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I had dinner this week with a friend in the business world who is not especially political, but is well educated and center-left in their politics. When Trump came up, they shrugged and said "he's a jerk but the economy is great." They won't vote 4 him, but they see no crisis.
The crumbling of norms & the dissolution of institutions is happening in slow motion & largely behind the scenes. For those not following along closely, there appears to be nothing to see. Critics are perceived as hysterical Cassandras, suffering from Trump Derangement syndrome.
I saw @mashagessen speak in 2017 and this is exactly the scenario she described. The slide into authoritarianism is boring as hell. There's no dramatic "aha" moment. And most people, for whom life just goes on as it has, just don't really care all that much.
@mashagessen This friend and I have a good relationship, they trust me as someone who's knowledgeable about history and politics. But they clearly had no interest in hearing about the federal judiciary or DHS firings or Steven Miller's racist immigration policy or [fill in the blank].
@mashagessen This is obviously just one, anecdotal data point...but I found it jarring. For those who haven't been following the story, where does one even start? And how does one tell the story without sounding like a raving maniac?
@mashagessen To those of you who are aghast at this friend of mine, I'm sorry, but what planet are you living on? Do you really only live amongst people who are on full Trump outrage mode 24/7? How do you think people behaved in the late 1930s in the US? Most could've cared less about Nazism.
@mashagessen I'm not apologizing for them, but this is the way historical change works. No one knows what the future holds. Most people don't measure their daily lives according to some huge arc of historical justice. Most want to believe things will continue as they generally have.
@mashagessen Our job is not to dismiss such people...but to keep connection to them, in case the crisis intensifies. I have no doubt that this friend would have my back if I got in trouble for my political dissent. They would 100% hide me in their attic. That's what matters.
@mashagessen And you know...meanwhile...I just got a notification on my phone about the 9 best series to watch on Hulu this weekend so...there ya go!
@mashagessen This would be a good time to read (or reread) this piece by someone who witnessed the rise of autocracy in Russia under Putin. nybooks.com/daily/2016/11/…
