With the election now behind us, the time has come to unpack the results. Having become more vocal than ever in this election cycle (at least on X, where I watched my follower count drop by 1,000 as a result), the one thing I didn’t want to be was a singular voice trapped in my own confirmation bias bubble. So, although the election ultimately went my way, both by way of the electoral college and the popular vote, I know that the other side was feeling a tremendous loss and couldn’t but have empathy in terms of how I would’ve felt if the election had gone the other way.
As the red wave rushed over the masses of the left, the reactions have been everywhere from somber to angry to confused to outright insane, with some people shaving their heads, calling for leaving (or actually poisoning) their spouses that voted opposite them, refusing sex with men entirely, and generally melting down in performative Tik Toks. It’s been a hell of a week, to be sure.
One of the things I saw that really concerned me was the number of people breaking off all ties with friends and family over the result, which is not, in my opinion, a productive way of moving forward. More division does not solve anything. So, in an attempt to find middle ground and have an open, honest, and real discourse about the results with someone from the other side, I reached out to my life-long friend and film critic, Zaki Hasan.
Hasan is someone I have collaborated with on film projects, art, podcasts, and commentaries, as well as sharing a multitude of memories as friends throughout the years. I value his friendship far more than I value political grandstanding, and wanted to show that people from opposite sides of the fence can talk about politics without severing ties with one another. I was pleased with the result of our discussion, which is candid, honest, respectful, and open, allowing each of us to say our peace without demonizing one another. If anything, I walked away feeling like our friendship was as strong as ever and it felt good to have some discourse that wasn’t in the crowd of nameless, faceless strangers that is social media.
Let me know what you guys thought of the episode and feel free to share your own takeaways post-election 2024.
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