Personal essays
On defeating the Grinch
2004
When Bush beat Kerry in November of 2004, Elena was crushed.
She just didn’t understand.
Her kindergarten class had held a mock election and, as she told me, “everyone voted for Kerry”.
She caught herself and said, “almost everyone. You-know-who voted for Bush.”
She lived in a bubble of enthusiasm and didn’t understand.
It’s so easy to get caught up in a vibe. She wasn’t looking to go to Washington or anything and make sure Bush wasn’t seated.
Then again, she was five - who knows how she might have felt if she were older.
I think that’s why I’m so cautious right now.
Everyone (well everyone in my bubble) is caught up in the joy of the Harris-Walz campaign. We don’t understand why anyone would choose anything else.
And yet even in the most optimistic polls, almost half of the country feels otherwise.
Helping others
The opposite of joy is infectious. It’s easy to focus on one man and his administration, but they’ve been trying to take things away from us for years.
Helping the middle class and the poor is too expensive. A tax break for the rich? We can afford that.
There are kids who come to school hungry.
Let’s feed them. In fact, let’s feed all of the kids.
It actually doesn’t cost very much and then the kids who really need it don’t stick out as the kids who get a free meal.
The us’s don’t see the them’s together in the lunchroom before school getting a free breakfast.
“But Daniel,” some object, “then we’re being taxed extra to feed some kids who don’t need it.”
And we are taxed for roads we don’t drive on.
And really those people don’t object to feeding everyone, they object to feeding anyone.
How do people object to feeding hungry kids?
It’s like asking why the Grinch stole Christmas.
Because he’s the f’ing Grinch.
Who
The Grinch went into every home in Whoville and stole their presents.
Whoville is a pretty homogeneous village where everyone joyfully celebrates Christmas.
Then again, everyone but you-know-who in Elena’s kindergarten voted for Kerry.
The Grinch is almost foiled by Cindy Lou Who - an adorable little girl who would play the role of Elena if a movie were ever made about her life.
But he leaves intact with his heart two sizes too small on a sleigh pulled by his little dog Max to the top of Mount Crumpit.
You cannot tell me Dr. Seuss didn’t get high. But I digress.
Christmas morning the Grinch wakes up early to enjoy the sound of the Whos crying.
What a jerk.
Instead he hears the sound of the Whos singing and it melts his heart and grows it to bigger than normal size - metaphorically - this is not an alarming medical condition.
And so I live in my bubble, my own Whoville, and I feel the joy.
But I don’t expect it to melt the hearts of the MAGA faithful and their candidate.
Because they’re the f’ing Grinch in this story.
But I hope it gets more of the good citizens of Whoville to remember to register and to make it to the polls.
I hope the independents look and say, “hey, this joy thing is kind of a welcome break and it is coming from the people who’ve actually given us a better economy and employment statistics.”
I hope there are even some family members of MAGAs who look at the fear-based cult and then over at those of us enjoying a beverage, eating snacks, and hanging out with each other - and they look at us and say, “I’m going over there. Just for a minute.”
The worst thing we can do is look at the joy in our bubble and think it is widespread. We haven’t won anything yet. Joy is actually hard work - but it’s so worth it.
Essay from Dim Sum Thinking Newsletter 229. Read the rest of the Newsletter or subscribe