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Here’s the Trending team’s main character of the week: It’s your unhinged loved ones on Facebook.
Tuesday night’s election of Donald Trump to the presidency didn’t take long to spark mournful, combative, and panicked Facebook posts on my friends list. My sister-in-law clashed with her parents, left the group chat. I argued with my brother. My brother posted angrily and then apologized on his Facebook. The mother of a good friend of mine texted DIY footage from her local polling station insinuating that Democrats were trying to steal the election. City-dwelling friends bragged about unfriending and unfollowing people from high school. My WhatsApp relatives sent crying emoji and/or made fun of Americans.
I do not think that Donald Trump should be the president of the United States.
In 2016, I felt betrayed by online friends who were critical of Democrats. They were so anti-establishment in their thinking that they didn’t vote, or were outright sympathetic to Trumpism. Opening my Facebook timeline sparked feelings of fear and anger toward my extended connections. Even their “Clinton was a bad candidate” above-the-fray armchair punditry hurt.
But I’m not going back to judging my people because we disagree.
Self-care is separating Trump from his voters
While I disapprove of Trump’s racist statements about Third World countries, fear his inner circle of enablers who harbor some of the most extreme ideas ever to seize power in the United States, and generally weep for the future of my immigrant, LGBTQ, and women friends, I don’t resent Trump apologists.
Within reason! Right-wing pundits are prone to bad-faith arguments rationalizing sexism and racism. I don’t like them. Fellow Austinite Joe Rogan positions himself as a free-speech champion open to good ideas, yet his worldview is shaped by men with conservative agendas like Dana White, Elon Musk, and Jordan Peterson. His interview with Trump was propaganda. Rogan wasn’t prepared to ask enough good questions and leveraged his subject’s celebrity to stump against pet issues like transgender students. He’d harp on extreme examples to make broad assumptions about complicated matters. Not a fan either.
But people in my Facebook circle who chose to support Trump I have nothing but love for.
They are no better or more virtuous than Harris voters. They are doing their best, finding identity and comfort in a story they told themselves. It makes them deeply human.
Better this time
Make no mistake, I believe that Trump’s proclivity for cronyism will lead to a more corrupt and less efficient government. But on Wednesday, I did not rant on my Facebook. I asked my friends why they thought Trump won. I got 25 different answers and learned from all of them.
As journalists and citizens, the best thing we can do during this tumultuous transition is listen and learn.
I think it will be harder to do my job under Trump. The first Trump term was extremely stressful. I covered a Trump rally in 2016 live and my skin crawled when he directed his supporters to boo the media. He wants to revoke CBS’ broadcast license. You never know when a right-wing YouTuber with suspiciously deep pockets wants to get litigious. Honest answers are harder to come by. There is more noise on the internet.
We’ll need to be twice as meticulous.
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