Let's Talk About... Trumpism

The shock had nearly worn off by inauguration day. As much as I would like to say I handled the 2016 election maturely, I’ll admit that instead of continuing to fight the good fight by advocating for my progressive policy prescriptions, I instead became politically distant. In my defense, I was still in high school, and my knowledge base wasn’t as deep then as it is now about these matters. At the same time, though, I was able to recognize the sheer absurdity of the situation, as we had just decided to elect a reality TV star as the next president. I hoped that all of the fears I had about his potential presidency would be proven wrong, and that we would do more than just survive as a country through his term. But even that may be too much to ask for at this point.

I was sitting in science class and since inaugurations are a big deal, my teacher was playing the event on the projector for the classroom. Attending the mostly conservative high school I did meant there were many of his supporters in the room with me, who instead of being terrified of what was happening, felt empowered and proud of the man filling the most prestigious office in the world. They were so entitled, in fact, that they reprimanded and judged me for not joining them in celebrating, calling me unamerican and Marxist (as if they knew what that meant). And before you think you know where this is going, I couldn’t care less what his supporters say or think about me. My feelings aren’t hurt. I don’t feel threatened or invalidated. Instead, I just recognize the hypocrisy of these pseudoconservative, pseudochristian supporters who were so vitriolic toward someone they disagreed with.

They must just feel emboldened by victory, I thought. But the more I pondered, the more confused I was by the actions and behaviors of those who should finally feel relief and joy after “suffering” through eight years of a president whose policies they didn’t agree with. That wasn’t the case. Instead of feeling the same relief that I will feel when the current president leaves office, hopefully in three months, his supporters were just as angry after he won in 2016, which was a sign of things to come that I wasn’t aware of yet. The 2016 election shined a light on the deplorable underbelly of America’s foundational inequities, prejudices, and stupidities. In response to the landmark elections of 2008 and 2012, the quietly racist and bigoted conservative electorate in this country sloppily tugged the pendulum back in their direction, and an unnamed movement could finally be identified — Trumpism was born.

We don’t need to get into the specifics of the 2016 election in this post, but put simply, there were many systemic factors and outside curveballs which handed Trump an election which he never should have won. Foreign interference, domestic voter suppression, an outdated electoral college system, and awful media coverage all played into what happened, just to name a few elements. But what this election revealed and created is ugly. Rightwing social media echo chambers, “alternative facts”, a denial of science, and a lack of critical thinking became more prominent than ever before. The first three years weren’t great (kids in cages, withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord, mocking disabled reporters, etc.), but this year, every nightmare which Never-Trumpers had in 2016 has become a waking reality.

In the midst of a mishandled global pandemic which has led to more than 150,000 American deaths, the biggest civil rights movement in recent memory, and leading up to a pivotal election, Donald Trump is consistently wrong, uninformed, and behaving dangerously, but for some reason, his supporters just don’t seem to see it. It wasn’t clear for them when Trump claimed the coronavirus would “disappear” when we had 15 cases, and now we have more than 4,000,000. It wasn’t clear after the racial unrest in Charlottesville, Virginia when Donald Trump referred to self-identified white supremacists as “Very fine people (on both sides)”. It’s not enough now when there are paramilitary troops being sent to patrol cities or as Trump suggests we delay the November election in authoritarian fashion. Instead of recognizing the insanity of any of these examples, just to name a few, Trumpist supporters of his call progressives snowflakes, claim we have Trump derangement syndrome, attack academia for supposedly brainwashing those who seek higher education, and continue to just ride high on the entitlement and emboldening that the 2016 election granted them. I hope the polling we are seeing now is accurate, and that there is a blue tsunami come November. We must get out and vote, and we must remove this existential threat from office. His supporters are too far gone to reform their thinking, so we must let them go ignored as we seek progress, equality, and opportunity for our nation.

I’m done pretending that it’s just a difference of opinion anymore. The reality is that I have empathy, intelligence, and common sense, and I’m not going to force neutrality any longer. Black Lives Matter. We need to listen to the science and wear the masks. We need to seek equality of opportunity for all. There’s no way in hell I’m going to let the current president, his supporters, or Trumpism as a movement get in the way of that.

Thanks for reading.

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Let's Talk About... Kanye West

Some topics are more difficult to discuss than others. Due to the uncharted circumstances we find ourselves in, it’s easy to discourage discourse instead of tackling these divisive subjects in an effort to reach logical and reasonable conclusions. I value having constructive environments and platforms which encourage learning, communication, and understanding, which is why I’m starting this series on my blog. “Let’s Talk About…” will cover a wide variety of topics which, at times, can appear difficult to navigate and comprehend. I’m going to try to articulate my perspectives as clearly as possible, which will hopefully simultaneously further your understanding on the different subjects I’ll be covering. To kick things off, I’m going to be discussing Kanye West, mental health, and the perpetuation and enablement of toxic behavior. Let’s get into it.

I find it necessary to begin by stating that, generally, I’m a pretty big fan of Kanye West. I grew up listening to all of his albums to the point that he became, and still is, my most listened-to artist on Spotify of all-time. At his best, Kanye West is a trend-setting and creative genius who uses his platform to advance progressive ideas and provide a voice for the voiceless. But it has been a while since we’ve seen Kanye’s best. Over the past few years, it’s clear that Kanye’s behavior and perspective have both changed, as his public statements, interviews, and album rollouts have become more manic and unpredictable. This downward trend has reached a boiling point recently, as Kanye declared a presidential bid and seems to have had an emotional breakdown at his recent South Carolina campaign rally. Kanye claims to battle Bipolar Personality Disorder, and recent events would hint that this self-diagnosis may be accurate. While many are looking to make light and jokes out of this situation, I’ve begun to realize that there is nothing funny here. This is the springboard for a necessary discussion about mental health we need to have in this country.

Mental health issues can present themselves in a variety of ways. Happiness and sadness aren’t the only two emotions associated with Bipolar Personality Disorder; things can become manic, unstable, and strange as they have recently with Mr. West. Let’s also not forget that Kanye was involved in a severe car accident years ago which could have caused a traumatic brain injury which could be contributing to these recent episodes. Kanye has claimed he stops taking his prescribed medications when working on a new music project, which he seems to be currently after promoting his supposedly upcoming album DONDA. Instead of those around him stepping in and getting him help, their complicit nature has silently encouraged these behaviors and actions. I’m not nullifying Kanye’s responsibility — he needs to seek help for himself, too — but often times, those struggling with mental health issues have lost perspective on their circumstances and are not in the right mindset to seek the help they need. We need to make healthcare accessible for everyone who needs to address mental health issues, and remove the stigma and shame surrounding seeking help. The company Kanye has situated himself with haven’t helped him recover, and the twenty-four-hour news cycle has continued to perpetuate the headlines which only aggravate the situation.

A former reality TV-star and debatably successful businessman (but not really) became president in 2016, and it seems that many now believe that the most prestigious office and job in the world is up for grabs for anyone to claim. Instead of immediately disregarding Kanye’s announcement of a presidential candidacy, social media and the mainstream news gave this story much more credibility than it deserved from the jump. Kanye’s supposed platform isn’t substantial, it’s built on verifiable misinformation and untruths, such as the recent claim that Harriet Tubman didn’t actually free slaves. These outlandish comments gather press and attention which I used to chalk up as a botched album rollout to increase first-week sale numbers, but now believe are an unknown cry for help from a deeply troubled man dealing with serious mental health issues.

This whole situation is developing, complicated, and sad. Just as soon as Kanye seemed to be on the right track joining Black Lives Matter protests, donating two million dollars to related causes, and claiming to have thrown away all of his Trump apparel, things just get worse again. I sincerely hope that Kanye seeks help, gets treatment, and reinvents his image, returning to the sort of artist he used to be. It’s looking less and less likely that this will happen, though, which disheartens me. What do you think of Kanye West as an artist and public figure? What do you think will happen next with him? Let me know. Thanks for reading.