The 2024 Election and the Erosion of Honor in America

Where to begin?

Last month, Americans re-elected Donald Trump, not because he presented a compelling vision for his leadership but because, in my opinion, Americans were mad about inflation and the rising costs of nearly everything. This is despite the fact that the Biden administration had cooled inflation faster, and the US has a stronger economy than almost any country today. This is despite the fact that Trump presented no plan to reduce inflation and, in fact, promised tariffs that economists agree will cause more inflation.

Why did this happen? 

There are a million theories about why the election went the way it did, and I simply don’t buy most explanations. If only Kamala had done this, said that, or appeared on this podcast? The theories are mostly nonsense, but the media needs to write articles and create content, and this gives them something to debate. 

This happened because some voters do not really consider a particular candidate’s proposals and tend to vote more on how they feel about the country’s direction. Many were feeling the pinch of inflation, and they wanted to change. Kamala Harris represented the Biden administration, and that was too much baggage for most voters.

The Trump campaign motivated their base with fear, including fear of foreigners/immigration, fear of crime, and fear of Trans people. They literally lied to their base, repeatedly telling them that schools would change their child’s sex at school and perform surgery without their permission or awareness. Those ridiculous lies were repeated by many in the media. They proved that a lie repeated enough is accepted as fact. This motivated and fearful base was joined by independent voters and centrists who were disgruntled about inflation to hand Trump victory. 

Why did these lies work? 

We are in a very bad place as a country. There are competing media ecosystems, and the mainstream media has less influence than it used to. The right-wing media ecosystem has been building over many years, and there is no comparable ecosystem on the left. As the right-wing media ecosystem matured, it developed clear narratives based on alternate (or, in many cases, fabricated) “facts” that have come to be accepted on the right. 

To understand this, it’s important to understand how things were different at the outset. Putting all of the flaws in our early government aside(slavery, women’s rights, etc.), the founders did some very logical things. The United States was founded at a time when men cared about and protected their honor. Being called a liar was a serious insult and sometimes led to a duel, where men would defend their honor with their lives. The founders knew that in an open and free press, lies can be exposed, and voters can be informed. 

But today, most Americans have lost any interest in honor and don’t hold leaders accountable for lying. Beyond this, most Americans approach politics as a team sport. Voting for a president of the United States used to be about who presented a more compelling vision for the country, but most people are simply entrenched partisans today, rooting for their favorite team. In the “sport” of politics, we will faithfully root for “our team” to win at any cost, even if it takes lying and cheating. This is especially true on the right, where there is much less penalty for being exposed as a liar. This is justified by ‘whataboutism,’ where people say, “Well, they lie and cheat too, so it’s okay for us to do this.” 

The tolerance for deception has seeped down to individual voters, who will even knowingly lie to their peers. One time, I called out a friend on Facebook for using an obviously fake (and possibly Russian misinformation) website to argue for voting for Trump in 2016. When I called him out, he simply laughed it off and didn’t care. I was astonished by his lack of shame.

How do they deceive Americans? 

We’ve witnessed the manipulation and exploitation of young people who may be facing economic difficulty and who are convinced that Donald Trump could somehow solve their problems. They’ve motivated the disaffected, isolated, and confused “incels” who live on the internet and feel like they are owed affection from women. Trump feeds into their misogyny and sense of grievance, modeling for them to simply take what they want, as he allegedly has, and treat women’s bodies as objects, a la Andrew Tate. 

We’ve seen them brand liberals as sexual deviants who want all children to be gay or trans. They mistake tolerance and acceptance for sinister motives. They say the left wants to destroy our country without explaining why Americans would sabotage their own nation. All this while ignoring the right-wing figures accused of harming children or assaulting women. Right-wing media figures have even gone as far as rooting for our geopolitical adversaries like Russia. The war in Ukraine was not a divisive issue in the US until Donald Trump decided it should be, having been impeached for unlawfully withholding weapons that had been promised to Ukraine by Congress.

We’ve witnessed formerly centrist or leftist figures descend into the right-wing media abyss for their own personal gain. They do this for various reasons, whether it’s to grift Trump supporters, find an audience for crazy ideas, protect their own careers, or cover up their wrongdoing in the embrace of a low-fact, low-accountability ecosystem. This includes people previously viewed as liberals, such as RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, and even celebrities like Russell Brand and Aaron Rogers.

What’s the truth?

In my opinion, the truth is that we Americans, when united, can do great things and lift ourselves up. We’ve seen this historically in times of great tumult, as the US fought against global oppressors like Nazis and Imperial Japan and during the Great Depression in the 1930s. The labor movement of that time is responsible for many of the benefits we enjoy today, like a 40-hour work week and Social Security for the elderly. The labor movement contributed to our great economic expansion in the 1950s when taxes on the wealthy were as high as 90%. In that extremely high-tax environment, the wealthy were penalized for hoarding their money and rewarded for putting their money to work, creating jobs and businesses.

Since then, the wealthy have regained control of our government by buying elections and owning nearly every US politician. They do this by creating wedge issues and keeping us divided. They would sooner have me hate my fellow Americans than for us all to hate Vladimir Putin. It’s insane, but there are a sizable number of Americans who are convinced today that Vladimir Putin is a victim and a better leader than Joe Biden. Putin’s most effective weapon is fear, and he’s been telling us for almost three years now that we should be afraid of what he might do if we help Ukraine. We have US politicians and right-wing media figures repeating Kremlin propaganda daily to keep Americans in fear. 

What’s next?

I am fearful of the implications of electing Trump again. I’m afraid for our democracy, the immigrants (some of whom pick our food), women, children, and the elderly. I’m afraid for Ukraine and Gaza and how our influence and power will never be used by Trump to actually help those people. I’m afraid that our economy might be damaged to the point that regular Americans feel even more hardship than today. I’m afraid of all of the grifters, whether they are hawking snake oil or looking to change government policies, making an already inequitable system worse. I’m afraid that all the hard work my wife and I have put into saving for retirement may become meaningless. I’m afraid for my son’s future and whether he will know the same freedom and success his parents and grandparents did.

But I am more afraid of being silent. I know that it’s easier to be quiet and not ruffle feathers, but I’ve tried that before, and it does not feel good. Focusing on myself and ignoring the injustices of the world goes against my nature. I know that by speaking out, I risk making myself a target, and I hate that idea for the sake of my wife and son. But I cannot just quietly watch as our society erodes, I will not be one of the silent ones.  

Why would anyone listen?

Whether anyone will listen is a good question, I have no platform, no clout, no fame. I have no idea if anyone will listen, but for me, this is about more than that. This is about me overcoming the stifling self-censorship I exchanged for some perceived degree of comfort or safety. I am still figuring out how this will manifest, but just know that I am going to be here for my people, you. I know that in isolation, our anxieties can get the better of us, but in community, we can share strength. 

I will be writing, but I also want to listen. I want to listen to people who disagree with me, who agree with me, or who have new ideas. I want to engage with people thoughtfully and cast away any prejudices or distorted lenses. I challenge anyone I engage with to focus on what’s true and what’s best for the majority of Americans.

My approach. 

I don’t believe in the politics of selfishness. I don’t think Americans should vote based on what’s best for themselves but on what’s right. Politicians often appeal to selfish motivations like “We’ll lower your taxes,” “We’ll ban the thing your religion says is wrong,” or “We’ll make your crypto more valuable.” I would rather appeal to what’s best for our town, our state, our country, and the planet. If they want to raise my taxes and will put the money to good use, reducing inequality, then raise them. If they want to make it easier for African American kids to get into college, and that might make it slightly harder for white kids, then that’s okay. If I have to make sacrifices in my lifestyle so that we can afford to help Ukraine and Gaza, then that’s fair to me.

I believe most of the ideological barriers between Americans are artificial. Most Americans actually agree on most things, but we’ve been conditioned to focus on a few divisive things and view the world in a black-and-white way. Many people prioritize their political lens, not asking if a thing is true but asking if this idea is good or bad for their political team and then deciding its validity. It creates a twisted world in which there are no agreed facts, and the sky is whatever color that suits you. Debates of this nature are common but pointless and often staged for entertainment.

My invitation.

If you disagree with me, let me know, tell me why, and point out my errors. I am not afraid of being wrong; I’m afraid of not engaging and not growing. If you agree with me, that’s fine too, but what unexplored ideas of yours can you contribute?

With sincerity,

Derek V. DeShane