I generally don't like labels because labels often narrowly define groups and individuals. In truth, no one fits nicely into any one label--we're all a mix of multiple labels.
Let's think about the Trump fans at the Elipse this Tuesday. Many want to generalize about who they are, where they are from, what they know, and what they believe in. We can say that they were all curious about the event and wanted to attend--that's true simply because they were there. We can then state some general facts about numbers of men, women, old, young, light skinned, dark skinned, loud or quiet by simple observation. After that, it's difficult to generalize about the whole group. In the group, there were some that vandalized, some that had weapons, some that placed a noose near the Capitol, some that wore Trump gear, some that brought their children, and some that went because they belong to crowds that went.
With regard to their convictions and knowledge, I think there was likely a lot of scatter from those who were simply following the crowd, to those who had researched reasons for being there, and those who were foreign enemies planted in the group. A careful study of the crowd demonstrates that some appear compromised too in a number of ways.
If we broaden our perspective to those who voted for Trump, I think we also have to be careful about generalizing. People vote for individuals for all kinds of reasons including the following:
name recognition--it's the name they've heard the most
family members tell them who to vote for
the candidate is the popular person for their community
they've had some good fortune that they connect to that candidate
there is one strong issue they believe in that the candidate represents
their pastor or boss told them who to vote for
they have had a negative experience, reaction, or understanding of the other candidate
it's the candidate of the party they've always belonged to
they have strong convictions about the candidate and his/her beliefs, policies, and experiences
We can't over-generalize about the people who vote for one candidate or another--that's not smart. Instead, we have to see it for what it is--they have the candidate in common, and it's likely that they sharea both similarities and differences with all the others who voted for that candidate.
At Tuesday's insurrection, the crowd was a small representation of Trump followers. The rest of the people who voted for Trump likely had a variety of viewpoints related to the election result. Some, as I have done many times in the past, probably moved on and didn't think much about the loss, and at the other end of the continuum, there were those that were devastated by the loss and believed it was unfair.
Bottom line, we have to be careful about over-generalizing any group, but it's smart to study the commonalities too.
Going forward, I don't want to spend a lot of time conjecturing about groups. Instead, I want to focus on the issues and work for good compromise to forward who we can be as a nation. With a democratic congress and President, I don't want to simply side with democrats all the time. Instead, I want to listen to what everyone has to say, research, consider, and place my support behind what I believe to be the best course of action related to issues that matter a lot to me, issues including fair wages, just work conditions, protected lands/resources, quality health care/education, strong communities, and the exchange of honest information rather than dangerous propaganda. I will listen closely and doing what I can to support positive efforts in those areas.
We all have to be careful of labels. This video is a favorite of mine since it focuses on the harm labels can bring. I share it with reservation because some Black colleagues of mine do not like the video since they think it strikes against the Black Lives Movement, a movement that tells us that we have to pay close attention to Black Lives in all that we do to eradicate the centuries of racial injustice, inequity, and despair. I know that's true, and I am working to increase my efforts and understanding in this regard. I will also continue to work agains the narrow use of labels, use that limits who we are as individuals and groups. Onward.
