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1/My first time doing a big thread. Let’s see how it goes. Of note, this message is intended for people of high privilege. Anyone is welcome to read, but the call to action is for those who can do this without serious personal risk (i.e. white, cis-, het- folks).
2/Removing Trump from office is not enough. #Insurrection2021 showed our problems are much bigger than one man, one party, or one political ideology. What we are facing is a crisis of legitimacy.
3/The fundamental consensus that normally undergirds our democracy & makes governing possible has eroded enough that a significant portion of the American public no longer recognizes the authority of the U.S. government & some are willing to use violence to overthrow it.
4/That problem can’t be solved by removing Trump from office, swearing in newly-elected officials, or improving security on Capitol Hill. The only way to prevent further insurrection is to regain the consent of the governed by persuading them that this is their government too.
5/As long as millions of Americans remain convinced the election was stolen & that Trump is the rightful president, the government will be under siege. While the Biden-Harris administration & MOCs can say & do things to alleviate the situation, they alone can’t solve this crisis.
6/In our hyper-polarized political environment in which the public no longer trusts traditional opinion leaders, we must find alternative ways of shifting attitudes & beliefs. Our best option is to work through personal networks linking people who already know & trust each other.
7/Community organizers have always known existing relationships are the key to change, but as the political consulting industrial complex has taken over campaign politics, activists have lost sight of this fundamental truth.
8/Now it’s time to relearn the basics of talking with people who disagree with us & persuading them--gently & compassionately--that this is their government too. They need to know that the incoming Biden-Harris administration and the newly-elected Congress are not their enemy.
9/The overwhelming majority of Trump voters are good people who’ve been duped by a psychopathic con-artist. We must treat them as we would any loved one seduced into an abusive relationship, lured into a cult, or bilked by a pyramid scheme.
10/Yes, Trump took power by playing on their most vile prejudices--racism, misogyny, xenophobia, transphobia, homophobia, etc.--but mostly he succeeded by manipulating w/ lies & fear. He (w/ the aid of many others) convinced them their world was ending & Democrats were at fault.
11/Today you can help bring the nation back from the brink by doing three things: 1) Being kind, respectful, & compassionate toward the Trump voters in your life. They’re more victims than perpetrators. Save your wrath for Trump & his enablers.
12/ 2) Build golden bridges for Trump supporters to retreat across. These voters are under extreme psychological distress, sitting upon the horns of a dilemma...
13/Do they tear down much of their belief system & restart from scratch? Or do they find some way to explain what happened/is happening that preserves the bulk of their existing worldview such as embracing wild conspiracy theories?
14/We must make it easier for them to choose the former course. You can do this by helping them save face, quietly forgiving them, inviting them to join you in fixing what’s broken in this country, & providing emotional support as they come to terms with their folly.
15/ 3) Listen to their concerns w/o judgment or pushback. Listening isn't the same as agreeing. As a psychiatrist, when I listen to my delusional patient tell me their concerns, it doesn’t mean I agree the CIA has planted a microchip in their brain. It means I care.
16/ Therapists, pastors, counselors, & priests listen b/c we know it is a fundamentally healing & transformative experience for the people we listen to regardless of whether we agree w/ them or not.
17/When you listen to a Trump voter--really listen--it will help them calm down, escape their primitive fight-or-flight brain, & become more rational. And greater calm & rationality is what the nation needs right now.
18/Yes, this is really hard. Listening to people share wild conspiracy theories, spout racist tropes, & mouth the president’s lies is noxious. But YOU CAN DO THIS. Therapists do it all the time. Just keep your mouth shut while the other person talks.
19/Of course, what I’m asking you to do now is just the beginning of the dialogue that needs to happen in this country. Opinion change takes time, especially when people have been lied to & indoctrinated for as long as Trump supporters.
20/Nonetheless the events of the past few days make it clear we don’t have a choice. The future hangs in the balance. No matter how unpleasant or time-consuming the task, we must do everything we can to help folks escape Trump’s delusional worldview. Now may be our last chance.
