The Fear You’re Feeling Today? Use It!
Fear is a powerful, negative motivator in politics. But now is the time to use it, and work toward a world where we never have to be fearful again.
Like many of you today, I’m feeling absolutely gutted. Between the SCOTUS ruling on mail-in ballots in Wisconsin, the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett, fear for the future of reproductive rights, health care for those with pre-existing conditions, and maybe even my marriage … there’s a lot to unpack today. It’s not a great feeling. I’m not used to it, and, maybe that’s part of the problem. Our collective problem.
But in this fear, unease, dread, maybe there’s a silver lining. Perhaps, just maybe, the way we’re feeling today is a part of the solution. Give me a few minutes to tell you why. Because this isn’t over. Far from it. But first …
A Misguided Pledge
When I started down the road toward building a writing career, I pledged to myself that I’d leave politics out of it. No political posts on social media. No talking politics on the blog. I’d keep all that personal. It didn’t need to be a part of the public persona I was crafting.
And though I’m immensely grateful for the modest following I’ve garnered over these last few years, I’m no celebrity. But I still have a platform. And for a long time, I’ve believed it would be inappropriate to use that platform to share my political beliefs.
But I realize, now, how absolutely misguided that is. The truth is, both my politics and my writing are shaped by my world view. They’re tangled together. There’s a chance you’ll read this and not agree with me, and that’s okay. I invite conversation, because actually, the more we talk about our differences, the more likely we are to find common ground.
So please accept this as a statement of my personal policy change. Things have reached a point where I don’t believe it’s in anyone’s interest to keep these things to myself.
Now, back to the subject at hand …
The Fear is a Good Thing (This Time)
One could make a strong argument—and many have—that the recent success of the GOP is a direct result of stoking fear. Fear that globalization is leaving people behind. Fear that the increasing racial diversity of America will somehow diminish what it means to be a white American. Fear the guns will be taken away. Fear that we’ll have to look at our own history through a more critical lens. Fear that we’ll have to admit that, as a country, we haven’t always done everything right. Fear that, maybe, we’re not the best at everything.
And that’s before we add religion into the mix. There’s fear that America will be less Christian. Fear for the souls of our friends and family. More about that in a minute.
I could take these things one at a time, but then this post would be novel-length. Let’s just say that some of these things are founded (we DO need solutions for communities left behind by globalization), and others are absolutely not (true, lasting racial equality is a GOOD thing, and not a threat to anyone).
But it isn’t the legitimacy, or lack thereof, of these fears that is important. It’s their inherent power to motivate people to use their voices.
In 2016, all that fear, alongside too much of the left-leaning electorate staying home because of a “lack of enthusiasm” resulted in the election of the most dangerous President the United States has ever seen. We’ve all been paying the price for the last four, interminably-long years.
Perhaps the worst part is, I don’t think the Republicans in control right now even care about the issues they used to stoke their rise. Sure, they’re appointing justices. They’re rolling back environmental policies in the name of bringing back jobs. But it isn’t really about solving the problems they’ve decried. It’s about lining their pockets. But that, again, is a subject for another day.
The point is, this feeling so many of us are experiencing today? This one that might feel new to us? It isn’t new to the other side. And long-term, fear is not the way forward. But today? Maybe today it is …
Looking Through the Eyes of Fear to Understand its Power
Disclaimer: While I don’t personally believe in any current human interpretation of God or creation, I absolutely respect the faith of others, and accept it without judgment.
Imagine for a moment that you believe my marriage to my husband will be rewarded with eternal damnation. Imagine further that you believe my sexuality is a choice (it most certainly isn’t). Keep going, and imagine that my choice to be gay, and my choice to marry my husband might inspire your children, or grandchildren, or whomever, to make the same sinful, irredeemable choices. Now imagine that, deep down, you really, truly love people. You don’t want damnation for me. For your kids. For your neighbors.
If you truly believe all of this, which is your right to do so, however misguided I know it to be, then you must wake up every morning terrified of the consequences of my actions. And so, when a politician comes along, and taps into that fear, and says “I’ll prevent this! I’ll fix it! I’ll make sure this plague of damnation doesn’t spread, if only you’ll elect me,” you’re going to want desperately to believe it. And that fear is going to make you vote.
Here’s the thing. We’re too quick to vilify each other. There are people on the right who just want to keep everyone else down. Who want to control people. Who want to dominate them using the guise of morals, etc. But there are also people who vote in a destructive manner because they truly believe they are helping us. Saving us from ourselves. These people aren’t bad. They’re not evil. They just don’t understand that their attempts at “helping” us are doing far more harm than good.
So what’s the solution? In the example above, it’s to spend time with me. Get to know me. Learn that my sexuality is baked into me as much as the color of my eyes. Observe my husband and I together. Realize that our marriage is firmly grounded in love. See that it’s not so different from your own. This is how hearts and minds are changed.
Because the only way to beat fear is to show there is nothing to be afraid of.
And we can do this work. And we are doing this work. We’ll continue to do this work. But it takes time. And in this election, we’re out of time.
Fear was their Secret Weapon. We Can Use it Too.
Fear gave the GOP its last four years. Now it’s poised to give us the next four, and if we play our cards right afterwards, we don’t ever need to feel fearful again. But right now, there are things to fear. They’re legitimate. They include, at a minimum:
- An end to reproductive rights
- An end to health care protections for persons with pre-existing conditions
- An end to marriage equality and LGBTQ rights in general
- Increased and worsening racial tensions
- Worsening, potentially irreversible climate change
- Widening wealth gaps
- Destructive, catastrophic American isolationism
How many times have Republicans, over the last four years, gleefully reminded us that “elections have consequences?” Yes. They do. And the consequences of this one going the wrong way are potentially immeasurable.
We don’t need Democrats to stoke fear, because so many of us have been watching how our country and world have spiraled under GOP control. We feel it. We’re feeling it today. I don’t want to feel this way. You don’t either. So let’s do something about it.
Vote. Vote right now. Don’t wait another day to send your ballot. Or, go to an early voting location and cast your ballot in person. Or, if you’re fortunate enough to have one, use a secure ballot drop box (that’s what I did). And if all else fails, and you can do so safely, vote in person on election day. Let this feeling you have today, right now, motivate you, because if you do, if we do, then …
We Never Need to be Fearful Again
I’m hopeful. I truly believe Joe Biden is going to win the election next week. I truly believe we’ll keep the house, and take the senate. I believe we’re going to turn a corner, but …
That’s only the beginning. Because all the people who are afraid of globalization, and race equality, and reproductive rights, and LGBTQ rights … All those people are still going to be afraid of them next week. And next year. And two years from now. And four years from now.
Unless we change hearts and minds.
And we need to remember that—to remember that how we’re feeling today is how many of them feel all the time. So we need to meet those who disagree with us on common ground. We need to address their concerns. We need to assuage their fears, while holding onto this feeling.
Today we’re walking in their shoes, and while I believe our way of thinking is the better way forward, I can’t help but believe seeing things as they see them can only be a good thing.
So use your fear, and let’s end fear for good.
Vote!
Share your thoughts! Have you voted in the US election already? If not, what’s your plan? What’s the best way to change hearts and minds, and for extra credit, what’s the best way to get fear out of politics once and for all? Let me know in the comments below.
Thanks as always for reading, now go vote!
Gregory
