Key takeaways:
– USA Today Columnist compares Democratic election response to bear chase in satirical piece
– The piece makes use of bear parables to illustrate Democrats’ reactions to election outcomes
– The comparison raises imperative to understand versus to survive
– Columnist argues Democrats need not continually accommodate opposing views but instead be assertive
Facing Election Outcomes: The Bear Tale Comparison
Ever wondered why a hiker being chased by a bear stops to ponder why the bear wants to eat him? That’s pretty much the same scenario Democrats found themselves in after the recent election results. In a humorous yet insightful piece, USA Today Columnist Rex Huppke likens this to Democrats’ response to President-elect Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris on election day.
The Parable of the Bear Chase
Imagine standing in a forest and spotting a bear charging towards you. Does your survival instinct advise you to understand why the bear feels the necessity to attack or do you run to stay alive? Well, Huppke, in his piece, places Democrats in this quite puzzling bear chase situation after the recent elections. And he isn’t convinced that comprehending the bear’s motives should be the priority either.
Democrats’ Struggle: Mid-Class Voters and Trump Victory
According to Huppke, Democrats are being too hard on themselves, pondering on what they did wrong rather than focusing on survival tactics. Instead, they’re blaming themselves for not connecting enough with middle-class voters. Or in other words, their bear in this situation.
Huppke uses this interesting analogy to question whether it’s really the fault of the hiker that the bear wants to feast on him. He challenges the Democrats’ viewpoint that failing to react properly to the ‘angry bear’ was the reason for their election loss.
He argued that it wasn’t really about how much Democrats tried to understand or accommodate the views of those who voted for Trump, but more about being assertive regarding their own stance.
Survival versus Understanding
Huppke continues to employ the bear parable to drive home his point. He describes Trump’s supporters as being happy at the sight of other beings being locked up. He introduces an older man, representing a political figure unnoticed by the bear.
Even in the face of these scenarios, Huppke argues that nobody asked the bear to understand him, people like him, or even the older man who scared it away. The columnist views the continual appeasement of the bear, despite its unchanging intent, as frustrating. He denotes that it’s not about understanding the bear’s motives but surviving despite them.
The Bottom Line
Towards the end of his satirical piece, Huppke draws on the time-proven adage for survival in bear-infested forests- to be noisy and show no fear when faced with a rampaging bear. He states clearly that he’d rather do that than make unnecessary efforts to comprehend the bear’s intent.
Take a lesson from this; politics is more about survival sometimes, not about understanding the perspective of every bear in the forest. The Democrats would do well to pay heed to Huppke and focus more on holding their ground, speaking their minds, and showing no fear. After all, in the game of politics, like in the forest, you don’t run from an attacking bear, you hold your ground and make some noise. Conclusively, the bear might just decide that you’re not an easy meal after all.