The fragility of democracy is appalling. When times get tough around the world, it seems that people faced with difficulties seek answers in increasingly extreme and frightening places, exposing democracy to even greater risk and leading many of us to a feeling of hopelessness and helplessness.
We Americans have a very high opinion of ourselves. I know we’re annoying, I’m sorry. When we’re not bothering you, we’re busy bothering each other. Our arrogance is as big as our legendary belly. Probably because both our ideas and our stomachs are full of high-fructose corn syrup.
We think we are the world’s leaders in terms of democracy and we live in a bubble so self-centered that we now think that we too have invented the death of democracy. This is through a monster of disinformation, more saturated with lies, bad faith and corn syrup than any other figure in our political landscape: Donald Trump.
Regrettably, it seems that Brazilians know these problems all too well. Misinformation and false allegations about electoral fraud made in an attempt to stay in power are not unique to gringos. I know, from talking to Brazilian friends, that Jair Bolsonaro is a huge risk in this regard. And, as Brazil is a country that has already lived through extreme situations, I can only imagine what feelings a figure like this arouses in you.
I hope that in this text we can have a few laughs together about our fears and, who knows, come up with some better ways to face our seemingly tragic situation. This is my “three-step system to save democracy forever (maybe)”.
Step one: Identify the enemy
In the case of the US, Trump is somehow all the negative stereotypes gathered in one person: he is vulgar, abused, liar, bully, cheater, hypocrite, narcissist, obsessed with fast food, abandons followers and partners, evades taxes, stinks (probably) and somehow, despite having little education, he is incredibly rich, despite his successive failures.
Personally, I don’t care if my country is run by an idiot. Believe me, I’ve been through several. George W. Bush once said: “I know that man and fish can live together in peace.” I don’t bother with stupid politicians because I believe in democracy.
If we’re stupid enough to elect an asshole, then maybe we’ve got the right person for the job. Democracy will have faithfully fulfilled its duty to represent us accurately. What worries me is democracy being hijacked by outright lies.
Trump, the eternal underdog, tried everything he could to stay in power after losing the last election to Joe Biden. You would have thought that after losing so much in his life — six of his companies went bankrupt, he went through two divorces and the defeat in 2020 — he would be used to losing by now. Trump has lost everything but weight.
Step Two: Identify what the enemy is doing
After losing the election, Trump encouraged followers to take to the streets and attack the Capitol to prevent Biden’s certification. The riot erupted into violence as many of his followers stormed the building and literally went hunting political leaders. Result: deaths, anarchy and political uncertainty. All this to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. Anything to stop democracy.
Alerted, Trump refused to say anything to stop them. When the chaos had already caused massive depredation and members of his cabinet were threatening to remove him from power by resorting to a clause in the Constitution, as he had evidently lost his lucidity and was not mentally fit to lead, Trump finally broadcast a statement asking to leave.
In it, he told his followers that they were very special and that their anger was justified. Expressing no remorse for their actions and refusing to condemn the insurrection.
He had been promoting baseless lies about voter fraud to his Twitter base and to right-wing media outlets; he fanned the flames and let it be understood that people needed to take strong action. He had intimidated state officials, trying to get them to change the election results in his favor. Even now, in the midterms, there are Trump supporters being encouraged to go to polling places and intimidate voters on the opposite side.
As I see it, those who follow these monsters are not our enemies. Their goal is not to destroy our countries. They feel forgotten by the political system, voiceless and left behind. They fear for their families. They’re looking for answers, and the Trumps of the world are manipulating that anger and that fear and redirecting it. Then, through disinformation and outright lies told to further their nefarious goals, they turn that anger and dissatisfaction into weapons.
Step Three: Save Democracy (Maybe)!
Democracy is only as strong as the faith we have in it. We have to bet on democracy to achieve a solid democracy. This is not always comfortable. We have to love democracy, even if we elect an idiot. Democracy is not limited to the exercise of voting – it is an evolving dialogue.
We need to start these dialogues with those we disagree with, with full empathy and opening our ears before our mouths. Because it is only by making others feel heard that we can then convey our ideas to them. We need to put our trust in them so they can trust us.
I learned that lesson from my wife. When we have an argument, speaking up rarely benefits me as much as staying quiet and listening to what she says. Once I made her feel that she was heard, she trusts our dialogue enough to listen to me. At this point I can convince her how incredibly wrong she is. And in this way we save our family’s fragile democracy.
In our echo chamber and our modern digital worlds, we’ve learned to always expect the worst from those we disagree with, because clickbait algorithms feed us the most hideous versions of them and everything seems impossible. But if we open up and listen with an open heart in the real world and try to understand what’s behind the positions we disagree with, perhaps our disaffected countrymen will do us the same favor. And perhaps we can restore our troubled world to trust in democracy, order and peace. And who knows, maybe we can all wear the shirt of democracy away from home with pride. Even if there’s an idiot stamped on it.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
