It was disappointing to see that Trump won the Presidential Election this week. I am still baffled that more than half of my fellow citizens can vote for this guy. Regardless of his political positions, I cannot stomach his arrogance, lying, bullshitting and generally reprehensible behavior. I could never vote for someone like him.
But clearly, millions of other people don’t share my opinion.
I’m not going to write about politics in this post. Instead, his election got me thinking about how much my political and social values don’t align with those of 1/2 of the country.
I’m not comfortable writing them off people who are irrational, stupid, easily manipulated or voting against their own interests.
I also realize that I’ve spent my entire life living in “blue bubbles” surrounded by predominantly Democrat majorities – in Pittsburgh, South Florida and Raleigh. I’ve known some Republicans personally (predominantly wealthier Sr level execs I’ve worked for) but overall, I have had minimal exposure to the “sea of red” that makes up most of the US.
I am genuinely curious to speak with Trump voters to better understand their motivations and what I am missing. Undoubtedly I could learn a lot.
I’m ok with writing the politicians off. But I’m not going to write off half the country – even if we disagree on politics.