Political Violence Doesn’t Have To Be Inevitable After This Election
Adam Calder
As all of my friends know, I’m a political junkie. Each day, I wake up excited—not because I’m naturally an upbeat person, but because I know there’s a new episode of The Daily from The New York Times waiting for me to listen to. I recently put on a new episode and was not happy to hear the hosts describing the inevitability of “outbreaks of political violence” if Donald Trump loses on November 5th. I understand how some people have arrived at this conclusion. But I also don’t accept that conclusion, and the rest of us shouldn’t either.
I joined BridgeUSA as a freshman in college. Joe Biden had taken office just a few months prior and the investigations into the capitol riot on January 6th had just gotten into full swing. At my BridgeUSA chapter in Florida, it was the main topic of interest. Indeed, it was a terrible day, as was the day after the 2016 election when millions of dollars’ worth of damage was the result of anti-Trump sentiment. We’ve gotten used to the anger and bitterness in the leadup to our national elections. What’s much worse is that it feels like we are now starting to get used to violence and fear.
But one place I have never been fearful and never seen violence break out is a BridgeUSA meeting. That’s because we know the game won’t be zero sum before the conversation starts; All of us come to the table ready to have our viewpoints challenged and confident that they will be challenged without malice.
For many people who haven’t experienced this exchange of ideas, however, I get how political violence feels unavoidable (I’ll remind you, the hosts used the word “inevitable”). Because our news outlets often amplify sensational stories and many of our politicians use divisive rhetoric. But here’s the thing: I believe that violence is only as inevitable as we allow it to be. The choice is ours, and we can choose peaceful, constructive dialogue. If we make the effort to have hard conversations like my peers at BridgeUSA—by sitting across from those we disagree with and listening—we could return to a time when political frustration didn’t manifest as dangerous behaviors.
We can begin by being examples. When people see others engaging in respectful, thoughtful political conversations, it reinforces the idea that this is not only possible but preferable. Each of us has the power to influence those around us and, in turn, influence the larger narrative about how we handle our differences. Instead, let’s set the standard for what our democracy looks like—an environment where every voice can be heard without fear and where disagreements can strengthen rather than divide us. If we start in our communities, in our conversations, and in ourselves, we can build a nation where, regardless of who wins, we all leave with our dignity and unity intact and our windows unbroken.
Here’s something that some analysts and prognosticators may have missed in their editorializing: We live in a great country with good people. And these good people want to get along with each other. After this election, let’s help each other to do that.
