Over the next few years, a lot of people are going to experience life-altering pain;
and the people who brought that pain will compartmentalize, ignoring or seeing
no connection between the suffering of others and their decisions in the recent
election.
According to psychologists, compartmentalization is “a defense mechanism in
which people mentally separate conflicting thoughts, emotions, or experiences to
avoid the discomfort of contradiction.” As “mass deportations” occur, putting
people in concentration camps, separating families, and perhaps sweeping up half a
million DACA recipients and even US citizens; as Ukraine disappears from the
map and more Gazans are slaughtered; as the harassment of women and
persecution of gay, trans, and non-binary folks is either proactively pursued or
tacitly tolerated; as our air and water are befouled; as competent civil servants are
purged, people lose their health insurance, and sanitized, “patriotic” propaganda is
presented as American history, some people will cheer, while others will deny
responsibility, telling themselves, “This isn’t what I thought would happen.”
Well, so what. Many others knew. Surely, everyone hearing my voice knows
someone who is in for a world of hurt. And your intentions will not matter.
I’m Taylor Atkins and that’s my Perspective.
