Back when my organization offered anti-racism training and workshops, our approach with groups was to start the work by creating a shared vocabulary around anti-racism work, from which we would build toward creating a shared vision and understanding of racism and how it works. Over the years, it is an approach that I have adopted in my work. Early in my training and speaking work, I didn’t take this approach and, well, it often led to confusion and misunderstanding for some. I mean, if you only think of racism at a personal level, it’s not always easy to understand what is meant by someone referring to racism as a structural issue. This approach to creating a shared language and understanding is imperative to getting people onboard to creating outcomes that seeks to dismantle racism or racist behavior.
Last night, as I watched the Harris-Trump debate and comments and responses to the debate on various social media platforms, I found myself thinking that as a country, we could use some grounding work to create a shared reality of the country we are living in. Because one thing that is abundantly clear is that we are not all living in the same country.
Sure, we can break down certain differences across political ideology, but the differences are so stark that the fact that we live very siloed lives becomes clearer with each passing day.
The United States has always been fractured along race/class lines; that was baked into the foundation of the country. But in the last decade or two, there has been a break with reality that is deeply disturbing.
Millions of us watched as the former president Donald Trump told us about babies being aborted post-birth and that Haitian immigrants are snatching up household pets off the streets and eating them. Some of the things that Trump stated were so absurd that they would be comical, except for the fact that millions of people believe these things. Even when there are fact-checkers to say that these things are not true, they are believed.
As I cruised around the different sections of social media that I regularly visit, it was clear that we have been so successfully siloed that even when our ears and eyes tell us one thing, we don’t believe it.
Mainstream media is admitting that Kamala Harris had a good night, and by good, we mean she showed up and was able to answer the questions and give us a sense of what she envisions for the country, as well as do it in a competent manner that did something that few could do—she rattled Trump. A man who in 2016 literally stalked his opponent, Hilary Clinton, around the stage to intimidate her. Harris, as a former prosecutor, knows how to not be intimidated and watching her leave Trump unsettled was deeply satisfying.
Trump is an intellectual lightweight who rarely can speak beyond well-rehearsed bigoted bullet points and insults—a man who has a track record for being unsuccessful at anything other than smoke and mirrors. A man so lacking that our presidential debates since 2016 have devolved from policy wonk fests to merely keeping the debate train on the track and demonstrating competence without being steamrolled by his bluster as the indicators of success. Then again, this is a man whose talking points at rallies and debates can be heavy on fictional characters.
Yet despite all of this, for many Americans, they will still choose to support this walking disaster of a human being, be undecided, or sit this election out.
We have two choices here: an unhinged man who idolizes the worst of society (Viktor Orban, anyone) and has a burning desire to fulfill his lifelong fantasy of obtaining absolute power and respect via a dictatorship, or a flawed but competent woman who is not in perfect alignment with certain values.
The fact that there is no alignment on who the better candidate is out of the two viable choices is a product of how deeply fractured and siloed we have become. Though interestingly enough, there is a point of consensus albeit with a twist. Many people feel America is not heading in the right direction, but it is our silos that guide us towards a vision of what better would be.
Is it an America that barricades itself and doesn’t care for others? Is it an America that centers the care of others first? That’s where our silos do the leading. This became clear after seeing several posts stating that there is no difference between the two contenders. Even when there is overlap between the two, they still differ, but it may not be to our liking.
I am writing this on Sept. 11, the day we now commemorate the lives lost on U.S. soil by terrorists on that day in 2001. Looking back, that day may have been one of the few days in my memory that this country shared a reality. We were attacked, it was awful, and it was scary. Unfortunately, it was the aftermath of that attack that in hindsight was the beginning of a fracturing that we are now all living with.
No matter who wins or loses, this country in many ways is lost. If we continue to operate in a world where racial, social, and economic disparities create versions of America that reside in fearful silos lacking hope, no one person will course-correct to a place of reality that enough of us can agree on. While it is my hope that Harris wins, the truth is that I fear a Harris win will not create goodwill to move us forward unless we ourselves do the work of digging out of our silos and attempt to build bridges to reality. No, America isn’t as healthy as it could be, and while there may be moments that feel straight out of a dystopian novel, we are not there, yet. But making the wrong choice (Trump) in November or failing to find a way to share reality could be the tipping point that sets us on such a destination.
If this piece resonated with you, please consider a tip, or become a monthly patron, if you aren’t already. I offer my work freely, to ensure that it is accessible to all but if you have the means to support it, please do so. Remember, I do work with groups and organizations, if you want to work with me, please reach out for details.
