I have a friend who has a tagline on every email inviting curiosity. “Be curious,” it says. Others counsel, “Approach the world with a deep curiosity.” It sounds quite Zen. I, for one, need that reminder.
“Be curious” is also a frequent admonition heard these days about how to handle stressful inter-personal relations at work or in your family. Instead of judging or getting angry, be curious. What might be going on with that person? Practice curiosity, goes this calming and serene word for engaging a stressful world. And it is, to be sure, a good idea and it is a good word.
“Curious” means, according to the Cambridge Dictionary of the English Language, “An eager wish to know or learn about something.”
That said, I’m not noticing among my generally liberal, generally Trump-abhorrent social circle, a whole lot of curiosity.
There is bafflement. “How could anyone vote for this guy?” There is disbelief. “What kind of country do I live in?” There is judgment. “The Trump voters are blind fools, idiots seduced by bullshit.” There’s revulsion. “We now see the truth of America. Americans are racists, misogynists, fascists.”
Like I said, not hearing a lot of curiosity. I am not hearing a lot of eagerness “to know or learn about something.” Being in this case, what happened, on and leading up to Nov. 5, 2024.
What might one be curious about?
One possibility: Why did Republicans increase their voter share in every demographic group, except white women? Why did once-reliable, solidly Hispanic Democrats move in such numbers to vote for Trump? And African-American men?
Why did a number of previously Democratic urban areas, those blue dot strongholds in the sea of red on electoral maps, go for Trump in 2024, when they hadn’t done so in 2016 or 2020? Why did he increase his voter share among young people, in Gen Z? Or what’s going on in at least parts of rural America?
These are things that seem to me to be worth being curious about at this point. Actually earlier would have been good.
Instead of judging — labeling and dismissing — these voters, our fellow citizens, one might be curious. What motivated them? Why did some shift, if uneasily, from the party of their parents and grandparents? Why did others who had voted against Trump twice, now vote for him? Why did someone you know, who you thought part of your cohort and sharing your politics, confess to voting for Trump?
One might also be curious about what some news sources, those that did not pronounce themselves anti-Trump early and often, e.g. The New York Times and The Atlantic, are saying. I subscribe to both the NYT and Atlantic, and both seem now committed to keeping their readers in a constant state of outrage and agitation, with news flashes of the latest horrors being enacted or contemplated by the barbarians now inside the gates.
I have a friend, a Harris voter, who has committed herself to watching half an hour of Fox News each day to try to understand what is to her incomprehensible. I’m not sure I could manage that, but as another option I would suggest some other news outlets, that are not pro-Trump, but also don’t specialize in a steady diet of fuel for Trump Derangement Syndrome. Try “The Free Press” or “The Dispatch.” At the latter, for example, I found what I considered to be an interesting and informative podcast contrasting the Trump and Biden approaches and policies in the Middle East.
The day after the election last week my fav, Ezra Klein, said that Democrats post-election could view the voters in one of two ways, with either contempt or curiosity. I’ve heard a fair bit of the former. I’d like to put in a good word for the latter.
If you’re just not up to that just yet, I understand. But hold a door ajar for it down the road.
Well said – And I need to be more curious as well. Thanks for a great article.
I agree completely and this podcast by Sam Harris is a good place to start to try to figure out what happened. Highly recommended.
The first half or so is the most important, I believe. (Just fyi, I believe this podcast is available on other platforms.)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-sense-with-sam-harris/id733163012?i=1000676525003
Thank you for this, Anthony. Remember when I was a journalist (now retired), in Seattle, eastern Washington, North Idaho and Vancouver, BC, curiosity was my driving force.
Media and liberal circles, like the New York Times, began running features about this half of America after the 2016 election because they missed this it. While they (and others) began reporting, running more features about Trump voters – I’ve been reading about the growing far-right since the 1980s – it did nothing to bring us together. Rather, it seems they have gotten more far-right and even defiant against others who don’t share their political and even religious views. I tried to have dialogue and understanding with a few of these supporters online but stopped: they didn’t want to convince me to their point of view.
Now that they won two national elections, how about curiosity from that side why almost one-half of the U.S. don’t understand them? Curiosity goes both ways.
Would be nice, wouldn’t it, to have the curiosity going both ways. Thanks Scott.
Tony
And btw, smart politicos — probably not those in the Soviet of Washington — ARE waking up to what happened ….tho I wonder about the rank-and-file….
Here is an example of Cong. Seth Moulton:
https://x.com/sethmoulton/status/1857454008924807482?s=61
Curiosity and contempt are not mutually exclusive.
Anthony
Thank you for perspective. Your comments about being curious as opposed to judging, labeling and dismissing are spot on. For example many have unfortunately blamed the result on increased support for Trump by Latinos and their misogyny – which is wrong. A deeper dive on this (and all issues) would get us closer to the truth and maybe provide some greater understanding and sympathy toward people who don’t think exactly like I (we) do.
And thanks for the reference to The Dispatch and The Free Press – I’ll definitely check these out.
I greatly appreciate this gentle article. I am very, very weary of the Outrage Machines, and feel many of my friends are just the flip side of those who are addicted to Fox News. Few want to even consider listening and learning. It is exhausting.
Thank you, Anthony, for being the kind voice among the screamers.
Thsnk you, Tony! I’ll work on that curious/curiosity side of things.