AUGUST 23, 2020 – I didn’t catch any of the Democratic National Convention proceedings last week. Based on the personal reactions of people I know and respect, I should have. My excuses were two-fold: 1. I’ve been at the Red Cabin, where streaming is sketchy; and 2. I’m already so anti-Trump/anti-Republican, I needed no convincing to vote early for a straight Democratic ticket in this November’s general election.
What I missed out on was the message of hope and inclusion; an appeal for unity and a return to decency; a call to help get out the vote as if our lives and country depend on it—because they do. In short, it was the pep talk of all pep talks.
“Yeah, sure, fine,” an anti-Trump/anti-Republican friend of ours said. “But none of those speeches will change a single mind on the dark side.”
We’ve known this for some time—that GoebbelsNews, bolstered by social media, has developed a toxic grip on the minds of its viewership. (This notion was affirmed in the course of my interviews of Trump supporters outside the president’s rally in Minneapolis last October, as well as of friends and acquaintances of mine who are Trump supporters.) Our anti-Trump/anti-Republican friend is correct: there is no known antidote to the poison consumed by Trump supporters.
But . . . back to the Democrats’ message of hope and the better angels of our nature. On the edge of the dark hole of our despair now appears a line of home team heralds. Their long horns point toward the sun and blast the air with the melody and harmony of truth, decency, social cohesion, and respect for facts, science, and rule of law. If the Trumpian minds are poisoned and their ears plugged, so be it. The clarion call is for the despairing to hear—and to act upon.
The pre-game, home team pep rally is not for the opposing team. It’s to rally the home team. And only the cynic would say, “But winning isn’t about ‘rah-rah-rah.’ It comes solely from hard training and smart coaching.” What coach or player would agree with the cynic? Sure, hard training, smart coaching are essential to a “win,” but so are inspiration and a stadium packed with fans cheering in full-throated support of the home team.
Yes, despairing anti-Trump/anti-Republican friends; yes, discouraged progressive friends, sorely disappointed that Bernie isn’t leading the ticket—you might not want to attend the game because (a) a boisterous group wearing MAGA caps occupy the stadium too; or (b) your preferred quarterback won’t be calling the plays. But this is the Super Bowl of American History. The home team must win. The win will require hard training, smart coaching from this day forward, but “Rah-rah!” will be essential too. Against the dark fears hurled by the opposing team, the home team must run with the bright light of hope. The harder we cheer, the faster our players will run, carrying us all to a common goal: a better future.
(Remember to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.)
© 2020 by Eric Nilsson
