AUGUST 26, 2020 – Among us who detest Donald Trump, theories abound as to why people still support him. “Fear,” some say. “Greed,” others wail. “Stupidity,” “Racism,” “Neglect by conventional politicians” . . . the list goes on.
To which I add . . . “the forest effect”: Within a dense and boundless forest of objectionable behaviors and characteristics, what’s another light-blocking tree—especially if the tree-planter gives me what I want: anti-abortionists on the court; tax cuts for the rich; gov’mnt off my back; denial of climate change—and all other Democrat conspiracies; the middle finger at norms and nuances of a functioning (and fractious) democracy for which I have no patience?
What’s now troubling about this “forest effect” is its sway on us who detest Donald the Demagogue.
Since Inauguration Day 2017, the record of the 45th presidency of the United States has been one big, black forest of greed, contempt, neglect, denial, indecency, and ignorance—all cultivated to advance a single sociopathic objective: the personality cult of Donald J. Trump. After the border wall nonsense, border line humanity, emoluments, tariff war against China (and American farmers!), Russia-gate, tax cuts for the rich, denigration of journalism, deregulation of fossil fuel industries for the benefit of the few, appointment of corrupt and incompetent cronies, reliance on “acting” directors of executive agencies (thus avoiding Senate rejection), the indictment followed by guilty plea or conviction of numerous close associates, et cetera ad nauseam, including . . . the “perfect phone call” and impeachment . . . after all of that, what’s another tree, such as Pompeo’s violation of the Hatch Act at last night’s session of the RNC?
Yet I myself shrugged at the latest tree! And worse. I’ve quit reading The Times, and when the mobile version of CNN screams from my palm, “Read the latest offense by Trump and his cronies!” I switch to my weather app.
I’m not alone. Friends tell me, “I can’t handle the news anymore. I’m taking a break.”
This is surrender and a harbinger of darker days ahead, when haters, authoritarians, Second Amenders, Q-Anon followers, “MeNow-and-MeOnly” people, anti-vaxxers/anti-maskers/anti-fact-ers—when they “tread on me,” on you, on America. We who oppose them must resume our vigilance. We must turn back to the hard work of responsible citizenship, the arduous fight through the dark, dense forest.
We must call out each added tree, each new offense on Trump’s record. We must support the efforts of journalists—however flawed—to hold this demagogue, his surrogates, and his cronies to account; to keep on fact-checking, even if the volume of lies is now a vast forest of deceit.
We must counter the people whose wearisome “issue” is abortion or Black people looting” or just plain Black people or government telling them to put a mask on in order to save the economy, save grandmother’s life, save their lives. We must overwhelm the people who are susceptible to cults and demagogues.
If we resist the forest effect, we’ll find our way clear of the forest.
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© 2020 by Eric Nilsson
