Das übliche Gejammer darüber, dass Männer keine Frauen wählen, ist nicht nur albern, sondern gefährlich. Gilt nicht nur für die USA. Kommt endlich mal klar, Jungs. Wir wählen euch doch auch.

„I have been haunted by this unnamed white midwestern male voter for longer than I can remember. He turns up anytime a woman runs for anything, tucks his polo shirt into his jeans, and starts listing all the ways the candidate just doesn’t share his values. If only I could find him and talk with him! If only we could grab one of those proverbial beers. I would explain that although he matters and is important, now is not the time to make things about himself. Now he has to do what I and so many women and people of color have done in this country for generations: hold our nose and vote for a politician who might not totally get us, but whom we have to trust to do their best by us anyway.

I lived through the roller coaster of Hillary Clinton’s candidacy. I watched Elizabeth Warren supporters campaign while Bernie bros told them they were wasting their time. Then the Supreme Court took away the right to choose that I had thought belonged to all American citizens. Now I’ve run out of patience. My friends’ barstool logic is not only maddening; it’s dangerous.“

Der Artikel im „Atlantic“ von Xochitl Gonzalez endet hoffnungsvoll, und auch das lässt sich ganz möglicherweise auf die Bundesrepublik übertragen. Mehr Hoffnung und Freude statt Meckern und Hass.

Ja, bin vermutlich naiv. Könnte auch an den vielen Gute-Laune-Clips von Taylor Swift in meiner Insta-Timeline liegen, die mir musikalisch total egal sind, mir aber trotzdem Hoffnung geben, dass man sich mal wieder in Massen für etwas Gutes engagiert. Und wenn es nur Buchstabenarmbändchen sind.

„Harris is kind of a goofball. She’s earnest when you wouldn’t expect earnestness. She tells awkward stories. She laughs often and loudly. She is not at all cool. And people seem to like it? Many of these things worked against her back in 2020, but now it’s like seeing an ex at a high-school reunion: Suddenly the old flaws look different. Is it us? Are we lonely and desperate now? Probably.

The point is that for some time now, the only place for laughter in politics has been at a Trump political rally, in response to one of his cruel jokes. Politics has been about mass death and mass deportations. Harris takes these things seriously, but she can also provoke joy, which this country desperately needs. At that event Monday night, Harris told Biden—with warmth and sincerity—that she loved him. And then she spoke with a smile on her face about the future prospects for our country. Listening, I felt transported to a time before Trump came down the gilded escalator and turned the conversation from hope to carnage. We live in an era of cynicism, but Americans are still attracted to joy. We might find that even our white midwestern male voters want more of that.“

Atlantic-Link, eventuell Paywall, Archive-Link ohne.