If like me, you are baffled, bemused, and upset about Trump being elected into power. And, as I am British, this on top of Brexit is almost too much for my poor Liberal heart to take! You may start to question a political system that can be so easily manipulated.
In the face of such frustration, it is not unheard of for even the leftiest of lefties to stray into murky waters by claiming:
“Maybe only the educated should be allowed to vote.“
Sorry, but that is dangerous thinking in my opinion. It is that sort of narrow-minded arrogance that we naturally associate with the Right, but are we right to do that?
Part of the beauty of the Democratic system is that we have to accept the result. It doesn’t matter how passionately we believe in our values and politics. Not everybody will share our values.
Not only that, but not everybody has the same priorities. Sure Mike in Kansas voted for Hilary because he liked her policies on agriculture, but Steve in Texas wouldn’t be able to protect his chickens if Hilary “took away his guns.”
This point emphasizes one of the main problems with democracy: Every voter has their own agenda.
There will be those who voted for Hilary because they are pro-feminism and wanted to see a woman in charge. Even with my progressive mind, I don’t think that’s a good reason for voting. That’s just one man’s humble opinion.
And then there will be disgruntled, unemployed people, who see minorities working jobs that they could potentially do and are angry about it, whether right or wrong. For them, the idea of locking Mexicans out seems just great.
In an ideal system, every voter would have carefully studied the various policies of the candidates, and made an informed decision based on their beliefs.
But life isn’t ideal.
Some people will vote based solely on something totally irrelevant like which candidate they like the look of. That is their right, as frustrating as it can be.
A U.K. comedian had a damning verdict on the reason for Trump winning the White House: he blames the left (of which he is one) for labeling those with opposing views and I think maybe he has a point.
We have all been in a situation where we feel superior, I’m sure. It will usually come as a response to someone posting something on Facebook like “Immigrants are stealing all our jobs” this leads to some Liberals labeling the person a racist. We feel we are better educated then that person and so we move on.
But we shouldn’t do that. We should challenge their opinion (and a lot of you do) but here is the key: talk to them politely, in a way that is engaging and not condescending.
You are not better than them. You are different. Maybe being Liberal is the “right way,” I think so.
However, you won’t convince people of that by pointing out we what we perceive to be their flaws. People will talk with you, if you let them. Talk with, and not down to people. Nobody responds well to being “told off” or by being made to feel inferior.
If all Liberals exercised this level of subtly and nuance, then maybe we could actually start to have a profound effect on the world. There is no doubt in my mind that Liberal values if espoused make the world a better place.
However, there is doubt in the minds of the America public.
Telling them they are stupid won’t alleviate those doubts – and those doubts gave Trump power.
Featured Image: Screenshot Via Pixabay.
