How to Get Off a Horse

The old saying “Don’t change horses in the middle of a stream” may help us understand Trump voters who still support him after so much destruction and cruelty. Sometimes that's good advice, other times it's not. This time, it’s a problem because this stream is heading for a steep waterfall.

Think of the gambler who swears by a lucky number, or a sports fan who loves their team regardless of their record, or a spouse who stays with their abusive partner.  What about a believer who sees others as evil, or an addict who waits for the next drink?   How in the world can Trump voters get off their horse?

If it was a paper horse, the wind might blow it away. A wooden horse might break a leg.  A cloth horse might get soiled.  If it’s a hollow horse filled with hot air, we coiuld wait until it loses air.   If we wait long enough, in other words, riders might lose their balance as their horses fall down.  The way things are going, such a wait could become shameful.

One problem with this saying that it seems you have to change horses.  You cannot just dismount.  Get off the horse.  I know it’s not always easy to get off a horse; maybe even more of a problem than getting on, but what if you had a choice of not riding the horse any longer?

Another problem, of course, is that the horse is swimming in a stream.  Put the horse on land, and then any rider could dismount.  But would they?  Probably not, especially if others are still on their horses.  Could we create a space that restrains  horses and allows riders to stand on the Earth.  Is there such a place?

I think so.  It’s called a civic space where we are grounded in our shared humanity, and the variety of horses—beliefs and attitudes—become objects of analysis and synthesis.   

Today, our civic has become the battlefield for the future of our nation. Both conservatives and liberals will suffer from its destruction.  It’s our democratic context.  There we exist together not in opinions or beliefs, but in our shared humanity. 

Since 1619, we have had white supremacists who have refused to get off their horses, and when they have the power, like now, ride roughshod through the civic space, smiling with glee in their wave of destruction.  The task is to discern those from others who would like to get off their horse but have not found a place where they might land.  It turns out that the very thing Trump and his cronies are destroying, the civic sphere, is our promised land.

Do you want to help others get off their horse?  Can we create and protect a civic space where we all can count on the mutual recognition of our shared humanity and work together to get our horses moving in the right direction?

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