didn’t block or defriend anyone based on their political leanings or viewpoints. I did this for several reasons:
1) I am not a fan of echo chambers.
2) I wanted to reach people who hadn’t tuned me out yet.
3) I wanted my friends to understand that I, their real-life friend/colleague/acquaintance, know people who are pretty extremist in their views. It’s not that a few people being sensationalized in the media. These are real, live people in my life–and in yours.
So I do understand how people get sick of seeing viewpoints that aren’t what they find acceptable. I recently hit a wall myself and conducted a purge of those voices (along with many others that I didn’t interact with, though the intent was to rid the space of certain activity and negative vibes).
I’ve spent enough time and energy arguing in daily interactions with the same exact people about racism. Nothing I say is going to suddenly change the minds of those who have been on my page for years. I’ve been direct and explained things clearly and politely, and I’ve been direct and impolite. I’ve said all I can say to those people.
I did reach some friends, family, and acquaintances; and I did help people think about ways they can affect change. But it’s easy enough to see who will never be swayed, and they’re not where I want to devote my Equity efforts.
I haven’t been publicizing most of my Equity work at this point. It has been behind the scenes–at an organizational level, within the organizations where I have influence. It’s been in going however high I need to go with other organizations. It hasn’t been through memes and tweets. (That’s not to say I want other people to stop tweeting and posting–it’s just not where my personal focus is.)
But to combat racial inequities, I have to understand what others are thinking. That’s why I appreciated seeing L.A. Times’ page full of those thoughts.
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Good for you, Kari — well said.