I thought all night about this, what’s a good thing I can say about Trump’s presidency?
People use all kinds of terrible, self-destructive behaviours to deal with their intolerable emotions. Addiction, self-mutilation, eating disorders, stuff I haven’t even contemplated. As someone who has done some of this I feel like there is no sense in talking about the issue without recognizing the utility of the self-destructive behaviour to the people doing it. When people self-mutilate it gives them relief. We can disagree that it’s something they should be doing, we can think the harm they are doing to themselves is wrong, but I don’t think we get anywhere if we don’t recognize that the relief it gives them is a good thing. It’s better that a person doesn’t have to suffer, even if momentarily. Whether it’s worth the cost and the damage done is a separate discussion from acknowledging that the relief of suffering is good.
Well, many people in America feel some temporary relief from Trump’s election and inauguration. Setting aside the obvious fact that the emotional relief experienced by those people comes at a cost that will fantastically outweigh the that good, I can acknowledge that it’s good that they are temporarily relieved.
For clarity, I am not likening voting for Donald Trump to self-harming (though I did think a lot about that), I’m only using that as a way of clearly separating the concept of emotional gains from cost of those gains, so that I can be recognize one as good without condoning the other.
Michael Moore pleaded with people not to vote for Trump saying it would feel good for one day. Feeling good for one day is good. I don’t agree that killing yourself to get that feeling is worth it. I wish people could tolerate their feelings well enough to care better for themselves, and to then look outside themselves and care for others as well.
