While I was surprised at the election of Donald Trump as President (and wrong about predicting his defeat), I found consolation in the idea that his victory reflected a rejection of an inconsistent and self-defeating worldview that had permeated society for the past couple of years. That worldview being the smug elitism that looked with disdain upon anyone that dared disagree with the so called "correct" way of thinking.
To me, such a catastrophic misreading of the situation by people, who, in hindsight appear completely out-of-touch with the views of the average citizen, was exactly the sort of experience needed to bring about the sort of self-reflection that leads to an ideological humility that is sorely lacking in today's political environment.
So far, I have yet to see any contrition from most people whose worldview has been found wanting, and frankly, I do not hold much hope that it will eventually happen either.
However, after having had the chance to see Trump interact with the world after his election, I have come to the conclusion that the supposed rejection of progressive ideals has come at the cost of elevating someone into a position that they're drastically unfit for.
From the Twitter tirades to the recent inaugural news conference high jinks, it's become apparent to me that President Trump will be no different than candidate Trump. The mental gymnastics I went through to convince myself that the administration would be different than what it campaigned as was merely an attempt to medicate my own shock.
What does this realization mean going forward? I frankly do not have the slightest clue, other than to proffer the observation that we are undergoing a societal shift where the rules many (those many being in positions of privilege) have grown accustomed to no longer apply.
An entire generation has watched as the so called experts in the room have been mercilessly discredited by the flow of time. In the wake of this, established forms of debate will no longer be taken seriously, and people will increasingly make decisions based on representation and an identification with personal circumstances. Hard-nosed, technical analysis will find few buyers.
To move forward, those who have fundamentally misunderstood the viewpoints of the majority will need to build bridges and truly understand where these opinions are coming from. This is not to say one must abandon their principles, but in engaging with those one does not identify with, one can go a long way in understanding the shortcomings of their own perspective. It is this fuller perspective that is desperately needed to build a society that can satisfy the desires of all of its participants.
