Beyond this political moment
Moving past a historic election season in 2024. Plus, five things I found meaningful this week.
Issue #83
Hi all —
Over the last couple days, I have received countless newsletters from the communities and individuals in which I actively subscribe to, have interviewed at some point, or from folks I am somehow on a mailing list. Some are South Asian American, some are not. There have been emails about…
reflection
resistance
celebration
mourning
history repeating itself
the glass ceiling
racism
misogyny
polls
political parties
crypto
the economy
misinformation
surprise and shock
non-surprise and non-shock, the nation revealing itself
where the press went wrong
where the press went right
the work the press must continue to do to hold power to account
… and so on and so forth.
So at this time, I am not going to play pundit and try to explain why our nation re-elected Donald Trump as the next president. There are plenty of people already doing that — and I believe it is a complicated confluence of factors, including what is listed above.
This was an election where we saw South Asian Americans divided in some ways, including but not limited to:
a blue stronghold devoted to elect the nation’s first woman and Black/Indian American to the presidency, Kamala Harris;
a progressive faction angry with the status quo and the U.S.’s approach to conflicts in the Middle East, leading to some who didn’t vote, some who begrudgingly voted, some who protest-voted against their interests;
a traditionally conservative faction feeling split between lost principles in Trump’s Republican Party and Democratic choices;
a new type of conservative faction that looks past Trump’s rhetoric about minority communities to vote on elements of his MAGA agenda they desire.
As a journalist, I look forward to continuing to host conversations and have one-on-one chats with folks to better understand people’s perspectives in our South Asian American communities on politics, culture and civic life in the U.S. I want to listen. (Text me via 773-599-3717, or email by replying back to this newsletter.)
Many of us can say the same thing we could have said in 2016 or 2020: As Americans as a whole, we are increasingly in information silos/bubbles and echo chambers of ideas, so much so that anything that challenges or deviates from the ideas one is surrounded by is seen as either a threat or “fake.”
That’s why I still believe in the power of solid journalism, storytelling and conversation — from all perspectives — that can help us not necessarily agree, but better understand each other and coexist in this flawed, beautiful world.
A few things I found meaningful this week:
This column: The Washington Post sports columnist Candace Buckner wrote about responding to hate, anchored by a recent incident in which Jason Kelce reacted to a hateful comment about his Taylor-Swift-dating brother. “When the world provokes us — and it will, especially now — sometimes we need to just keep walking,” Buckner writes.
This video: “The Daily Show” correspondent Desi Lydic interviewed sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom about how Donald Trump effectively conveyed certain messages, tapping into elements like white identity and American masculinity.
This podcast episode: For her stellar podcast, “A Slight Change of Plans,” Dr. Maya Shankar interviewed Stanford psychologist Jamil Zaki about why cynicism is misguided and harmful to our health, and why it’s better to instead consider a “hopeful skepticism” mindset.
This poem: The online magazine, Reasons to be Cheerful, took words sent by its community to write a post-election poem. The prompt was: “No matter who wins.”
This dog: The recharge after an information-overloaded election season is different for everyone. For me, as an animal lover, I am reminded to step back from the fray by the pure, uncomplicated love of my golden retriever.
Thanks, as always, for staying engaged in the conversation,
Vignesh
Red, White and Brown Media facilitates substantive conversations through the lens of South Asian American race and identity — via journalism, social media and events. Please tell your friends and family to subscribe to this newsletter.