On Bowling and Bubbles

I’m not gonna lie: it’s been rough processing the results of the 2024 presidential election. I know I’m not alone. Many people are having all sorts of feelings and reactions. But I also know that I have it relatively easy since I’m rather insulated in my comfortable “bubble”. 

As an upper middle class, cis-gendered, straight, highly educated, non-religious Christian, White woman in Brownstone Brooklyn what consequences will I directly face due to the crap a Trump presidency is going to spew at America?

My taxes might go up or down, but I’ll be able to pay them. The goods that I consume on a regular basis will likely get more expensive, but I can afford it. I don’t face a threat of deportation. My marriage to a man is legally secure.  My kid is practically an adult, having received all of his appropriate immunizations while attending public schools where everyone else was required to have the same vaccinations. Nobody’s challenging my choice of which bathroom I feel comfortable peeing in. I can play a sport on a women’s team and nobody questions if I should be there. I’ll probably feel some of the accelerated damage to the environment that will be expected, but the truly devastating results will not be experienced by this world until I am gone from it.

Though I’m relatively protected, I’m still concerned. I am concerned for those who can’t afford higher taxes. I am concerned for those who will suffer the impact of tariffs as prices increase and American jobs are lost. I am concerned about those who are at risk of deportation, and for everyone who is safe from deportation but likely to experience racialized interrogations of their citizenship status. I am concerned for the kids who are likely to catch a debilitating disease and suffer the consequences because their parents took medical advice from a misinformed, conspiracy-theory-peddling, nepo baby. I am concerned for the mental and physical health of those who identify as LGBTQ+, but especially for anyone who identifies as trans. I am concerned for the generations after me that won’t have a bubble of privilege to protect them from what is coming. Ultimately, I am concerned for the fate of our democracy and our planet. 

While the election results surprised me, I wouldn’t say they shocked me. My strongest emotion is shame for my naivete. I feel like I should have seen it coming. I sensed that the presidential race was going to be close, and I was right. But the ultimate outcome felt like a punch to the gut. 

There are many theories to explain why Trump won this election. The theories you consider valid usually depend on your feelings about the result.  Misinformation confused voters: I find merit in this one. Harris didn’t have enough time to campaign: I’m not sure more time would have made a difference. Some people just wouldn’t vote for a Black woman (because of racism and sexism): I believe this one, though it is hard to support by evidence. The Democratic message fails to resonate with the majority of voters: that’s obvious. The Republican message fails to resonate with the majority of voters: that’s obvious, too.

American political polarization is not new. Since 1988, five candidates have been elected president without receiving the majority of votes (Clinton ‘92 43%, Clinton ‘96 49%, Bush ‘00 48%, Trump ‘16 46%, Trump ‘24 49%) and only four have received the majority of votes (Bush ‘04 51%, Obama ‘08 53%, Obama ‘12 51%, Biden ‘20 51%). As Trump won the presidency without securing a majority of the votes, again, it is clear that our society is more polarized than ever.

The 2000 book “Bowling Alone” by Robert Putnam offered pre-TikTok theories to explain polarization that I’ve found myself revisiting in my post-election contemplations. The premise of “Bowling Alone” is that there has been a significant decrease in all forms of in-person social interchange in America since the 1960s. We don’t attend religious services as much; we don’t participate in local community and civic groups like we used to. The title of the book relates to the fact that Americans don’t participate in bowling leagues like we used to; instead, we “bowl alone.” Research suggests these trends are largely due to increased time focused on employment including longer commutes, and the proliferation of entertainment technologies, like the television and internet. 

As a result of these significant shifts, American society has become less collective and more focused on individual interests. We have less that unites us, and much that drives us apart. Nowhere is this more obvious than in Americans’ feelings about Donald Trump. About a third of the American public think that Trump is god. About a third of the American public think that Trump is the devil. The other third of the American public really don’t really have the time or energy to care. They’re trying to get through the day, week, month, or year. 

Many Americans thought that the high level of voter turnout that elected Biden in 2020 was clear evidence of our country’s disdain for Trump. The Democrats seemed to be depending on that theory in their messaging during this election cycle. That theory was tragically wrong. A study published in the peer-reviewed journal, Political Behavior, in April 2024 provides a more plausible explanation for this year’s turnout. The researchers examined voter engagement surveys after the 2018 and 2020 elections. The research found that people generally don’t vote when they’re experiencing individual personal hardships. Those who lost their job recently were less likely to vote. Those who recently were divorced were less likely to vote. Those who had a close family member who was sick, dying, or recently had died were less likely to vote. But when an individual is impacted by a crisis that is highly politicized and shared by many others, they actually are more likely to vote. This theory explains why the 2020 COVID pandemic era turnout was the highest since 1968. People didn’t vote in droves in 2020 because they hated Trump. We voted in droves because we were collectively struggling, and we collectively wanted change.

I could spend pages spouting more theory and research to explain why Trump won. Such an exhaustive effort won’t change what’s coming next. What can I actually do to thwart the upcoming consequences of this election?  I know that my individual actions won’t be effective in preventing Trump’s antics, or turning out the 2026 and 2028 vote towards redemption. Engagement towards change has to be a collective experience. This change won’t come by focusing within my bubble.

Since young adulthood I have been more politically engaged than the average citizen. As a result of this particular election, I’m trying to get more involved in organized, progressive action groups. But I’m struggling. Ideologically, I share the values and concerns of most of those I share space with in these groups. However, I’m finding many people in these spaces touting our own conspiracy theories and hateful rhetoric. There seems to be a lack of understanding that the desired outcomes progressives seek are NOT shared by the majority of Americans. If progressives want to get what we strongly feel is right and just, we need to convince others that we’re right. And clearly, we’re not there yet. 

More than half of American voters DID NOT want Trump to be President. But even fewer Americans wanted Harris to be President. Those who determined the outcome of this election fall into neither of those groups. Those who determined the outcome of this election were those who did not engage. Maybe they didn’t engage because they are racist and/or sexist. Maybe they didn’t engage because they are misinformed. Maybe they didn’t engage because they are facing a personal crisis.  

In order to turn the tide and hold that momentum, those of us who live in privileged bubbles need to seek and find common ground with those who are not protected. The economy of the past four years served my retirement fund and property value well. But many have seen their food prices double while their income has remained stagnant. Complaining about an uninformed electorate, insulting our neighbors, and debating in social media showdowns isn’t going to get the desired effect. 

I’m looking for better options. Maybe I’ll join a bowling league. Who’s with me?