What fascinates me about the people I love is how differently we think about the world. These differences show the divide we’re all grappling with.
The world affects us differently. Maybe it’s because our place in it isn’t the same. We’re a mix of middle and lower class, dealing with wildly different economic stressors.
Some don’t care about politics. They’re focused on the day-to-day grind.
Some are depressed Harris lost. They’re still feeling the weight of it.
And some are giddy that Trump won.
It’s a weird world. We all have our truths, and they don’t match up.
What’s a baseline fact anymore? It’s confusing.
Yesterday, I was in an interesting conversation with a Trump fan about the cabinet nominees.
It’s fascinating to hear the view of a serious Trump fan. Not just snippets on YouTube or TikTok. An actual conversation. He loves all the nominees. Every single one. He had great things to say about them.
What I know about the nominees was dismissed as ‘fake news.’ Terms like ‘deep state’ feel like weird stuff to me. I know Trump and Fox News use them, but hearing them from a regular person? That was strange.
It felt like I was in a different world. It’s confusing when basic facts are a 180-degree difference for us.
No wonder there’s so much anger out there. When facts are so polarized, how can we find common ground?
Between “left” and “right.” The conversation was a stark reminder that even though the election is over, facts are still not agreed on.
We didn’t get angry at each other. We talked. Well, I did a lot of listening. He was excited. Normally, his a calm relaxed mellow sort of guy. It was pretty stunning for me. So I listened.
I don’t need to be “right.” Neither did he. Both of us knew we weren’t going to be converting each other’s viewpoint. I congratulated him on his guy’s win. Because that is what classy losers do. They own the fact they didn’t win. He didn’t rub it in my face. He was more excited about the nominees and was sharing what he knew about them. Which of course was radically different than what I “know.”
Mostly I was shocked. We were talking and his viewpoint sounded reasonable. It comes down to facts. The left has one set. The right another.
What we believe is true is widely different from each other.
Neither one of us let it get out of control.
It was an election. It’s over. We both voted. Our relationship means more.
That moment made me think it would be weird to be living with or married to someone who had wildly different values than I do. I can’t image what kind of strain this would put on a relationship. With the holidays coming up that would make the divide harder.
This is why I think America has problems.
I don’t think it’s Trump or even MEGA.
Yes, there is an amplification of division they find useful to get votes.
I don’t know that the “civil war” some have been aching for is quite what they think.
But there is a divide.
The media, corporations, and people profiting from keeping the divide going are making money off of misery.
I can’t decide if America has always felt like this and I was simply too self-absorbed to notice. Or if it’s changed so radically I’ve still got whiplash.
It feels like I’m walking on eggshells. Maybe it’s always been this way, or maybe it’s gotten worse. Either way, the tension feels like it’s growing tighter.