Revolutions are never pretty things to experience. When change is needed, it comes with disruption, resistance and turmoil. As American philosopher Thomas Kuhn remarked, progress in any domain is often unseemly, unsettling, destructive and combative. And when one person produces a new and more compelling theory, it essentially dismantles the old theory. And this holds true both in science and in politics as well.
The Democratic Party’s reactions to Trump’s 2024 presidential victory ranges from disbelief, shock and grief to sadness and worry. Big changes are about to take place when he is sworn in on Jan. 20. I could see that a change in the social atmosphere was already felt by Nov. 6 just one day after Trump won the election. The noisy muscles cars and pickup trucks with modified mufflers were 10 decibels louder than ever and they were driving 10 miles an hour faster than usual. I took this as a sign that Trump supporters were emboldened by his victory and thus felt it was high time to “make the mortals pay and release the Kraken.”
This sudden surge of boldness, arrogance and vulgarity will subside over the next few weeks, but that is not to suggest that big changes are not coming.
Trump ran his campaign based upon two primary metaphors, building a wall and draining the swamp. These two metaphors worked extremely well. At its deepest level Building The Wall symbolizes the re-establishment of an American identity. Our identity is partly derived from the nation we live in, and since America was always considered a melting pot, its identity was always somewhat ill-defined. Multiculturalism put the American identity at risk, so Build the Wall metaphor is extremely reassuring on an unconscious level, especially for those who feel disenfranchised or in any way marginalized.
But what is even more notable is Trump’s rhetorical metaphor Drain the Swamp. The American citizen has always had a distrust of authority and there is a deep desire to rid itself of the greedy, tax-collecting swamp monsters of Washington. What is about to happen is that Trump, following the suggestions of his senior political adviser Stephen Miller, will do more than drain the swamp, he will blow it up. Just recall how he emptied out many of Washington’s departments during his first term.
Trump is not Kamala Harris nor is he Mr. Fred Rodgers. He is tough, arrogant, vulgar and aggressive. Trump is the bringer of a new way, a new world, a new neighborhood. Lord knows we all need a way out of this over-spent, over-driven, over-worked and exhausting American way of life. Let us hope that our fearless new leader will be leading us in the right direction. I have my doubts but, hey, you never know. So welcome one and all to the second American revolution, officially known as The Trump Revolution.
