Temper Tantrums, Performance Art, and Bibble-Babble

It has been a week since Donald Trump shocked the nation and the world by decisively winning the US Presidency. The reactions to that seismic political event ranged from jubilation to existential dismay. Some of the former devolved to gloating, which is never a good look, but most of it was of the "relief" variety. Relief that the nation was getting a reset, relief that the excesses of a fringe minority (aka the progressive Left) got the repudiation they deserved, and relief that what I recently heard dubbed the "Blue Blob" (I believe it was Dave Rubin) got rejected.

I wrote about that rejection the day after the election, and offered a couple additional post-mortems since then. What saddened me the most was the 2024 equivalent of the sky-screaming woman from Trump's inaugural day in 2017: the countless people who have posted vids of themselves crying, hyperventilating, or ranting about his victory.

I believe that many of these people are genuine in their reactions. Sadly, those reactions were fueled by eight years of left-media disinformation and distortions. The people who have undertaken the role of watchdog, of keeping an eye on those who have power over our lives, have done a massive disservice to the nation by filling the minds of millions with unfounded beliefs about what a Trump victory would produce. They've been told he will end elections, make himself a dictator, round up Americans of foreign birth and deport them, have generals put in front of firing squads, called for the execution of Liz Cheney, ban all abortions in America, and that anyone who voted for him is a racist or sexist or bigot or race traitor.

This is all garbage, but that doesn't mean people don't actually believe it.

Worse, those beliefs have driven many to make utterly outlandish assertions. Given that Poe’s Law is inescapable, it’s impossible to tell which of these are genuinely believed by their originators and which ones are created by trolls.

One making the rounds is that he will use period tracking apps to find women who got pregnant so they can be forced to carry to term. Another is that anyone who does not look white-Anglo should carry a passport or other proof of US citizenship at all times, lest they be caught in the deportation roundups. Women are being told to embrace the Korean 4B movement, which entails refusing to date, get married, have sex, or have children with men.

This is where the emotional anguish devolves to cynical performance art. Author Harlan Ellison offered us this bit of insight:

Everybody has opinions: I have them, you have them. And we are all told from the moment we open our eyes, that everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. Well, that's horsepuckey, of course. We are not entitled to our opinions; we are entitled to our informed opinions. Without research, without background, without understanding, it's nothing. It's just bibble-babble.

When someone in grief over Trump's victory shares wild and unsubstantiated claims like the ones I noted, my sympathy meter drops through the floor. Accusations absent substance are uninformed, and therefore bibble-babble.

It's the same sort of rejection of opinion that I recently put forth when I saw memes comparing this year's vote tally to the 2020 figures, and declaring "this is proof the last election was stolen." To one such, I pointed out that there were still 10M uncounted votes, so it would be best to wait for final numbers. For my efforts, I was called stupid and obtuse, and was threatened, nay promised, physical violence.

A random reel, serendipitously, crossed my consciousness during the penning of this piece:

I can validate and hold space for your feelings when they intersect somewhere with the truth. The moment that your feelings and reality part ways, that becomes your responsibility.

Sorry, you don't get an open or empathetic ear if you are bibble-babbling. Got some evidence or other basis for an assertion? I'm open to anything that is decently reasoned and has some basis in known information. Declare that your daughter's rights are going to evaporate under a Trump regime, when you live in California (see Christina Applegate)? Sorry, no, you've zero reason to conclude this, and congratulations on doing possibly irreparable harm to your tween.

Then there are the people who share vids of themselves sobbing or screaming. The performance art aspect makes it fair game for criticism. We're not Peeping Toms invading their privacy. They are putting it out there for display and reaction. Any expectation that only sympathy is permitted is no different from those who post a claim and get mad when others rebut it. Furthermore… this:

A final word for the scolds. The people who inform us that those who didn’t back Harris are terrible people. Who declare themselves better humans than us. Who supported (and gaslit us about) someone who was already well above her level of competence as Vice President, who was demonstrably unqualified to be President, and whose history as a prosecutor shows her to be an even worse person than the scolds’ assessment of Trump. You still don’t get it, and your moral preening will just make everyone else ignore you more.

How about this, instead? Do as I'm doing. Wait and see what Trump actually does, and reserve your reactions for when there's something substantive to react to. An opinion attached to reality is an opinion that deserves consideration.

Instead of continuing to dread the end of days, take a breath, go outside and enjoy some crisp autumn air, and get your head out of politics for a while.

If you want to try and connect with those among your fellow Americans who either voted for Trump or against the Left, try some intellectual honesty. If and when Trump does something you don't like, argue that matter. If he does something that's 'not that bad, after all,' roll with it rather than shoehorning it into your grief or anger. #Resistance for its own sake is stupid, and will alienate far more than convince.

Finally, if you’re one of the trolls (looking at you, Nick Fuentes) who are propagating falsehoods and misrepresentations in order to rile up good-hearted people, I wish an eternal pox upon you. Stop being part of the problem.