The morning after

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Many years ago, when the people of Zimbabwe were facing devastating daily problems, which were perpetuated and exacerbated by the leadership of Robert Mugabe, a Zimbabwean told me that his people were, in fact, lucky and blessed. “How in the world can you say that?” I asked. I’ll never forget his answer.
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6 November 2024
El Paso, Texas

At about 9:00 pm last night, scrolling through election results and refreshing my screen every few minutes to see the latest news, I switched from wine to whisky. A fine Texas whisky, by the way – a whisky from my home state and the state where I have made my home as an adult. This morning, I’m drinking coffee and contemplating the country I love and the new president we have voted in.

Make no mistake, this election wasn’t rigged, just like the 2020 election wasn’t rigged. We, the American people, have spoken and we apparently want Donald Trump to serve as our president for a second term.

I’m not sure I understand all the reasons why we elected Trump. Like many, I’ve been scrolling through Threads and Facebook, trying to find out what people think. As far as issues go, the focus is on the economy and immigration. The people in my life who have indicated their support for Trump have said they were better off financially four years ago after Trump’s first presidency. And because I live in a city that is at the centre of the immigration crisis (El Paso, Texas), I do know that the problem is real and not imagined, no matter what you believe the solution should be. It is also true that many conservative-leaning Americans feel condescended to and written off by left-leaning Americans. It would be silly to deny that the Democrats’ focus on identity politics in the last 20 years has had a huge effect on how these fellow citizens have responded with their vote.

Because I care to understand, last week I listened to Joe Rogan’s three-hour interview with Trump, our new president, as well as his three-hour interview with Vance, our new vice president. Those interviews were unsurprising, but definitely reinforced the uneasy feeling I have about the cultural divide in the US. There is no doubt that many Americans on the right feel judged, often without cause. Their culture, their values, the things they have staked their lives on – family, home and country – have felt under attack. And they aren’t wrong. I, too, have winced and wanted to hide away when I’ve heard liberals speak about “the others” with dripping scorn – that “basket of deplorables”, to invoke a truly unfortunate and misplaced term that probably lost Hillary Clinton the election in 2016. Likewise, I do the same when I hear similar scorn and derision from conservatives speaking about liberals.

I’m not interested in piling on. I have to accept that half of my fellow citizens decided that Donald Trump would best reflect their interests at the national level, and I can accept it without resorting to name-calling or insults. Instead, I want to focus on calling my people – and the people of the world – to listen to our better angels.

Many years ago, when the people of Zimbabwe were facing devastating daily problems, which were perpetuated and exacerbated by the leadership of Robert Mugabe, a Zimbabwean told me that his people were, in fact, lucky and blessed.

“How in the world can you say that?” I asked. I’ll never forget his answer.

“We have learned to rely on each other,” he said. “At the community level, we are solving problems and coming together in ways that we wouldn’t have if we didn’t have to. We are so lucky to have each other. We are so lucky we can lean on each other.”

At around the same time, I spoke with another friend of mine in Juárez, Mexico. Juárez is the city just across the river from El Paso, where I live. At the time, Juárez was an absolute and utter horror show of cartel violence. In the mornings, as people made their way to work, they would see the debris of the previous night’s carnage: bodies dangling from freeway overpasses, cars riddled with bullet holes, and electric poles papered over with new notices declaring another missing person.

My friend was raising three daughters in this terrible place. Because of his wife’s profession, he mentioned that it would be possible for him and his family to move to the US, but they were choosing to stay. I asked him why. And just like those words from my Zimbabwean acquaintance, I will never forget what he told me.

“If all the good people leave,” he said, “what will happen to my city, to my beloved home town? No, I choose to stay because we have to fight. There are a lot of us very good people here, and we are refusing to let the cartels take over. We are refusing to give up. And we have to keep on fighting to reclaim our city.”

We are not facing anything like what Zimbabweans and Mexicans endured during the years that led up to those two conversations. Nevertheless, the words of these two men speak to me now. Did I want Trump to win the presidency? No, I did not. But.

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My hope is in the people of America.
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My hope is not in the president of the United States of America. My hope is in the people of America. And I know many, many good people on both sides of this equation.

We have an opportunity – all of us, no matter our politics. We have an opportunity to remind ourselves that our elections are free and fair, and that we have the right to vote for those who represent us. We have an opportunity to become better people, individually and collectively. We have an opportunity to remind ourselves that we are still one people, after all; we are a community, and we can learn to rely on each other and take care of each other. Now is the time for us to learn empathy and compassion, no matter what “side” we are on.

South Africa is my second home and the place where I put the majority of my professional expertise and energies. For all you South Africans reading this, I hope you cheer us on over the next four years as we Americans – we sometimes foolish and arrogant, but also generous and kind, Americans – learn these incredibly valuable lessons. I’m standing strong for hope, change and generosity of spirit.

See also:

Waarom die VSA by Suid-Afrika wil leer

Hoe Trump die Withuis gewen het

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