We are just a few days away from the American election. There are benefits to seeing the whole game from the nosebleed seats up north of the U.S. We may be in the cheap seats, but we get to see the action like few others around the world. Many of us are asking, "Whatever happened to the middle ground?"
If you listen to politicians south of the border, this U.S. election will usher in a catastrophic, apocalyptic, world-ending event. Spreading fear has taken the place of creating policy.
Kamala Harris is presented as a stealthy Chairman Mao, who will escort us into a world that is both communist and radically woke. We’ll all be required to declare our pronouns for fear of death. Lady Liberty will now hold a hammer and sickle and identify as something other than female. Time Square will become Red Square.
Donald Trump, on the other hand, is likened to Italian fascist dictator Mussolini. America will be ruled by Texas, where they will change line dancing for goose-stepping while wearing stylish red hats and side arms with rhinestones. Mussolini had a thing for fashion. Men will be men, and women will be women. Measuring tapes will be available to ensure skirts are below the knee. America will be great again.
Ok, I exaggerate a bit, but in politics, belief is stronger than reality and exaggeration is considered normal. I’m reminded of the priest who wrote in his sermon notes, “This is a weak point; yell louder.”
It seems the end is near—or is it? What happened to middle ground?
I'm going out on a ledge on this; I don't know how to read entrails if that is an actual thing, but I’m predicting that we are more likely to see the Tooth Fairy deliver a silver dollar than for these predictions to come true. I'm reminded of my student job, where my union representative argued that we needed to exaggerate our demands during negotiations.
Don’t get me wrong, I think the U.S. can be damaged, and it can ram a few of us from behind as it limps back to port. Leaders can torpedo the economy and hurt my investment in blimpycoin. But the country will survive. I have faith in the American system and its people. It can sustain damage and can make its way home.
Rational discussion has given way to launching a volley of fear. Mr. Trump is the best at this—radical communist Dems, lunatic left, etc. He is a conveyor belt of daily insults and his own hero. The Democrats dip into the fear narrative as well. They are not shy to warn us that Republicans are bitter, Bible-thumping, gun-clinging racists.
Yikes! No wonder Minnesota missile silos are turning into homes.
When every cause is a crisis jacked up on steroids, they all become noise. Like the boy who cried wolf too many times. Some of us stop listening. Who can eat a study diet of crisis after crisis? Do you watch the news as much these days? I don’t.
We like to think that love is stronger than fear or its cousin hate. I’d argue that love might be harder to practice, but fear and hate are stronger motivators and the candy of emotions. They are yummy, and they feed on themselves. They are like a self-licking ice cream cone; it's a closed loop and asks for more.
Most importantly, in the political realm, fear is not a position. It requires no tactics to improve a country—no plan of action. The goal is the same as the accomplishment. Light it up, walk away in slow motion, and it will burn brighter with every step you take.
The day will come when Americans will be sitting in the cheap seats, looking down on our game. What will that be like for them?
As politicians preach fear to us, they are fearful of only one thing: moderation. The middle ground kicks the legs out from under them. It takes the wind from their political sails. When politicians get crazy, we need to learn the gift of the eye roll.
I can hardly wait for the comments from both political camps. I’m naïve, woke, blind, or just plain dumb.
My best advice this political season? Put your hands up, step away from the car and remain calm.
