Kareem Abdul Jabbar's comment

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35. This guy is so wise and such an excellent writer.

I really like this essay. Thanks for posting it. And I have always liked and admired Kareem, all the way back to his days when as “Lew Alcindor” he was a standout for John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins.

Here, by the way, is the link for those who would like to see it at the source:
https://kareem.substack.com/p/trump-is-president-and-other-stories

What an excellent Substack! I subscribed instantly.

Many of the comments in this thread have focused exclusively on this paragraph and found it unsatisfying or naive:

How do we live with our friends, families, and neighbors who voted for a rapist, racist, and fraudster? We give them grace. We assume that, though their minds were clouded by their lack of critical thinking, in their hearts they still want a compassionate America that embraces all of its people and protects their rights. They made a mistake, like a child sticking its finger in an electrical socket. Let it go as that and be the person that maybe influences them to think better next time.

I think Kareem’s take is exactly correct. Why waste time lecturing (or hating) the brainwashed? We have more important work to do (emphasis mine):

Take a day or week to mourn, those of you who still believe in our Constitution and the country we could be. Then roll up your sleeves and prepare for four years of battle to save our country from becoming the tyrannic state that Trump and his supporters envision. They expect us to be humbled and docile. We won’t be. We are better than this election. Let’s prove it.