Image by Lorie Shaull (License CC BY-SA 2.0)
During his inaugural address in 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt— perhaps better known as FDR— famously warned his fellow Americans “that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
Clearly, FDR didn’t envision a guy named Donald J. Trump becoming president.
Fear is rampant nowadays— and I would argue that much, if not most of it, is warranted.
Religious and ethnic minorities are being persecuted or banished left and right. We might be escalating toward war with our enemies, while simultaneously alienating our allies.
Most direly, we have a man unfit for office, who probably, delusionally, believes he’s the best to have taken the oath of office.
The whole world is watching in a mix of awe and disgust. ‘This is the guy you chose?’— some Europeans are probably snickering.
Let’s get back to FDR. Delving further into his speech, you find that it isn’t just full of motivational speak— i.e. cliches and truisms. In fact, his advice is more timely than ever.
On that historic day in March of ‘33, he declared to his fellow Americans that they should avoid “shrink[ing] from honestly facing conditions in our country today.”
“Nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance,” he warned.
“Don’t become discouraged. Perhaps aim to become the anti-Trump— kind, considerate, tactful, responsible, informed, and diplomatic.”
In other words, face reality— don’t fear it— but fight against its evils. FDR was setting the stage for Greenpeace to hang a bold banner emblazoned with the word “RESIST” behind the Trump House nearly a century later.
Remember, FDR led in a period of great uncertainty. The four-term Democrat presided over almost the entirety of World War II, not to mention the Great Depression. If you can feel fearless in the midst of Hitler and widespread starvation and bank runs, you can feel fearless today.
Fearlessness, I would argue, is not the absence of fear, as much as it is not letting trepidation hold you back. When you let fear adversely influence your decisions, you have effectively lost control over your life.
Therefore, I recommend being realistic about this country’s state, while still being inquisitive as to all avenues that can be taken. Survival is nice, but learning to thrive is an even better option.
This article will explain how to survive and thrive in Trump’s America until (at least) 2020— because regardless of how you feel about him, he’s most likely here to stay.
2020?
Let’s address the elephant in the room: this weird looking septuagenarian can’t stay in office that long, can he?
While the prospect of Trump serving a full term disgusts me too, the truth is that it’s very difficult to get rid of a president. Case in point: never in history has a president been involuntarily removed from office.
For a president to be impeached, charges must be made against them in the House of Representatives, an action usually first undertaken by the House Judiciary Committee.
The actual act of impeachment would from here proceed in the full House (no pun about 90s sitcoms intended.) If the House decides to impeach the president by a majority vote, the Senate is responsible for convicting the president of the charges. The Senate must convict the president by a two-thirds vote.
Since Congress is divided by party lines, it’s possible to be impeached, but almost impossible to be convicted.
Only two presidents have ever been impeached: Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson. (Johnson was extremely close to being convicted by the Senate, while Clinton was acquitted by a fairly large margin.)
Nixon, it should be noted, resigned before what could have been the first forced removal from the Office of the Presidency.
Plus, as many have pointed out, President Pence probably wouldn’t be that much better.
As The Huffington Post noted last month, in his time as Indiana governor, Pence seemed to be oblivious to the notion of separation of church and state. While Trump is often shifty in his positions, Pence is an unequivocal anti-liberal— some things he has shown opposition toward include gay marriage, union protection, and a progressive tax system.
If you do happen to want a bible thumper as president, perhaps Trump’s impeachment could happen. One historian made headlines in February for saying how he felt Trump’s presidency would be the second-shortest ever. (Sandwiched between William Henry Harrison and James A. Garfield, both of whom died on the job.)
Some have argued that Trump’s approval rating will likely continue to drop, leading Republicans to lose their majority in Congress in 2018. If Russia and other allegations carry weight, it’s very possible that a reversal of fortunes could be in store.
Still, there’s no reason to hold your breath. In the vein of Buddhists who preach giving up expectations, it looks more pragmatic than ever to just accept a Trump presidency.
Some Options
By happenstance, in one of my favorite songs as of late, the Shins’ James Mercer falsettos the line “What can I do?” The verse comes during the chorus of the title track on The Shins’ new album “Heartworms.”
Mr. Mercer seems to be making a plea to a lover, but its message is equally applicable to all of us: what can we do?
One option is to become an ex-pat. Threatened by many, but undertaken by few, living abroad was an option I had seriously considered well before Trump took office.
By all accounts, empirical and anecdotal, the Scandinavian region of Europe is pretty blissful. Despite having little to no sun much of the year, people generally treat one another as equals, a fact that is reflected in the socialist economic system that guides the region.
So, if you’re not happy in the U.S., consider moving to Norway— they were just recently found to be the happiest country on Earth. Three other Nordic countries— Denmark, Iceland, and Finland— are also in the top 5. (Switzerland, a non-Nordic European country, is the other nation in the top 5, clocking in at number four.)
The U.S. is ranked 14th, a figure likely to continue to slide.
While it’s easier said than done, many countries welcome skilled and intelligent English speakers, regardless of the country’s wealth (or happiness quotient.)
Learning the native language would seem to be an obvious first step, but one shouldn’t stop there. Be prepared to get a work visa, for example, a task made more difficult for freelancers such as myself.
Having a place to stay when you make the move, establishing a bank account, finding utilities, and getting all the other details arranged can take time.
Maybe you don’t want to “run,” so to speak. You want to be part of the revolution, if there is one in the near future. (I feel as if the chances of said revolution are getting slimmer by the week, however, as the Democratic Party is the theoretical powerhouse of liberals, and by making HRC crony Tom Perez Head of the DNC, it seems as if the party’s elite hasn’t learned. Some real progressives were added to the DNC’s transition team, but it feels like appeasement.)
Others have mentioned this, but if you want to stick it to Trump, you have to make him feel ashamed. Regardless of whichever piece(s) of the Dark Triad that Trump likely possesses, it is clear that he is obsessed with brand and image.
It’s great that Americans were able to coalesce in protest over the first few days and weeks of Trump’s presidency, but we can’t revert to laziness insofar as staying informed and involved are concerned.
Pressure may make diamonds, but it may also make a man who thinks he’s worth millions of diamonds— Trump— finally crack and acquiesce.
It’s natural for passion to dissipate, but I wish that more people would continue to call for resistance. It’s not like things have gotten particularly better— the wall that Mexico won’t pay for is about to enter prototype stage. The failed second iteration of the travel ban is probably going to the Supreme Court, while nationals of 13 countries now can’t bring electronics on a plane. He won’t shake hands with Merkel, and accuses Obama of wiretapping. And the list goes on.
Over 340,000 service workers are expected to protest on May 1, but it’s not enough. This is coming from someone who— perhaps hypocritically— has yet to attend a formal protest event.
My reasoning for activist abstinence was simply to give him a chance. We did. He’s a failure who many are finally realizing should’ve never have been president.
This all gets back to a point made earlier, however: it almost doesn’t matter if he sucks. Pence is by all accounts worse. We shouldn’t give up on the resistance movement at all, but we should also acknowledge that it’s unlikely much will change anytime soon.
Another option is Mars. (Probably only possible well after 2018, however, as that’s when tech tycoon Elon Musk expects to first send a capsule to the planet.)
Surviving and Thriving
Enigmatic Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek is very opinionated. He’s a unique deplorable— someone who warily supported Trump because he thought that Hillary’s fall was necessary for the ashes of the Democratic Party to rise.
And, oh yeah, he’s a Marxist.
He’s afraid, but he’s decided it’s probably best to not let the fear consume him. How do you go about this, you may ask?
In an interview with Quartz, Zizek explained:
“The only way to survive such shitty times, if you ask me, is to write and read big, fat books, you know? And I’m writing now another book on Hegelian dialectics, subjectivity, ontology, quantum physics and so on. That’s the only way to survive.”
It’s unclear as to whether Zizek advises simply turning off CNN, but he has a point. In times like these, you need a hobby to keep yourself occupied
I realize these next few sentences may make me sound like a motivational speaker, but focus on your goals. Don’t become discouraged. Perhaps aim to become the anti-Trump— kind, considerate, tactful, responsible, informed, and diplomatic.
If Zizek is indeed advocating for ignoring politics altogether, I get that. I want to be more active than ever, but if you don’t, someone else certainly will be.
Just don’t let fear scare you away from whatever is your calling— today, tomorrow, or in 2020 or beyond.
Daniel Steingold is a writer from Los Angeles, CA who’s an advocate for alliterative artistry. Admittedly ambivalent towards social media, he halfheartedly hopes hospitable humans heap plentiful praise upon his prose periodically posted to Facebook.
His two known writing projects, one used and one abused, are The Article Review (thearticlereview.com) and A Wiki a Week (awikiaweek.com), respectively. He enjoys learning about everything under the moon, because, well… the sun BURNS his ghostly white skin.