Thoughts Regarding Disappointment
Thoughts Regarding Disappointment
On the 2024 US Election & the Future of the Global Citizenry
6 November 2024
I am sore and sleepy. I fell asleep at 1am and woke at 6am. What I woke to at 6am kept me awake until I left for work. I must have been sweating last night. This morning, I feel dehydrated and unwashed. Like many Americans, I feel like an exposed nerve.
I have thoughts, but none of them are helpful. Nonetheless, it is important that I record them in this space. If you have thoughts, I invite you to share them here, or to post them elsewhere and share their location with me. I want to know your thoughts, even if they are contrary to mine.
I did not expect Harris to win. I did expect the felon to win. It is an insecure stoic in me that prepares for the worst. I think hope is overrated. I said nothing. I did not want to seem pessimistic or arrogant, calling anything before anything. This morning, I am dismayed at my foresight but glad it gave me the space to prepare for today.
America is not a democracy. It is even less a democracy this morning and shall be diminished further as these Trump Years continue to play out1. I think this is great news for ‘radical’ leftist organizations who will no doubt see a surge of new members. Young moderates, democrats, and socialists will only be pushed further into their philosophy by this existential infraction. This is a good thing for now. Education is a good thing.
What I fear most is a techno feudalism that develops alongside the continued path of fascist ideology we’ve seen displayed this past decade. We do not consider the tech industry enough as a global citizenry, and it has been occluded behind jargon and culture that deters us from inquisition. That Elon Musk had thrown such weight behind Trump during this election suggests to me a deeply nefarious reality that such tech giants could invoke under this administration. Our data is violated daily. The advent of AI is an even more pressing matter than most are willing to admit. The citizenry is unprepared. This has been foremost on my mind in the slurry of reactionary thoughts and emotions I’ve experienced today.
Another matter entirely is foreign policy. I saw an exit poll yesterday that suggested that few US voters considered foreign policy to be relevant to their electoral decision-making2. It is sobering to me. The role of the US in the ‘global order’ is great. It is remarkable, disturbing, that the citizenry does not consider foreign policy much. The country has its fingers in all of the world’s present conflicts and pulls its weight like no other3. Considering that the new administration intends to be hawkish about the Middle East and conservative about Ukraine, I worry dearly for the impact of this election abroad.
7 November 2024
We ought to consider ourselves Global Citizens. I have no practical interest in nations or states. They are antiquated. As you can imagine, my stance on the US is that it shouldn’t be. History is remarkable, but it isn’t an excuse. Our states are wondrous conglomerations of culture and passion. Still, the self-concept of them deters us from compassion for the whole of us. We cannot deny it is becoming more critical in the development of our civilizations that we become unified as a common species.
My mother and I debated briefly last night about the custom of not asking people about their voting habits. I think it is a bullshit custom that discourages countrymen from engaging in their political process in a transparent and realistic way. Much like the customs around asking others their salary or even their weight, it is a needless discretion. These are material conditions. We deserve to talk about material conditions with our fellow humans.
My mother referenced how many of her American friends and family were jubilant about the felon’s win. It was not a defense, only an observation. I suggested they would not be so jubilant when their sons were dying on Russian battlefields (though, if we’re honest, it’s likely they’ll die in the deserts of the Levant again).
I feel the Democrats lost because they were arrogant and old. None of them understood how powerful mythology would be and they faced significant hurdles in overcoming it anyway. Harris should have flown and done Rogan4, though it likely would not have helped. Harris should not have campaigned for Republicans and Democrats, but should have promised to cease arms to Israel. My quip about this outcome has been: “Perhaps now the Democratic Party will admit there is an ethnic cleansing underway in Occupied Palestine.”5
Of course, I don’t think is that the Democrats lost because Harris is a woman. That is preposterous. Though the identities of the candidates played a monumental role in the election (see: mythology), I do not believe their sexual identity had nearly the impact many left-wingers will want to claim. This affair was a matter in the politics of trust: Trump is an obvious liar and is therefore more trustworthy than Harris. We cannot tell when Harris lies, but we know that she does. This was a vote for a change, unfortunately. The Democrats refused to change, campaigning on what everyone knew to be a false promise. The arrogance of the party shined brightest in those who genuinely thought the Harris campaign was better than Biden’s. Nothing changed but the flesh. Biden would have lost, too. Not because he was elderly, but because he was old.
The felon is not old. He is elderly, and stupid, but he is not dumb or old. He is clever and insane. People trust him because he is undeniably flawed. People are obviously wrong to trust him: he is a liar and a sycophant. But it has become apparent that more than half of the US population have poor education on political science, philosophy, or history. Theirs is a nation of mythology and they would rather an idol than a leader.
As I referenced yesterday, this outcome is great news for Communists and other left-wing organizations. So many leftists will be pushed further into radicalism (a good word here). Whether that proves useful to anyone will take time. I have some expectation that we may finally see the dismantling of the identity politics that has long plagued the left of the West. The Great Misdirection. Yet, my foresight is squandered on those Democrats who already bemoan their loss as a gender-based affront.
The most useful thing to do would be to accept the material conditions of the present reality and begin the work that will be necessary for the coming epoch of Western civil life. This election outcome has far-reaching implications. As a Canadian citizen, I am patient but concerned. We have our own rising Conservative leader who has borrowed much of his campaign tack from the American effort. Our election will be its own mixed bag of emotions when it comes about. Now is the time for vigilance, as ever.
A friend has expressed concern about forthcoming isolationism in the US. I think he is correct to be concerned. Trump is anti-war only in the sense that he’ll be willing to do anything to avoid war. This may lead to deep isolation that will only advance the collapse of the US Empire. Alternatively, it will lead to him doing something fucked-up that will only draw the US into a conflict. He may give Ukraine to Russia, let Israel rampage over Palestine and Lebanon, or even cut strange deals with China regarding Taiwan.6 Any of these actions could propel tension with other countries, allied or not. He has already threatened to pull out of NATO.7
Also, I have considered the role nostalgia played in this election, especially on the red side. The felon harkens to a pre-COVID time. A time most of us have a deeply difficult relationship with in the post-COVID8 era. It was not stable, but it was far rosier than the 20s have been. At least, it was rosier to everyone insouciant enough to have been ignorant to the seeds then that have blossomed into the trials of our present day. I disdain nostalgia, and if you know about nostalgia, then you can probably guess at why I disdain it. I think nostalgia played a leading role in the outcome of this election. The people wanted change and security, so they harkened back to the leader they had when they thought the country was secure. So many loyalists have espoused their glee at the outcome, claiming the wars will now end. They will not. Those with keen education know these wars started9 under Trump; they will not end under him.
8 November 2024
I had anticipated having more time to work these thoughts out these past days. I am largely unfazed by the outcome, focused more on offering morale to my fellow citizens. I am also not a professional in these matters by any means, and so I do not take my opinions on the matter so serious. I have thoughts about what may happen but no expectations. With luck, none of my concerns come to pass, but I had hoped the felon wouldn’t win despite my inclinations toward presuming his victory. Here we are.
I worry for my queer friends and the wifmenn of the US. My Canadian friends in these camps are all quite nervous, sharing mental health resources and nursing their anger. I think anger is presently justified. It is deeply disheartening to discover that half an empire is not only stupid, but also against you.
One thing that has been proffered all over is hope. I do not think highly of hope, as I said the other day. It is idealistic and unhelpful. Action is what is necessary. Some require hope as an idol to fumigate their senses and guide them into action. I think it is far better to abandon the expectation and focus on what one can control. We do not need hope. We need reclamation. Hope will not deliver that. We must seize it.
The felon won because hope blinded us. Hope made us arrogant. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. Let’s focus on making Hell better.
Do not take my rebuke of hope carelessly, personally. People need hope unless they have overcome their need for hope. I understand that. I am not compelling my method upon you, Sweet Reader. I am only expressing my philosophy.
9 November 2024
Last night, my sister’s opening questions to people greeting us at the bar were: “How are you? What did you think of the election?”
I adore my sister.
My grandmother has not said much about the election since Tuesday when she snapped at my brother and I for discussing polls: “I do not want to hear about the election.” Today, she has said a bit. Nothing insightful. My brother and I have spoken a bit about it, discussed what may come about. I do not like to fear-monger but I like to be pragmatic and sometimes that is scary to people. I am not afraid, but cautious. It is an upsetting outcome.
As I said to my sister’s partner: “It is what it is. Now it’s just everyone’s fuckin’ problem.”
Round 2. Here we go.
I do believe we must align ourselves with a holistic interpretation of the globe. By this, I mean that we must accept we are a Global Citizenry. Our technologies are leading us to advancements that advocate for a community of Earth. WE have done this as a species. There is no place for hope in calling for others to let go of their attachments to land, status, power, money, and all that leads us from love. What is to be done? We have no ideology that will unite us under a common global citizenry for the betterment of Earth. Yet, we know that the current systems governing us have only led us deeper toward ruin10. Indeed, what is to be done?
Now is a time for education and community. I hope to meet you out there, learning amongst the many.
I love you. It’ll be okay.
Yesterday morning, a debate broke out on a forum I visit where users clashed over political beliefs. Both sides resorted to character assassination and, in classic internet fashion, death threats. The remarkable thing about civility is its fragility. It takes a stern conscious and compassionate apathy to maintain civility amidst discourse with disagreeable viewpoints. One can engage in civil debate without forsaking their self-concept or making space for bigotry. It is evident who is reasonable and who is merely dogmatic. Dogmatic people are not worth time. Reasonable people can provide nuance to knowledge and experience. Their opinion may not be valuable, but their perception can garner some insight. These are my experiences, anyway.
Trump gave a speech earlier regarding queer rights and healthcare. I worry for those American queer youth who need affirming care. It is vile to dismantle these invaluable rights. Culture must be prepared for a medical renaissance. Removing policies for such care and autonomy will be catastrophic to the future integration of medical technology and to the cultural identity of the individual. These actions also aid and abet longstanding prejudices against marginalized identities and reinforce a flawed sexual hierarchy. It is devastating news.
2016—2028 are the Trump Years. That there has been another president hardly matters.
Don’t quote me on this. I’m not a political analyst. Nonetheless, I know enough Americans to know their concerns for anyone across their seas are tertiary or nonexistent. A boy I grew up with believed when we were young that California encompassed the whole world, and that the US was a nation somewhere amongst that Golden State also known as Occupied Mexico. Education is key.
No, don’t kill civilians! (*ships another load of bombs*)
Not a hot take, just a logical campaign point. The marketing of Harris was deeply flawed. One cannot simply meme their way to the Presidency.
Though, I do not wish to claim this joke as mine: it has been THE joke on the left. We all just thought it independently because we occupy an echo chamber too.
If you are someone who never considers Taiwan, it is time to learn about Taiwan. Taiwan is one of the most important places in the world right now, and if you are someone who never considers Taiwan, I’ll bet that is a surprising insight. It’s because of computer chips. Because of AI. Because of military technology. Learn about Taiwan.
He also (and I only say this to be petty and anecdotal) moronically asserted that if he had been president in 2022 then the Russian Invasion of Ukraine would have never happened, and one does not need a history degree to know how truly moronic that assertion is.
I know, I know. It is not post-COVID, but you know what I mean. The live historical era of the pandemic is over. It will take decades for books about the present phase of COVID to be published. I wear a mask in public when I am ill because it is the reasonable and respectable thing to do.
Let’s not get overly pedantic about what constitutes the ‘start’ of armed conflict. Just let me cook, please. It’s my kitchen.
Climate change is real and inevitable under capitalism. Bad things are happening. This mean bad things will continue to happen. We are failing. This may be catastrophic. Pascal’s Wager is far more useful if we’re betting on the planet that sustains our living. Why wouldn’t we try and save ourselves?