Hey Media, How About Asking Trump Supporters To Understand the Rest of Us?

If I had a dime for every time over the past eight years I’ve been asked to understand a Trump supporter, I’d have enough money to defend their belligerent, spray-tanned savior from his four indictments and ninety-one felony charges (not that I would).Since the now court-established-rapist began his first presidential campaign, I’ve read countless think pieces and op-eds and watched a full streaming season’s worth of news features and documentaries on getting into the mind of the MAGA disciple.“Understand them” we’ve been told, over and over and over…Enough.We understand the Trump supporter pretty well at this point.We understand that over the past three election cycles, they have managed to overlook, defend, and even celebrate an unprecedented flood of both legal and moral sewage that has left this nation mortally afflicted with tribalism, and a few brave capitol police officers and a bit of luck from compete chaos.We understand that for them, no criminal offense is too egregious; no all-caps, midnight social media diatribe too incendiary; no slurred, nonsensical rally rant too cognitively alarming; no attack on women, immigrants, the LGBTQ community, or people of color too vile to dampen their passions for him.Does it really matter if the precise reason is a lifetime of toxic theology, a deeply-embedded racism, an irrational fear of diversity, a long-simmering misogyny, an unearned sense of privilege, or a vague feeling of being wronged by the world?At some point in a cult member’s complete indoctrination, reasons become irrelevant. The only thing that remains is preventing others from being subjected to the messianic poison-peddler.How about the media ask Trump supporters to understand the rest of us in this country? That would be refreshing.I’d love to see reporters, columnists, journalists, and bloggers place the burden of understanding those of us who have not swallowed the snake oil of a predatory, several-times bankrupt, emotionally-vacant, intellectually-fetal narcissist—on the tiny minority of Americans who have.Give MAGA Republicans the task of asking us why we in all our diversity and differences, feel so similarly sickened with the vitriol generated by this single human being.Have them ask us:why body autonomy for women is so important to us.why we believe all adults should be able to marry the person they love.why we respect the objective scientific data of health and climate crises.why we believe the right to vote should not be gerrymandered or legislated away from anyone.why we defend the teaching of American history and the reading of vast experiences for children.why we cannot fathom how of all the developed nations, we are the only one littered with gun violence and without an affordable healthcare system to care for all its people.Just once, I’d like the media to implore MAGA Republican voters to ask us why we (the supposedly “woke” mob, which all non-Trump supporters apparently comprise) have all been fighting like hell for the past eight years to make sure that this nation becomes a place where all people (including MAGA Republicans) can vote, earn a living wage, get well without going broke, determine what happens to their bodies—and live, study, worship, work, and love as they desire to. This may all be a fruitless request, as empathy and support for Donald Trump are usually mutually exclusive. In fact, the too are essentially antithetical to one another.As a matter of fact, that’s probably why this nation has reached such a perilous moment of urgency: because anyone still emotionally-tethered to this man has likely very little desire left to listen to others’ stories, or to data, even to their orange idol’s very words.Tens of millions of us have spent so many months of our lives doing our best to be compassionate human beings and to attempt to unearth the various possible reasons someone who loves humanity and this nation would ever (let alone still) make such a horrible human being the singular hill they would allow family, friendships, and even democracy to die on. Now, we’d like someone to ask them to understand why the rest of us believe that is such a terrible tragedy.The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnpavlovitz.substack.com/subscribe