When The Driver Is Anger
By
Leonard Zwelling
Peter Baker makes the point in The New York Times on September 17 that the main driver of this election is anger.
With two assassination attempts on a former President who is also a candidate for the office, it’s hard to argue with that.
However, the entire Trump phenomenon that led him to the White House after his momentous descent on his escalator has been all about anger and resentment. Remember birtherism? The Muslim ban?
Now, he has taken it all to a new level with what he unleashed in Springfield, Ohio and with his debate performance. He’s angry. His followers are angry. They are angry with immigrants. They are angry with the Biden economy. They are angry that American treasure is being used in Ukraine and they are angry that European nations do not spend more on defense. They are even angry the United States doesn’t spend more on defense.
Trump’s followers are also resentful of the woke inclinations permeating college campuses. They have no use for LGBTQA rights, gay marriage, the existence of and accommodation for transgender individuals, and anything that even hints at DEI.
Trump’s followers are true conservatives. They do not want change, but the world is moving on. It’s too late to reverse the reality of millions of immigrants coming on whom the economy depends. His followers also fear someone taking away their guns. They want to purge books from school libraries and leave sex education for parents to provide. The Trump agenda is anger, resentment, and fear.
I am going to argue that the same factors are also permeating corporate America and academia.
Administrations of universities resent the huge amounts of money they need to raise to keep students happy, parents writing checks, and the athletic departments satiated with new facilities.
Boeing is suffering from a huge strike driven by anger at lax oversight by management let alone the $39 million salary of the new CEO.
Academic medical centers are trapped in a spiraling decrease in insurance reimbursement, an increase in salaries, and the combination of faculty burnout and a drive for work-life balance among physicians.
The world seems to be turned on its head and beyond the reach of anyone to control. It is this deep perception in the American psyche that Donald Trump seeks to take advantage of. What he will do with that resentment should he be elected may resemble the mess Elon Musk has made of Twitter since he bought it, turned it into X, and fired 75% of his workforce while reopening the platform to people previously banned for the use of irresponsible content. It’s losing money.
Should Trump win the election, perhaps Time’s Man of the Year should be the angry American, but it will be tough to address the real problems facing the country and world with a red face, clenched fists, and deep resentment. This is not the formula for productive leadership.
“Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die,” Malachy McCourt and Carrie Fisher.
Unfortunately, I wish I could say that the other side has the answer. I cannot.
