I was just thinking about hate, anger, and indifference…

I feel angry at people – at people who thought that this administration was a good idea. At people who seem not to be paying attention, and at those who are making situations worse.  I struggle to understand why people don’t see what I see.  Why would people have voted for this?  Why do so many seem shocked or surprised, and yet I can share so much information that shows that this is what the controlling party said would happen?  Why do people who don’t support this lash out when we know that it does not unify people?  

More than anything, what bothers me is the people who are still committed to the idea that this administration is still doing things that are good for us.  The people who aren’t jumping with life preservers from the horrid ship of fascism… no matter how ridiculous, unpatriotic, or unconstitutional it gets.

As I was washing my face tonight, I could feel the anger rising.

If I’m being honest, the anger is there almost daily.  Especially if I find myself on any social media platform. Tonight, I felt frustration and anger that was enough that I had to audibly vocalize the feeling. To move it through and change where the energy sits.  I find myself struggling through conversation after conversation with people who aren’t interested in a dialogue, but who are seeking a continual validation of their own beliefs.  

And maybe that’s what I am doing.  On my upcoming podcast launching on 9/30, I talk about the American values that I grew up with, and I am attempting to showcase how people in general are the same in our differences.  I thought that’s what people loved about America… that we were all so different? Yet that seems to be the opposite of what’s coming from our administration’s mouth.

I did a quick Google search for American Values, and this is what Gemini came back with:

Social & Cultural Values of America

• Diversity: The recognition and celebration of different backgrounds and beliefs within American society.
• Patriotism & Nationalism: A strong love and devotion to one’s country.
• Informality: A less rigid social hierarchy, often seen in workplaces where people use first names for superiors.
• Directness: A tendency to communicate in a straightforward manner.
• Competitiveness: A drive to excel and achieve success.
• Materialism: An association of material goods and wealth with success and comfort.Other Important Aspects
• Time & Punctuality: A high value is placed on timeliness and efficiency.
• Optimism: A fundamental belief in a better future and the ability to overcome challenges.
• Achievement & Hard Work: Admiring persistence, conscientiousness, and the successful completion of tasks
• Science and Technology: A strong belief in scientific progress and innovation.
• Religion: Religious principles, often Christian, have a significant influence on customs and values for many Americans.

So, yes, I’m angry that a party and political group hell bent on destroying all of the above has been voted in and continues to be supported by people in the country.  And yet, despite the anger, I’m not full of hate. I’m SO ANGRY.

But… I am still trying daily to shift myself more into the space of curiosity. Why… why are we allowing this?

I’m not removed from hate, but I don’t sit there.

Do I know how to hate?  Sure, like so many, I’ve been so hurt by someone so badly that I felt hate for them. The word “Hate” is defined simply as to feel a passionate or intense dislike for someone.  By that definition, I think I could say that I “hate” the men who have assaulted me.  But the truth is that I don’t want them to be hurt.  I see posts that pop up from friends on social media that say things like “Saw a sign today that said ‘I prefer to serve more MAGA than veterans.’  That mortician made me laugh.”  And I felt disgust, that…  that isn’t hate, that’s malevolence.  We often reserve this word for speaking of demons, and maybe that’s what the bible meant when it referred to demonic possession was the feeling of malevolence.  

Perspective Shifting on Hatred versus Anger

Listen, I’m sometimes the first one to jump into a comment section and tell you if there is another perspective to consider.  However, I’m angry, frustrated, hurt, and I have a strong dislike (according to the definition, hate) for people who continue to be proud and happy with having Trump in office.  And maybe there’s a bit of malevolence or hatred.  Because in my darkest moments, I hope that this insanity hurts the MAGA pocketbook.  Sometimes, I hope that the MAGA family is affected, but it’s not because I actually want to see you hurting; it’s because I feel like the only way for you to begin to listen is for you to experience what others are. I want you to see, without a doubt, that these people (MAGA politicians) don’t care about our economy or your needs.  

How could I say that? Because they said as much. What it doesn’t mean is I want anyone to die.

All of this said, I know that some people don’t experience hate the same way that I do and that their hate manifests as malevolence.  Their hate is about getting rid of people that they don’t like or don’t agree with, but I don’t believe that’s the majority of people, even in the extreme ends of the spectrum.  I believe people are hurting, and that the malevolence is a response to that pain.  That’s what people want is justice and revenge… and right now there’s no one else to blame except the public, because we, the people, elected this. (Even those who didn’t vote that way are feeling that we could have done more, said more, campaigned more, knocked on more doors, or made more calls… or just done something other than vote.)

We’re heading down a path that will be found in history books.

I’ve spent years studying the holocaust. Let me clarify, I’ve spent years trying to understand how an entire continent (Europe) allowed a population of people to be singled out, rounded up, and put to death, and then continued to aid the takeover of other countries and the elimination of millions.

The number one thing I learned is that it wasn’t about a relatively small power-hungry group of people who were evil.  That’s what people want to believe, but it wasn’t. The Nazis weren’t MONSTERS – THEY WERE HUMANS!!! There were millions of people all over the world who supported the Nazi Regime.  The KKK were Nazi sympathizers… and their entire shtick was about the same ideals that Hitler championed.  

Nazi’s are still out there. If you’ve grown up in the South, you probably know that.  

Why indifference is worse than hatred

So, how do millions of people support a regime that kills millions of people? Sure, there was lots of propaganda and rhetoric, but exactly how do people buy into all of those things? How do people drink the Kool-Aid and sign up for military operations that systematically eliminate people based on race, ethnicity, or religion?  Well, what I found is that it had more to do with the people who were indifferent early on than the people who were complicit in the end. When someone who knows something is wrong shrugs and turns away, it gives permission for that thing to continue to happen.  

You don’t have to explicitly say “Sure, go ahead” for someone to get that message… You simply have to do nothing.  

In 1867, John Stuart Mill said, “Let not anyone pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends than that good men should look on and do nothing. He is not a good man who, without a protest, allows wrong to be committed in his name, and with the means which he helps to supply, because he will not trouble himself to use his mind on the subject.”

It wasn’t the group of Nazi idealists that was the problem.  The problem came from a bunch of people who simply walked away from the National Socialist German Workers’ Party when it was founded in 1920.  When Hitler would go into bars and give speeches… the problem was the people who listened and decided it would be best for them to just go home rather than raise the alarm, argue back, and share reason.

This isn’t about MAGA or nazis, despite how much I’m talking about them.

What this isn’t about Nazis, the far-right or even fascism. It’s the fact that right now our culture is indifferent.  We’ve become desensitized… We know that people are suffering, that people are angry and hurt, and we continue to do nothing. And when good people do nothing – it’s worse than hate.

Hate rises out of pain… People hate because they are hurt.  But more importantly, hate gains power because no one does any perspective shifting with those people.  (I bet you were wondering when I was going to throw the perspective shifting in, huh?) For real, though, if more people could stand up and say, “Friend, I understand you’re hurting, and I support your need to be angry.  AND, there are other ways to look at this.”

Wouldn’t that bring us back from the extremes?

Regardless, it’s the people who have stood indifferent to injustices over the past 100 years that are creating the challenges we face today, just like the people who shrugged and walked away when the Nazi’s were papering cities with propaganda. The same thing happened in 2016 and in 2024… Propaganda, a lot of people spreading lies and misinformation, and news outlets, and social media companies did nothing.  

This continues, and now we have AI throwing a bunch into the mix.  People don’t even know what’s real and what’s not, and the people in power continue to pretend like the lies and the misinformation are normal.  Neurotypical people weren’t outraged yesterday when Trump said “Tylenol causes autism,”  despite the fact that science does NOT prove that.  Tylenol was relatively unaffected by the claim, but none of our right-leaning representatives have stood to say WHAT THE FUCK?  Then again, they all bought into this president after he told Americans to drink bleach… so we can’t expect much more, right?

And that’s the problem – It’s a firehose.

The American people feel so unable to change things that they’ve just accepted that their representatives are bought by billionaires and have stopped representing them.  Americans have stopped standing up and saying WHAT THE FUCK! And that’s by design.

If you’ve never heard of the Firehose of propaganda, Wikipedia has some high-level information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firehose_of_falsehood, This is a known propaganda technique, and it’s working.  Millions of Americans, especially ones who see what’s happening, have had to turn off the news and walk away from social media because it’s destroying us inside. I have had to, too and I have a tollbox full of coping tools.  My mental health was struggling because the “moments” that were shaded by “how much longer will this last?”  

PS – Just like an actual firehose – it takes more than one person to hold the hose… It’s not just Trump, but his entire administration.

What can we do?

Adjust the input

One – download “ground news” to your browser extensions, and the app to your phone.  (Turn off the notifications.) This news source is fantastic because it gives you the high-level bullet points from various sources. It will tell you what sources it got the information from too.

Two – Get off social medis!! The echo chambers amplify extreme voices with black and white thinking. And there is a whole lot of grey in humanity.  Delete the apps, walk away – find something else to do with your time (keep reading for suggestions.)

Get Involved!

Three – Write and call your representatives – show up to their town halls, and book meetings with them. Let your voice be heard. Not by the masses and the 4% of your friends who will see your posts, but by the people who can affect change.

Four – Run for office – no one is more suited to run for office than you – why?  This country’s ideals were built on the premise ANYONE and EVERYONE.  If you don’t want to run, find a candidate that you want to support and go do that.

Five – Start a blog or a podcast with the intention of bringing people together and giving people a voice.  (Bonus points if you take that information to lawmakers.)

Six – Get active in your community! Connect with people face to face. Since COVID, I think we’ve forgotten that a whole world exists right outside our front door.  We have neighbors, small business shop owners, farmers, teachers, and people in our community.  Get out of your house and go talk to people!

If none of these sound like something you’re ready to do..

I get it, we’re comfortable where we’re at and change is hard. Putting yourself out there is scary…

So here’s where you can take a couple of steps to join my newsletter. I invite you to get involved in a community that will help you to gain confidence.

If you can’t bring yourself to be the person who’s taking action, then jump in to support those who are.  

Follow my podcast, join my newsletter, or join the rebel dream lab.  (Previously known as the Perspective Shifters Hub.)