We're six days past the election of former President Trump as our next president. Both the press and social media are devoting inches if not pages of copy to try to analyze why Vice President Harris lost to Trump. The fact of the matter is that there are many reasons, and to focus on the loss itself does not leave much room to make plans that anticipate the new administration's first days in office. Complicating such an effort is the fact that we live in different states, so different efforts are already underway in blue states like Washington and California.
The question is whether any efforts will make much of a difference for at least two years until the midterm elections. Until then, it appears that Trump will have control of the three branches of government. Such power is unprecedented in this century. We have also seen a foreshadowing with rulemaking in red states around the rights of the mother, and how those new laws impact not only the mother and fetus but also the medical professionals who care for them. We also can imagine the chaos that will cause this country when an attempt is made on a massive scale to identify undocumented immigrants and remove them.
I would like to present areas where I think we might make a difference if we marshal the formidable resources we represent. There is no reason not to begin now, rather than on January 20. My initial list of areas to focus on, which may expand as the next month goes by, includes 1) Media and Social Media; 2) Intolerance; 3) Education; and 4) Local and State Governments.
Media and Social Media
Finger-pointing, quasi-hysteria, or bland indifference to what has transpired with the re-election of Trump is visible across social media platforms, network news, and cable news programs. Many of us felt anxious before the election because the rhetoric of each party grew increasingly desperate, with misinformation injected regularly into the race by not only our fellow Americans but by Russia, China, and Iran. Post-election, we can expect desperation and misinformation to continue. A possible personal choice that anyone can make is to withdraw from such a daily diet, to prune the amount of “news” one consumes daily and to limit the amount of time spent on social media. If you decide to engage in a topic, please make sure what you are arguing is factual. If you feel strongly and have a point to make, consider writing a letter to the editor of the publication where you read the article.
Intolerance
Tied to the election were allegations and misinformation about the war in Gaza, as well as assumptions that a religion (Judaism) is interchangeable with a state's actions (Israel). We have seen an alarming rise of anti-Semitism in the last decade, not only against places of worship but also on Israel itself, and on university campuses. Not all attacks have been made by pro-Palestinian protestors, but the war has attracted a large number of sympathizers because of a concurrent rise in Islamophobia. There is no doubt that pro-Palestinian protestors have a case to make -- Gaza has been mostly destroyed by Israeli rockets sourced from the United States. Diplomacy toward an end to the war, return of prisoners, and work toward a two state solution has been complex and prolonged with no end in sight for the conflict. What can you do? If you see something, say something, particularly if it is an act against another human being, but also if it involves the defacement of property. You might also enlarge your circle of acquaintances to enlarge your understanding of intolerance. Please note that, in today's highly charged environment, Blacks, Asian Americans, and other Muslims are also being singled out for attack, often without any reason at all.
Local and State Government
Consider running for public office to have a real impact on the decisions made in your community and your state. If you're not interested in a role on your school board or neighborhood association, then what about as a volunteer at your local library branch? For the parks department? Your county's zoning commission? Supporting your local law enforcement division? Your local elections office? All these public institutions are, on average, currently understaffed and str likely to become more so as we head into the next few years. Part of the joy of being a citizen is the ability to also be a volunteer and make a difference.
Education
We have just seen how important an education is in the election results. Most public schools need volunteers, and not just to attend PTSA meetings. Understanding the environment in which your child is learning is in itself a form of learning. Teachers—like firefighters, police officers, and librarians—get worn down by the daily weight of the children who learn from them. If you don’t have time to volunteer in the classroom, then donations of school supplies are always welcome. At the university level, the challenges are different. To teach at this level is both an honor and a responsibility, as teachers almost always have to fill in gaps left by primary and secondary school learning. If I were still teaching, I would be advocating for a basic “core” course on misinformation that all entering students would take, which would give the students tools to understand and identify misinformation, especially when found in social media. I would also be warning administrators, whether at universities or corporations, about the zealous pursuit of artificial intelligence (AI) funds for research, when surely one of Trump's first efforts will be to remove President Biden's executive order on the proper uses of AI which establishes a few guardrails around the rapid development of AI, as well as Biden's National Security Memorandum on AI.
Having to find reasons every day to be optimistic or at least to understand that you can make a difference is not easy for most of us at this point. Look outside yourself and expand your efforts: find a way to align your interests with work that still needs to be done. It's at least as important an effort as the after-action reports written about this election