Once upon a time, the great American dream was the concept that a poor boy (or girl if we are to be woke), through hard work and talent, could achieve social mobility.
The foundations of this concept lay in the framework of democracy, equality and justice for all, set out very clearly in the American Declaration of Independence that ‘all men are created equal’ and further elaborated on in Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. So much for the history lesson.
However, as we know, not all fairytales end well or truly reflect the complexities of modern life.
Now that the American election has ended, and perhaps not in the way that many people expected, what are we to do?
My first instinct has been to swear off the news for the next four years, fearful that I will enter a deep depression or at the very least hurl something at the television as The Donald appears. And, of course, I will be left to pick up the shards of glass and plastic tech pieces scattered around the lounge room. Perhaps not a good look, and I don’t think the television’s destruction will be covered by my insurance policy as ‘accidental’ breakage.
Doom scrolling
My next thought was to bring in some self-control and only look at local news and to no longer doom scroll down my phone.
It was a habit formed in lockdown, and now seems to have become an addiction. It will be hard to find television and radio stations, let alone news feeds that exclude the world at large but I could set that as a challenge. Perhaps someone out there in media land could create a channel dedicated to good news: cats rescued from trees, wallet found in street returned to owner with money intact, young person helps elderly across the street. You get my drift.
The other alternative is to let all of the antics of an orange-faced dictator and his cronies wash over me and provide a great sense of amazement and entertainment. The phrase ‘truth is stranger than fiction’ comes to mind.
What outrageous new thing can possibly happen in the world of MAGA? An anti-vaxxer made head of the health department, potentially impacting the lives of millions of people? But of course! A billionaire tech bro given unfettered access to national security and friendly chats with a cold war enemy? Why not? If a felon can become president of America, with the responsibility for safekeeping of the nuclear codes with the potential to blow us all to smithereens, then nothing will surprise me.
Seriously though, I want to turn off, to subdue my rage, to keep my mental health intact but I know that is not the best outcome.
Bear witness
We have a responsibility to monitor, to watch, to bear witness and to exclaim out loud what we don’t like, what offends us to the core, what has the potential to destroy the democracies and rules of law that generations have fought long and hard for. We also must not smugly think that these events could not happen here, that somehow we are immune from the destructive powers of populist figures and attacks on the rule of law.
If we don’t speak up and witness then the aphorism that ‘evil prospers when good men do nothing’ will come true.
What do you think? Should we try to ignore it, or maintain our rage? Why not share your opinion in the comments section below?
Also read: Why I miss old-school banking
