Some Thoughts
by Ben Cohen
I’m traveling at the moment and won’t be back until Wednesday so I’ll keep this short.
I’ve been trying to disconnect from politics for a few days for the sake of my sanity. It is hard to keep perspective the toxicity of our political climate while you’re in it, and it’s only when you get some distance from it that you understand the toll it can take. The news that there was another attempt on Donald Trump’s life was a stark reminder of this, and it quickly pulled me out of my vacation mode.
I haven’t done a ton of research on what happened because I want to enjoy what time I have left here in Joshua Tree, but I had some initial thoughts that I wanted to share.
This latest incident is a clear sign that political tribalism, hate, and fear are at terrifying levels in America. There is increased extremism across the spectrum, and it is manifesting itself in a truly ugly way.
Regardless of your thoughts about Donald Trump, no one should want to live in a society where political assassinations are not only desired, but normalized. Violence begets more violence, and history shows us that nations can break apart when political tribalism goes too far.
I can’t help but think about what role we all play in this — are we part of the problem, or the solution? Are we adding to the venom, or trying to take it out of the system?
I would like to be a part of the solution. And that means refusing to participate in political tribalism. It also means calling out my own side when I believe it goes too far, and respectfully engaging with people I don’t agree with. I don’t want to pump more poison into our political climate
That doesn’t mean giving Trump supporters a free pass. It means treating them like human beings. Because once we demonize the other side and condemn them as uniquely evil, violence can be justified. Donald Trump has become the epitome of evil to much of the left — a cartoon-like villain who represents everything they hate.
As someone who thinks Trump is an incredibly dangerous, deeply dysfunctional person, I have some degree of sympathy for this view. But he is still a human being, and I don’t want him to die. I worry that those who do are in great danger of becoming the thing they hate. Tribalism does that to people, and the results can be terrifying.
We can argue endlessly about who started this, who benefits from it, and who is most responsible for poisoning the country. But at some point, we each have to decide whether we want to add to it or resist it.
Trump isn’t going to stop poisoning our political climate. But that doesn’t mean we have to join him.
Ben
I really would like to cancel my subscription. I have read the Banter for years, but I am so tired of you downplaying the threat by Trump and his supporters.
I support the sentiment, but your last paragraph… SMH. The people who have poisoned culture are progressives. They’re the ones who brought back racial segregation, a racist hate of equal opportunity. They’re the ones who brought back misogyny as a value by forcing men into women’s spaces while telling women they don’t get to voice an opinion about that. Progressives are also the ones behind rolling back the calendar by a century on antisemitism. The number of far left and far right hasn’t increased since October 7 2023, the net-new population behind the tsunami of antisemitism is the progressives.
Progressives have turned the Democrats into the US Anzi Party. That’s who has poisoned the culture and politics and taken us all with them.