Culture is. Politics follow. That's my theory.
Our politics will only be as enlightened as our culture. The individuals who hold office in government do so only at the will of the people, and they create laws, not in a vacuum of abstract thought and pure rationale, but in a context of cultural forces: ideologies that influence the agenda and dictate the nature of the laws we choose to enact.
People are underestimating the power of our collective beliefs and unspoken cultural norms which motivate our daily thoughts, actions, and allegiances, including our political persuasions. We expect too much from our elected officials and ascribe them way too much agency. Human beings are not entirely self-determining agents. We are largely reactionary. There are millions of factors that combine to help shape who we are as people and what we hold as values. And that last bit is the key: our values.
Donald Trump is not simply a product of bad politics. He is the punishment we get as a culture that worships celebrities, derides intellectualism, and prioritizes entertainment over the pursuit of wisdom. We are indulgent and lazy. We consume too much food, alcohol, television, and social media. We are helplessly habituated to instant gratification and quick fixes. It is no surprise then that we are on the brink of electing the reality TV star "businessman" who offers easy fixes – build a wall, kick out the immigrants, ban Muslims from entering the country – and comforts us with his authoritarian style, brash manipulation of the truth, and cocky dismissal of inconvenient "facts." Pshh.
Half the country is sick of "political correctness." Why would we want to be "correct" when we can be carelessly barbaric in our rhetoric? It is more fun to fire off witty insults, or lame nicknames, than to speak diplomatically. Why should I have to exercise caution with my Twitter account when I can just shoot from the hip, speak from the gut, tell it like it is?
Our politics, like anything else in our collective life, is a matter of culture. Unless we shift our priorities from the maximization of personal wealth to the cultivation of virtues, we will remain doomed.
What made this country so great from its founding, was the intense intellectual labor done by the Thomas Jeffersons and Benjamin Franklins of our fledgling nation, who laid a framework for a strong society based on sound philosophical principles. In truth, it is those principles which constitute what it means to be American, not the color of our skin, religion, sexual orientation, or party politics.
At the end of the day, our beliefs shape our destiny. Until we get on the same page about what it means to live a virtuous life and create a healthy society, we will be at each other's throats 'til kingdom come...or 'til the Donald starts World War III...
As the banker, moments from death, asked the Joker in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight (2008): "What do you believe in? What do you believe in?!" I ask the same of you.
Please don't answer with cynicism. Don't forfeit your rationality in favor of blind reverence for a large-and-in-charge surrogate father figure such as Mr. Trump.
We can do so much better. And no worse.
