Love this. The people who need the most introspection are snobby rich liberals who thought everybody should think exactly like they do. This election made me really sick of that type. At least blue collar people care about their community.
From the DNC/Hollywood establishment and their fans. My point is rich liberals were living in a bubble, and so when working class people were practically screaming 'we need jobs and healthcare and don't like war!' they were patting each other on the back and making memes. So the working class abandoned them and voted for the fascist because at least he was acting like he cared about their problems (even though, of course, he only cares about himself)
Great article. My one disagreement is that I don’t think culture war issues are inconsequential and only social media creations. Interestingly, it’s probably true that they are, in fact, more materially salient in the lives of the upper middle class types freaking out over the election. IDK at this point but most likely these PMC types are more likely to have their kids in hyper woke schools and social groups (resulting in more kids going trans, girls having mental health issues, and boys being accused of various toxicities and crimes). And perhaps they are also more likely to work and live in the adult equivalent of such environments.
Yet despite those very real issues, they generally support the cultural left agenda uncritically, not because they really believe it, but rather because it’s too socially and professionally risky in those circles not to.
This creates an underlying imbalance in their perceptions that helps explain the freak out effect - if you’re not standing on solid ground, so to speak, a bump can really feel like an earthquake. Whereas if you’d just move over a bit, it wouldn’t have been such a huge deal at all. But they won’t. And there have been reasons for that. Hopefully it will now start to change.
This echoes my experience in a red state. If your car breaks down on the side of the road, guess who asks if you need a hand? HINT: It’s not upper middle class educated white people for the most part. They simply don’t have any faith in or use for the federal government. They also don’t grasp the implications of a clown car cabinet running the country and international affairs but that’s ultimately the government’s fault. Chill out. Read a book. Take a walk. Try to make your neighbor’s life a little better.
You know as an educated white liberal woman I’m, for the first time in my life, going, my family will be fine - maybe all these people I worried about and how happy I was for their income finally going up can take care of themselves and I need to worry less about them. Neither me nor my daughters will be dying from a botched miscarriage or having a baby we don’t want - if people are determined to vote for people who cause them and their families to do so, so be it. I have an enormous capacity for empathy but I’m damn tired of being ridiculed for it - I’m just going to put the working class and poor in the same category as the Sudanese, tragic of course, but I can’t allocated much emotional energy to it, it’s not my responsibility and I have a right to enjoy my own life. I’ll be able to afford the increase in grocery prices. My over educated silly ass with all those stupid facts and proven theories and understanding of history and shit can just stop giving a damn about all the people who think I suck so much. (This is not directed primarily at you - I really have seen dozens of these takes, including from educated liberal well off white women.) The kids… I won’t be able to stop being devastated about the kids but I’ll do my best. Their communities are choosing this, not much I can do.
I know it’s hard and frustrating but I really feel it’s important to have empathy for everyone. Regardless of who they voted for. Thanks for the comment
Hmm, going from the post and this comment I think your definition of empathy is much shallower and weaker than mine. I still have empathy for the Sudanese, I have empathy for everyone, it’s just not so much that it’s impacting my emotional well being. Maybe for some men that’s as much empathy as they’re capable of? But for many of the women you describe as hysterical - if you aren’t actually upset about the people you have good reason to think will suffer and die for no good reason or the fundamental changes to the kind of country you live in - you’re not actually experiencing empathy to any meaningful degree. You’re just making polite noises.
Your prior article said "I do think Kamala might win and if she does I think it will be a wide margin of victory in the electoral college (same for Trump obviously). "
Imagine picking both options to win and then bragging you're right. I wish I could be so condescending and delusional!
I lived in Ann Arbor for 16 years and have a real fondness for the Midwest. Maybe not such a fondness for my friends’ inabilities to “get a grip.” Thanks for the eloquent exhortation to just keep living life. Thanks for the beautiful stories about Michigan. I miss the place sometimes.
This is an excellent post and illustrates something I have commented on. Out in the real world there isn't a culture war. I also live in Michigan (Kzoo) and completely agree with your observations.
I write about our current times from an historical cycle standpoint. According to one of the theories I use, history moves in something called secular cycles.
Which means that a possible outcome of a crisis period like now is civil war of some type (it was very common centuries ago). But there really isn't anything *real* that divides us culturally, it is all BS put into heads by cultural influencers. Examples would be Taylor Sheridan's 1883, 1923 and Landsman series are lightly peppered with right wing propaganda as part of the fantasy world building in the series, and NPR shows like 1A I used to listen to increasingly talk about things from the perspective an X identity, where it is the identity rather than the things that forms the content.
The core divide today is between the world of elites and the world of the common folk. Most of time the two worlds are separate; they can do their own thing. But sometimes they interact like when a working-class person seeks health care, college education, or a home and experience the disconnect. For example, many working-class folks in urban areas are priced out of homes, when their grandparents doing to same sorts of jobs, were not. Similarly, folks in their grandparent's day could work their way through college, but not today.
The author writes "Any explanation for his victory that doesn’t start and end with cost of living should be taken with a dump truck full of salt, in my humble opinion)."
This is wrong, but it is understandable why someone would think so. It operates on the assumption that with a different campaign, or a different candidate, the Democratic party could win. Or, with a different set of facts (i.e. suppose there had been no inflation) that someone other than Biden could have beat Trump.
Unfortunately, this is not true. The reason Democrats lost was a Democrat was president and was not running. Since the rise of the modern Republican party following its merger with the American Party after the election of 1856, 17 times a candidate has run for president while a member of their party was in office. 8 times it was a Republican running, who won 5 times and lost 3, consistent with a 50:50 chance of victory.
Nine times it has been a Democrat, who LOST EVERY TIME. It did not matter whether the Democrat ran as a white supremacist (1868) or as a woke progressive (2024). Whether they were a populist (1896) or establishment (2016) or centrist (1920). It did not matter whether they were a New Dealer running during prosperity (1968) or a Third Way running during prosperity (2000), They all lost. Democrats can run anyone (other than the incumbent) on any issues with any campaign, and they lose.
There is one possible out. Democrats might actually face 50:50 odds when they hold the dispensation. If one includes the pre-Civil War elections, Democrats did win twice in this situation. It is possible they would have won in a situation like in 2000 during the FDR dispensation (1932-1979). After all, Nixon in 1960 was in a situation like Gore in 2000 and he lost because the other party had the dispensation, whereas Bush I won in the same situation in 1988, now that the Republicans had the dispensation.
I'm thankful for you sharing these thoughts; I appreciate the perspective and agree with the arching sentiment. Also, kudos to you for your correct predictions.
There is one part I take issue with, however: That the horrible things a Harris administration would do would only be marginally less horrible than Trump's second administration. Sure, Harris might be far worse than what die-hard Democrats would believe her to be, but putting her and Trump in the same league seems... misguided. The fact that we came out of Trump's first administration mostly okay (with a few glaring exceptions) was due to people in his staff reigning him in, all of whom have been replaced at this point, most of them with sycophants.
You seem to be having a wonderful life. Tranquility and good fellowship pervade your environment as much as a Norman Rockwell painting. And I like Norman Rockwell. Perhaps some would say, yes, it is easy living in a silo, and I wouldn’t disagree but I really hope that the Norman Rockwell wins.
This is the best thing I've read since the election. You did a great job of yelling "get a freaking grip" in an empathetic way.
Thanks so much!
Love this. The people who need the most introspection are snobby rich liberals who thought everybody should think exactly like they do. This election made me really sick of that type. At least blue collar people care about their community.
Where did you get this caricature of affluent liberals not caring about their community? What are you talking about?
From the DNC/Hollywood establishment and their fans. My point is rich liberals were living in a bubble, and so when working class people were practically screaming 'we need jobs and healthcare and don't like war!' they were patting each other on the back and making memes. So the working class abandoned them and voted for the fascist because at least he was acting like he cared about their problems (even though, of course, he only cares about himself)
this tracks with my own impressions
Glad to hear it! We’re in the majority!
Thank you for writing this! This made my day and brought me some genuine peace and happiness ❤️
Glad I could help!
What a great thoughtful piece. Thank you so much for sharing this, my experience definitely jives with yours.
Hey thanks a lot! Glad to hear it. We’re in the majority! Don’t forget it!
I won’t - I promise! :)
"Probably not a Kamala voter."
Isn't that *your* prejudice talking? Why shouldn't the gun guy who's friends with the black family vote for the black woman gun owner?
Ok man congratulations you got me 🤣
Great article. My one disagreement is that I don’t think culture war issues are inconsequential and only social media creations. Interestingly, it’s probably true that they are, in fact, more materially salient in the lives of the upper middle class types freaking out over the election. IDK at this point but most likely these PMC types are more likely to have their kids in hyper woke schools and social groups (resulting in more kids going trans, girls having mental health issues, and boys being accused of various toxicities and crimes). And perhaps they are also more likely to work and live in the adult equivalent of such environments.
Yet despite those very real issues, they generally support the cultural left agenda uncritically, not because they really believe it, but rather because it’s too socially and professionally risky in those circles not to.
This creates an underlying imbalance in their perceptions that helps explain the freak out effect - if you’re not standing on solid ground, so to speak, a bump can really feel like an earthquake. Whereas if you’d just move over a bit, it wouldn’t have been such a huge deal at all. But they won’t. And there have been reasons for that. Hopefully it will now start to change.
This echoes my experience in a red state. If your car breaks down on the side of the road, guess who asks if you need a hand? HINT: It’s not upper middle class educated white people for the most part. They simply don’t have any faith in or use for the federal government. They also don’t grasp the implications of a clown car cabinet running the country and international affairs but that’s ultimately the government’s fault. Chill out. Read a book. Take a walk. Try to make your neighbor’s life a little better.
I’m so deeply sick and tired of upper class liberal white people.
You know as an educated white liberal woman I’m, for the first time in my life, going, my family will be fine - maybe all these people I worried about and how happy I was for their income finally going up can take care of themselves and I need to worry less about them. Neither me nor my daughters will be dying from a botched miscarriage or having a baby we don’t want - if people are determined to vote for people who cause them and their families to do so, so be it. I have an enormous capacity for empathy but I’m damn tired of being ridiculed for it - I’m just going to put the working class and poor in the same category as the Sudanese, tragic of course, but I can’t allocated much emotional energy to it, it’s not my responsibility and I have a right to enjoy my own life. I’ll be able to afford the increase in grocery prices. My over educated silly ass with all those stupid facts and proven theories and understanding of history and shit can just stop giving a damn about all the people who think I suck so much. (This is not directed primarily at you - I really have seen dozens of these takes, including from educated liberal well off white women.) The kids… I won’t be able to stop being devastated about the kids but I’ll do my best. Their communities are choosing this, not much I can do.
I know it’s hard and frustrating but I really feel it’s important to have empathy for everyone. Regardless of who they voted for. Thanks for the comment
Hmm, going from the post and this comment I think your definition of empathy is much shallower and weaker than mine. I still have empathy for the Sudanese, I have empathy for everyone, it’s just not so much that it’s impacting my emotional well being. Maybe for some men that’s as much empathy as they’re capable of? But for many of the women you describe as hysterical - if you aren’t actually upset about the people you have good reason to think will suffer and die for no good reason or the fundamental changes to the kind of country you live in - you’re not actually experiencing empathy to any meaningful degree. You’re just making polite noises.
Plenty of hysterical men too. I think experiencing empathy without it negatively impacting our emotional well being is a good goal for all of us!
Interesting. You’re still not seeing it.
My eyes are wiiiiiiide open man 😎👍
Your prior article said "I do think Kamala might win and if she does I think it will be a wide margin of victory in the electoral college (same for Trump obviously). "
Imagine picking both options to win and then bragging you're right. I wish I could be so condescending and delusional!
I lived in Ann Arbor for 16 years and have a real fondness for the Midwest. Maybe not such a fondness for my friends’ inabilities to “get a grip.” Thanks for the eloquent exhortation to just keep living life. Thanks for the beautiful stories about Michigan. I miss the place sometimes.
You can always come back!
This is an excellent post and illustrates something I have commented on. Out in the real world there isn't a culture war. I also live in Michigan (Kzoo) and completely agree with your observations.
I write about our current times from an historical cycle standpoint. According to one of the theories I use, history moves in something called secular cycles.
https://mikealexander.substack.com/p/the-american-secular-cycles
We are in the crisis period of such a cycle.
https://mikealexander.substack.com/p/the-current-crisis-era
Which means that a possible outcome of a crisis period like now is civil war of some type (it was very common centuries ago). But there really isn't anything *real* that divides us culturally, it is all BS put into heads by cultural influencers. Examples would be Taylor Sheridan's 1883, 1923 and Landsman series are lightly peppered with right wing propaganda as part of the fantasy world building in the series, and NPR shows like 1A I used to listen to increasingly talk about things from the perspective an X identity, where it is the identity rather than the things that forms the content.
The core divide today is between the world of elites and the world of the common folk. Most of time the two worlds are separate; they can do their own thing. But sometimes they interact like when a working-class person seeks health care, college education, or a home and experience the disconnect. For example, many working-class folks in urban areas are priced out of homes, when their grandparents doing to same sorts of jobs, were not. Similarly, folks in their grandparent's day could work their way through college, but not today.
The author writes "Any explanation for his victory that doesn’t start and end with cost of living should be taken with a dump truck full of salt, in my humble opinion)."
This is wrong, but it is understandable why someone would think so. It operates on the assumption that with a different campaign, or a different candidate, the Democratic party could win. Or, with a different set of facts (i.e. suppose there had been no inflation) that someone other than Biden could have beat Trump.
Unfortunately, this is not true. The reason Democrats lost was a Democrat was president and was not running. Since the rise of the modern Republican party following its merger with the American Party after the election of 1856, 17 times a candidate has run for president while a member of their party was in office. 8 times it was a Republican running, who won 5 times and lost 3, consistent with a 50:50 chance of victory.
Nine times it has been a Democrat, who LOST EVERY TIME. It did not matter whether the Democrat ran as a white supremacist (1868) or as a woke progressive (2024). Whether they were a populist (1896) or establishment (2016) or centrist (1920). It did not matter whether they were a New Dealer running during prosperity (1968) or a Third Way running during prosperity (2000), They all lost. Democrats can run anyone (other than the incumbent) on any issues with any campaign, and they lose.
There is one possible out. Democrats might actually face 50:50 odds when they hold the dispensation. If one includes the pre-Civil War elections, Democrats did win twice in this situation. It is possible they would have won in a situation like in 2000 during the FDR dispensation (1932-1979). After all, Nixon in 1960 was in a situation like Gore in 2000 and he lost because the other party had the dispensation, whereas Bush I won in the same situation in 1988, now that the Republicans had the dispensation.
https://mikealexander.substack.com/p/the-importance-of-a-political-dispensation
I'm thankful for you sharing these thoughts; I appreciate the perspective and agree with the arching sentiment. Also, kudos to you for your correct predictions.
There is one part I take issue with, however: That the horrible things a Harris administration would do would only be marginally less horrible than Trump's second administration. Sure, Harris might be far worse than what die-hard Democrats would believe her to be, but putting her and Trump in the same league seems... misguided. The fact that we came out of Trump's first administration mostly okay (with a few glaring exceptions) was due to people in his staff reigning him in, all of whom have been replaced at this point, most of them with sycophants.
You seem to be having a wonderful life. Tranquility and good fellowship pervade your environment as much as a Norman Rockwell painting. And I like Norman Rockwell. Perhaps some would say, yes, it is easy living in a silo, and I wouldn’t disagree but I really hope that the Norman Rockwell wins.