"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again: but already it was impossible to say which was which."
-George Orwell, "Animal Farm"
I know the title itself is going to piss off a lot of people. I imagine it will probably piss off people who identify as Democrats the most. And I don't blame you. The title itself exudes privilege, and I do have the luxury of living in a country that is not the United States of America at a time of such political turmoil.
I'll be clear: In terms of policy, there is a huge difference between Democrats and Republicans. In the 2016 election, that policy gap became significantly wider. However, the politics and tactics of both parties is the same, and conduct of the supporters, especially 'the base' of both parties is the same. This gives us a good opportunity to explore tactics in politics and ethics within the framework of Liberation Theory.
"No pedagogy which is truly liberating can remain distant from the oppressed by treating them as unfortunates and by presenting for their emulation models from among the oppressors. The oppressed must be their own example in the struggle for their redemption."
-Paulo Friere, "Pedagogy of the Oppressed"
Friere clearly warns the dangers of assuming the behaviors of the oppressor in a quest for liberation. Throughout his treatise, he differentiates between oppressors and oppressed as people, and as behaviors of people, with a focus on education through dialogue to develop critical thinking. The oppressed, he reminds us have the "great [...] historical task" to "liberate themselves, and the oppressor as well."
Friere points out that education and dialogue where all participants are students and teachers is the means to that. An institution without hierarchy. Well, that's all well and good, but in the context of this essay, that's just too narrow, and for the issues facing society today, that scope is much too narrow. Rather, too broaden that point: we have a moral duty to reflect that in all aspects of our life. As oppressed people, regardless of political stripe, we must throw aside any notion that we are teachers and that others are students, and must engage in critical dialogue.
That's great, but how is this relevant to the current state of political parties and their supporters? During the 2016 US election, we saw Donald Trump rise to popularity by appealing to the lowest common denominator: racists, classists, homophobes, ableists, mysoginists, religious zealots - particularly fundamentalist Christians. He ran a campaign based on the denial of science, belittling women, and spreading fear of everyone who was nonwhite. In his campaign, he would often make up stories about terrorist attacks that never happened to spread fear, and would discredit any attempt to correct him as "fake news." He appealed to the lowest common denominator by taking their worldview and legitimizing it, regardless of truth or facts. This is not just oppressive behavior, it is the very behavior that defines an oppressor.
So why do Democrats and Republicans look so similar?
Trump won his election, became President, and then it began. Trump has slowly began legitimizing every fear Democrat supporters ever had. And the reaction of the Democrats? To appeal to their lowest common denominator. They've created a worldview surrounding US politics under Trump and began their attack. Now, I in no way wish to minimize the affects of Donald Trump's policies and behavior. People are dying and people will die. I do not intend to minimize any of the harm that will be done to the Muslim community, the African American community, the LGBTQ Community, the Latino community, the disabled community, people with mental health issues, people living in poverty, the homeless community. There are genuine fears to be had.
But instead of focusing on how to combat those issues, we hear catchphrases and pep rallies. We legitimize Trump's cry of "Fake News" by pumping out actual fake news. Take the Russia scandal, for eample. All we really know for certain is that it's likely Russian spies obtained confidential information regarding both the Democratic party and Republican party, and only released certain information regarding the Democratic party to the public. Now, I'm entirely skeptical that the Republican party had no dirty laundry that Russia would find interesting, but we don't know what information Russia found, or if they still have it.
We also have zero evidence that Trump was willfully colluding with the Russians. Let's face it, when he asked at a campaign rally if Russians could crack Hillary Clinton's emails, we know he was being tongue in cheek. We all know - at that precise moment - he wasn't literally asking Russia to spy on his opponent.
Now of course, the possibility that Russia has blackmail on the Republicans should be alarming. We also know Trump and his family has business dealings with Russia that he legally cannot benefit from while in office, as do many of his staff and former staff. But there is no compelling evidence that would pass even the most liberally biased courts that Trump himself is involved in treason. Not to say no evidence is out there somewhere. Just right now, in this moment, there is none. But of course, Democrats will share on Facebook that picture claiming Michelle Bachmann said "We need a wall. China built a wall and they don't have Mexicans" completely unironically. A quote, for the record, which was completely made up and that she never uttered. They'll tweet out the latest article written by some obscure news site about a friend of a friend who overheard a conversation between Paul Ryan and Donald Trump about taking Russian Money.
Democrats are pushing things that fit their worldview: That Republicans are stupid, are ignorant, and that Trump colluded with Russia. Worst of all, they are doing this with very little evidence and not using any meaningful or reliable source.
How about the fact that the very people who blamed Bernie Sanders for "dividing the party" are still doing so? Sanders and his supporters are still being bullied by the Democratic base. In one conversation they were even called "mysoginistic for refusing to vote for a woman." An overwhelming majority did back Clinton in the election. And those that didn't were certainly more inclined to vote for Jill Stein - a woman. So the Democrats are making up their own alternative facts.
You might not agree with Sanders' policies, but it is a democratic right that everyone be able to cast a ballot for the person of their choice. How dare Sanders guarantee everyone had the chance to do that before he withdrew from the contest. But the Democrats don't want to take responsibility for losing the election. They want to blame anyone and everyone else. That's also oppression.
And that brings us to the American Health Care Act. Democratic Politicians were caught celebrating the vote because they believe that it will assuredly result in them winning the next election, as if they've never heard of gerrymandering or are in denial that it could happen before 2018. Any liberals in the states need a reason to convert to anarchism? Here's one: These elected officials care more about keeping their jobs as elected officials than they do about how that bill treats women, children, minorities, and people in poverty or the homeless.
Or how about Sally Yates testimony, which didn't really reveal anything new to anyone, but was highly entertaining and rallied the Democratic base without changing the mind of a single Republican. Don't get me wrong, Yates gave excellent testimony and held her own against some of the toughest Republican senators. But Democrats watching at home were salivating over the possibility she'd reveal Trump was directly involved in Russia. It's almost as if they want it to be true, so they can get rid of him. I couldn't imagine a world where I'm hoping my elected official committed treason.
So how does this all tie back to liberation theory and Paulo Friere and George Orwell? How do we address the genuine oppression that is happening in an ethical manner? Again, people are dying, and if they haven't it's reasonable to assume they will. It's reasonable to believe that most of these people are going to be from ethnic minority groups, or will be women, or living in poverty or disabled. It's reasonable to assume that there will be violence, as people who were afraid to act out in violence a year ago are now legitimized by the current government.
There is no easy way. That's how oppression works. But firstly, sinking to the same level that Donald Trump and his most ardent supporters did is not the answer. We must continue to hold on to the moral high ground. We can't give in to alternative facts and spread misinformation because it conforms to our worldview. I don't have the answer to the Trump problem. I don't know how to get rid of a tyrant. But I do know two things: Adopting the behaviour of the oppressor only means we're better poised to become oppressors ourselves if given the chance, and if that's the case, then we change nothing. And I also know that what Democrats are doing right now isn't working and is only making them appear to be hypocrites. We need to maintain rationality if we are going to solve the Trump problem.
Critical Thinking and Skepticism are acts of resistance.
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