This is in response to (codger) Jim’s post Dark Times on Sept 19. It has been on my mind all this time while reading related articles. In his post, Jim offered the introduction to a Sept 18 NYT column written by David Brooks.
Brooks says politicians use dark passions to motivate voters. He delves into dark passions and how they take hold. He laments the loss of morality and sees an era of mass ignorance as we are fed an endless stream of entertainment he calls spiritual nutrients. I would call it something else. Most people I encounter don’t seem to have a lack of morality or intelligence. The flood of entertainment vying for our attention on the other hand… but then it’s just entertainment, we can choose to turn it off. Spirituality and intelligence come from somewhere else.
In the conclusion of David Brooks’ column there are 3 paragraphs that, for me, summed it all up:
“So to return to my original question: Why does politics feel so different now than in times past? My short answer is that over these years, demagogues in politics, in the media and online have exploited common feelings of humiliation to arouse dark passions, and those dark passions are dehumanizing our culture and undermining liberal democracy.”
Brooks defines humiliation as a result of being denied expected rights. He goes on to say people humiliated can lash out. Trump certainly exploited that at his rallies. Bernie Sanders too, but doesn’t get as much traction with his promotion of free everything. As an aside, Brooks wonders if history would have been different had Obama not humiliated Trump at the correspondent’s dinner on 30 Apr, 2011. Brooks conveniently omits Trump’s frequent attacks on Obama’s birth, religion, and election legitimacy prior to that dinner.
Brooks continues, “I often hear Democrats say their party needs to fight harder. These are people who don’t really believe in democracy. Fighting is for fascists. Democracy is about persuasion. Democrats would do well to get out of their urban and academic bubbles and understand the people they need to persuade and then persuade harder.”
At his many rallies, Trump (seeking adoration) refined his messaging for the base, building on what he previously learned from right wing media. The people think he really cares about them. It translated to tremendous voter support. Many only vote when Trump is on the ballot. Liberals feel ignored, as Brooks implies. Voters are quietly changing affiliation to Independent, while Bernie Sanders is the one connecting with the electorate. So the Democratic Party needs to figure it out, not just find a charismatic leader – I think we need more politicians who speak clearly and can explain complex matters. Their electorate must begin to feel like the party is really paying attention to average folks who are not the proverbial squeaky wheels or special interests.
I think the real nugget in Brooks’ column is this: “I’d add only that in order to repress dark passions and arouse the good ones, leaders need to create conditions in which people can experience social mobility. As philosophers have long understood, the antidote to fear is not courage; it’s hope. If people feel their lives and their society are stagnant, they will fight like scorpions in a jar. But if they feel that they personally are progressing toward something better, that their society is progressing toward something better, they will have an expanded sense of agency, their motivations will be oriented toward seizing some wonderful opportunity, and those are nice motivations to have.”
Persistent wealth disparity, and now unregulated big tech, have for too long trampled rights while duping us with counterfeit hope. Yet, adding to our frustration, nobody seems to know what to do about it. Those with money and power think they can soon get by without us by automating everything. What are they smoking?
Just the other day I found an idea in another article. Maybe it’s simplistic but in my experience uplifting and powerful. With some exceptions of course, those controlling our country and society are acting in bad faith and exhibiting very poor character. Rather than responding in kind or taking the bait, we can change what we consume, and modify how we behave to act with good character. By noticing and commending better character in others the movement can spread.
ICE protests in Portland are a good example. It’s brilliant to wear non-threatening costumes and deny the administration any sort of war zone appearance, which they so desperately need to support their bad faith narrative. Opportunities to apply this kind of strategy are in everything we do. We just need to be kind and considerate. We don’t have to participate in or contribute to whatever is harmful. From the bottom up, we can model a better way. Many do already, and those who’ve been angered by dark passions and dreadful news can try exercising their good character. Benefits will begin immediately.
This is not any revelation. It’s something we’ve been taught all along in many different ways. “Helping others is what makes us happy” (from the movie Last Christmas).
– Dave
