Trump’s victory is not a defeat of democracy, but a warning!
Ashutosh November7,2024
So Donald Trump will be the next President of America. He has defeated Kamala Harris in the election. This is a unique event in American history. The victory of a former President who lost the election four years ago, who was impeached twice during his presidency, who was proven guilty in court on 34 counts and who is sure to go to jail if he is proven guilty in the remaining court cases, is no less than a miracle. During the election, the Democratic Party repeatedly alleged that if Trump wins, this will be America’s last election, people will vote for the last time in the election. Trump himself was called a fascist by senior officials who worked in his government. But all this had no effect on the hearts and minds of the voters. People defeated Kamala Harris who was presenting herself as the protector of democracy. Must this mean something? Is the public giving some message? This question must be raised that why don’t people consider that ‘democracy is in danger, constitution is in danger’ as a big issue and why do they let the person who is a threat to democracy win in America?
People may believe that they are either bored with the narrative of Save Democracy or they believe that democracy has become so strong that the current form of democracy will not be affected by a leader becoming or not becoming the President! Therefore, they take the slogan of Save Democracy like any other slogan and forget it, and vote on the basis of issues that are more important for them in their daily lives. Like the question of employment, the question of inflation, the question of their identity, the question of religion. This may be an oversimplification of the problem. The problem is deeper.
In this election, America had two options. On one side was ‘man’ Donald Trump and on the other side was ‘woman’ Kamala Harris. On one side was ‘white’ Donald Trump and on the other side was ‘black’ Kamala Harris. On one side was ‘He Man’ Donald Trump who had the solution to all the problems of America and the world in his pocket and on the other side was Kamala who seemed to be carrying forward the legacy of ‘weak’ looking Joe Biden. The same Biden who could not stop the Ukraine war, who could not stop Israel’s arbitrariness, who got himself humiliated when American forces were withdrawing from Afghanistan, who could not control China, who appears to be a very weak president of a strong country like America.
The path to Donald Trump’s victory actually comes out of the confusion between modernity and archaism, the conflict between the two, that labyrinth. It has to be accepted and perhaps more in-depth study is needed in this direction that as much as we boast or claim that our country and society is modern, it is not so in reality. That is why the fundamentalism, the values that have made a man feel human for thousands of years, that keep him bound, keeps on shaking and he is unable to connect himself with the modern values like human rights, women’s rights, gay rights. He still sees his identity in the color of his skin, searches for his identity. In whose eyes, the work of women is to give birth to children, running the country and the government is the work of men.
It is not without reason that according to the news coming from America, this time men of black and Latin American origin gave less votes to the Democratic Party than before. For this society, women should not have the right to have an abortion.
This voter sees the danger of losing its identity in globalization and America’s ‘melting pot’ concept. He feels that America is a land of whites and Christians, and the arrival of blacks, Latinos and people of Asian African origin will destroy their identity.
In such a situation, when Trump speaks against immigrants, a large section of Americans feel that no matter how bad Trump is, he is fighting to save their identity, while the Democratic Party is endangering their identity. We can also call it ‘tribalism’. Which means that people of a tribe should live together and people from outside can become a threat to the tribe.
This trend is raising its head all over the world right now. The right wing represents this trend with full intensity. And as globalization is engulfing every household in the world through technology, the tribal mentality is feeling more insecure. It finds satisfaction and security only among people of its own kind. It comes closer to God in search of this security. It is not without reason that Trump’s victory is being seen as the victory of Christianity.
The question of heat is also deeply connected to religion. In India too, BJP does its politics under the guise of Hinduism and does not miss an opportunity to explain to the public that ‘Hindus are in danger’. The news that Hindus are in danger from people of other religions is spread very cleverly. The Prime Minister himself takes up the issue of Bangladeshi intruders among the people. The slogan of love jihad is raised, Modi finds his friend in Trump and Modi supporters pray for Trump’s victory.
This trend is increasing rapidly. The existing democratic system and ideas are unable to stop it and if this trend is not stopped soon, the question of whether democracy will survive or not will become bigger. I believe that those who advocate democracy need to make fundamental changes in their strategy. They will have to understand the question of tribal mentality of humans and stop attacking religion. It is because of underestimating the power of religion that democracy seems to be in danger in the world. Instead of the questions of old democracy, new questions will have to be found which can provide solutions to the restlessness and insecurity of the common man. Trump’s victory is not a defeat of democracy but a warning. If even now the advocates of democracy do not improve themselves, do not change their strategy, and follow the same old path after the Second World War, then democracy will definitely end. Changes will have to be brought.
