Last night President Biden addressed the nation including Republicans, Independents, and
Democrats to encourage people to vote against Maga candidates and Election Deniers. His address was elegant and important with the focus on the fragile state of our democracy, but there were two styles of decision-making that caused his words to fall on deaf ears for some.
Underserved people don’t vote for theory like the hallmarks of democracy. They vote for what they are experiencing right now mainly inflation and the loss of reproductive rights for women.
The served population of which I am one responds to both theory and everyday direct experience.
The underserved population some of whom are Maga only responds to what is right in front of them such as the high cost of everything for all underserved groups and opposition to abortion for women in both the served and underserved groups.
The decisions of the underserved are based in personal engagement with the issue. There is a famous ethical example to make my point. It is called Trolly Car Decision Making. If you had to make a decision to pull a lever to make an out-of-control trolley car to go down one track with one person killed or another track where five people would be saved. What you do? Would you pull a lever to save the five. It is an easier experience because it is theoretical and you are removed from direct contact with killing the people. You could be doing that from afar. But what if you were standing on a bridge over the track and you had to shove a person off the bridge to fall on the track below and kill that one person saving the five. Much harder to do because it is direct experience in killing that one person. People choose the lever and not the direct involvement with pushing the individual.
The underserved aren’t directly experiencing a loss of democracy. They are worried about a loss of what they could buy at the grocery store. If you are parents of a teenage daughter you are going to have more investment in the recent anti-abortion experience because it may be going to be a direct experience for you in the future.
Biden didn’t mention any of those direct experience issues such as inflation in his address therefore he lost a significant proportion of the population. The irony is that Trump caused the financial dilemma and President Biden has done a great deal to make our country stronger economically with his various pieces of legislation or executive actions.
We now have a culture of extremes. Why are people so out of bounds such as making fun of the attack on Paul Pelosi? Why do they continue saying the election of Biden was stolen from Trump? We have failed to see that our nation is a nation of Hedonists for the most part. There are different forms of Hedonism which is a school of thought that dates back to the Greeks. The question that the Greeks were raising was how can I get the most pleasure out of life. The followers of Aristippus reflected on that statement. They concluded to reach the highest level of pleasure you have to have a no holds barred attitude in life. “East, drink, and be merry for tomorrow you will die.”
Many Politicians and people in general have become outrageous and have an “anything goes” orientation to life. Mocking Paul Pelosi gives Donald Trump Sr. and Jr. a lot of joy. It provides them with pleasure. The expression “how low can we go” seems to have become our national mantra for some. Think Greene and Boebert and the cast of characters in the Washington circus. Maga is actually enjoying the ride. When Trump says, “It was Paul Pelosi’s lover who was trying to break out and not break in, members of the Maga folks think that is hilarious. Tucker Carlson is enjoying himself and unfortunately has a great following.
But there was a problem that Aristippus couldn’t solve. For with an anything goes attitude, too many people were getting hurt or waking up with headaches after a night of debauchery. Politics has just become another form of debauchery. It is a performance party for too many!
Along came Epicurus. You may recognize that name for “epicurean” is derived from it so an epicurean meal is a gourmet meal emphasizing small portions but elegant and wonderful food. Epicurus thought that the way to pleasure was moderation.
Moderation is the Democratic Party’s modus operandi. I read an article today that the problem with the Democrats is that they are too proper and nice and don’t realize we are in a street fight. The article suggested that Tim Ryan should have attacked J.D. Vance with stronger language which would offend the served but certainly connect with the underserved.
The served have decision making that takes in direct experience and theoretical concepts such as democracy. The underserved and Maga group respond for the most part to direct experience such as a grocery bill or buying clothes for the kids. Democracy is great, but they would say “I don’t have time to discuss that with you. I got to figure out dinner!”
The served have bought into the title, the elite. The underserved think that is the worst word that someone could call them. I personally like the term.
Let’s cut to the chase! The Republicans are street fighters. The Democrats are boxers following the Marquis of Queensbury Rules. I have seen both as I have lived in two worlds. You don’t want to know who I think is going to win!
That wonderful line from Michelle Obama that “when they go low, we should go high” raises the question, “How is that working for you, people?” That should be our goal but remember, “An optimist is someone who sees the glass half full. The pessimist sees the glass half empty. The realist says, I got to wash it.”
Maga and Trump don’t respond to going higher. There is too much at stake. Aristippus meet Donald Trump. Epicurus say hello to Joe Biden!
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