It is a time of overwhelming greed. It is a time of underwhelming altruism. The hoards of poor and destitute and abused are still at the gates but the gates have been replaced by a wall. The few that have managed to get over the wall or under the wall have found that their dreams of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness have been replaced by barbed wire fences and security police intent on finding and locking them up in cages. In truth, there are no streets paved with gold. The gold has long since been stripped by billionaires and the American dream has been supplanted by a Trickle-Down theory which the billionaires are cynically prophesizing.
Through the country stride two men. One man driven by money laden with stocks, bonds, and coupons for a cheap cup of coffee. The other man driven by compassion with a calendar always full of dates to help someone else out. One man has plenty of gold, the other man has plenty of time. No two men could be more different. One man represents the America that was. The other man represents the America that could be. The two men frequently cross paths and to some extent even like each other. There is no hatred between the two but a mutual inability to understand the other’s motives has always existed. Each thinks that the other is of unsound mind or to put it another way is “out to lunch.” This is their story then. I tell it from a neutral objective. Strangely, I like both men.
Tom is a white middle class male in his mid-seventies. Tom is driven by the almighty dollar. Hardly a day goes by that Tom is not trading or looking at his stock portfolio. Tom (everyone agrees) is “all about the money.” Tom is a Trump supporter. In many respects, he does not fit the typical demographic for a Trumpist. Tom has gone to college. He worked at a white-collar job and he has one of the largest houses in the town. Tom always dresses well, speaks well and never utters a vernacular word. Tom has never owned a motorcycle and I doubt he has ever shot anything in his life. He is the epitome of decorum and propriety. He has kept himself in good shape and looks physically fit. Indeed, he looks several years younger than his age. Tom is soft-spoken and is the last person you could think of who would ever get in an actual fight with anyone.
Tom prides himself on his frugalness, some would say cheapness. He will buy a coffee at the local coffee shop and when it is time to pay, he will search the internet with his smart phone to find a coupon that will allow him to get 50 percent or so off the cost of an already low-priced cup of coffee. But greed cannot be measured by cheap cups of coffee. In some respects, it is difficult to separate greed from fear. Many a conversation with Tom, I walked away thinking that it is not so much greed that drives Tom as fear. Fear that the immigrants might take his house away. Fear that women will take his job. Fear that minorities will get his share of the America pie. Fear that LGBTQ people will gain access to his bathroom.
If it is true that Trump supporters are driven by fear and greed, then Tom (regardless of demographics) is the quintessential Trump supporter. Tom defies the category of “Trump Deplorable.” You can have an intelligent and civil conversation with Tom on many a subject. Nevertheless, he defends Trump no matter what the issue. Trump is his God and can do no wrong. Despite Tom’s penny pinching, he is proud enough of his Trump affiliation that he has spent the money to purchase some Trump paraphernalia. He proudly wears both a Trump hat and a Trump t-shirt. This always puzzles me.
Tom has never suffered poverty. He lives well and has a beautiful lake front home with a mortgage long paid off. He drives a luxury car with a brand image. I am sure that neither NAFTA nor Globalism has ever been of undue stress to his finances. Quite to the contrary, Tom has undoubtedly benefitted from the good that has come out of these policies. Unlike the white rural blue-collar worker who saw his job and company go overseas, Tom has prospered in the 21st Century economy.
Ron is also a white male in his mid-seventies. Ron did not go to college. Ron was a blue-collar electrician until his retirement. Ron grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. Ron rides a Harley Davidson and when he was younger went on many a deer and elk hunting trip. He still proudly has an array of rifles that he seldom now uses. Ron has even won some rifles and given them away. Ron can be difficult to talk to. He is passionate about his position and not always willing to listen to others. You cannot always describe his discussions with others as civil and polite. Some people would describe Ron as uncouth. He cares little about fashion or image. He usually looks like he needs a good haircut. If you did not know Ron, you would have no difficulty in putting him down as a Trump supporter. You would be dead wrong.
Ron is a generous man. He is one of the most generous persons I know. Ron is not rich. He has never purchased a brand-new car and he does not live on a lake. Ron does not have a great deal of money, but he will often pay for my coffee and the coffee of others at our table. Ron is most generous with his time. Never a day goes by that he is not doing a favor for someone. His generosity extends well beyond his immediate family. Three years ago. Ron and his wife were given an award as Volunteers of the Year. If anyone needs something or help with anything, they will call Ron. I do not think of myself as “ungenerous”, but I am loath to admit that I sometimes think Ron is too generous with his time.
Politically, I would describe Ron as an independent thinker. Ron gets a good pension from his former IBEW union and if there is anything he is proud of and will defend to the nth degree, it is unions. He despises Trump and the Republican politics of greed and Trickle Down. However, he does not defend the Democratic party either. He has said that the Democrats sold too many Americans down the drain with NAFTA and Globalism. It would have been one thing to pursue these policies if there had been some type of life jacket or safety net for the American workers displaced but the Democrats as well as the Republicans simply ignored the side effects of these policies.
Ron is no racist, no sexist, no hater of immigrants. If you talk to Ron about these subjects, you will find a man that is not fearful or belligerent towards others. Whereas Tom would lock America down, Ron would tear the walls down. Tom will deplore violent protestors. Ron will deplore the violence that lead to the protests in the first place. Ron loves to travel and meet new people. Tom spends most of his days in the same town that he has always been and traveling the same safe pathways that he has always traveled. Ron has taken several foreign students into his home on an exchange program and is always eager to hear stories about other people and other places. Tom has a child who is developmentally disabled that he is a loving and kind father to.
A tale of two men. Both men married. Both with families and children. Neither man a criminal or drug addict or law breaker. Both men admired by others in the community. Both men loved by their families. Both men with friends who speak and think well of them. Men who are on opposite sides of any imaginable political spectrum.
A time in America when the divisions seen to outweigh any points of commonality. When the divisiveness and polemics drive everyone either right or left. When disagreement is called evil and rudeness and bullying substitute for politeness and civility. When you are my enemy if your politics disagree with mine. When truth is now called a lie and facts are now called fake.
Ron and Tom still sit down mornings at the coffee shop and talk to each other. There is often passionate disagreement. Ron will storm and foam at the mouth. Tom will quietly state his position and seem somewhat amused at Ron’s vehemence. I am not sure who has the most difficulty understanding the other but watching Tom and Ron interact is something like watching a TV sitcom. Are Tom and Ron following a script that the rest of us do not know about? Perhaps there is a script written somewhere that we are all following.
“Aspire to decency. Practice civility toward one another. Admire and emulate ethical behavior wherever you find it. Apply a rigid standard of morality to your lives; and if, periodically, you fail as you surely will adjust your lives, not the standards.” ― Ted Koppel
Aging Capriciously 