{"id":45514,"date":"2024-12-04T16:14:39","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T16:14:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/?p=45514"},"modified":"2024-12-10T16:16:06","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T16:16:06","slug":"4-points-help-navigate-fear-anger-trump-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2024\/12\/04\/4-points-help-navigate-fear-anger-trump-election\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Points to Help Navigate Fear and Anger at Trump\u2019s Election"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trump\u2019s election sparked a lot of emotions. Many are feeling excited, optimistic, and vindicated. Others are struggling with fear, anxiety, and anger. Quite a few movement members sent us messages about their emotional reactions to Trump\u2019s win:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have a great need to understand how [half] of all Americans could\u2026 vote for a deeply unethical man who has been so vile and derogatory.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t the time to talk about building bridges. This administration has called me the enemy within. That is not perception. He said it over and over.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m too angry right now at my fellow citizens to have any helpful ideas\u2026 I live in a 100% red area and it\u2019s been very difficult for many years now. I don\u2019t know at this point if I will just give up.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

For our Trump-opposed audience, we want to share some perspectives that might help you see the current state of America in a different and perhaps more positive light.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We know these are contentious, emotional topics, and our dispassionate writing about them may <\/span>bother you<\/span><\/a>. Our goal is never to tell anyone, \u201cYour concerns are unfounded,\u201d but only to highlight less-examined perspectives that might add nuance. There are already a lot of passionate hot takes out there \u2014 we want to bring down the temperature.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A note for pro-Trump readers: We\u2019re focused on fears of Trump because Trump won, but these points apply to all Americans (and we\u2019ll write more soon about Republican-side fears and pessimism).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Point #1: Our views of each other are distorted<\/b><\/h3>\n

When we discuss <\/span>our distorted views<\/span><\/a> and the importance of <\/span>understanding each other<\/span><\/a>, you may get angry and think, \u201cBut they\u2019re misguided, and I\u2019m right! I don\u2019t want to try to understand them!\u201d In this case, highly negative views of Trump can lead to anger at half the country \u2014 which in turn can be an obstacle to reducing toxicity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Anti-Trump people who want to understand Trump\u2019s win must be willing to examine the <\/span>objections many people have<\/span><\/a> to Democrat-associated stances. This can include perceptions that there is <\/span>a lot of toxicity and contempt on the left<\/span><\/a> (in our talks with Trump voters post-election, that observation was often heard).<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s also true that Americans can see Trump and his goals very differently. Here are some resources to help understand that point:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n