Surviving 2024: Don't Post Angry

I challenge you not to post anything negative on social media related to the election. You might be surprised by the result.

Deviant Art, Wyldcherry.

Unless these United States of America are particularly cursed, it goes without saying that the 2024 presidential election will be the most depressing in anyone’s living memory. On one side stands the perennially unpopular incumbent who has thrown open America’s borders and is apparently so senile that he cannot be criminally charged. On the other stands his predecessor, already defeated, under criminal indictment, and running on little but a widely loathed cult of personality. Presidential elections coming down to a choice between the lesser of two evils is a frequent item of complaint in American politics, but never was it truer than this year. Personally, it’s a choice I cannot make, and for the first time since becoming eligible, I will not vote in a presidential election.

Perhaps that decision is defeatist, but to me, it is the only position consistent with preserving one’s reputation, energy, and mood. Neither of these candidates is worthy of my support.

In his On Duties, Cicero reminds his reader that foul characters in public life are not to be associated with: “We can have no alliance with tyrants; rather there can only be the most emphatic severance of ties (III.32).”

These powerful words remind us to be careful of the public figures we support. For better or worse, we will be judged by the public figures we support, even if we can do nothing other than vote for them.

Who can deny that anyone who has gotten too close to Donald Trump has paid for it somehow? From Mike Pence down to the base voter who has suffered financial or social harm, Donald Trump has only brought misfortune to those around him. The longer and deeper one’s ties to him, the worse it gets.

On the other hand, Joe Biden is a spectacularly incompetent leader who has made America’s partisan divide worse. He has frequently labeled his critics as domestic terrorists or “threats to democracy.” Such demagogic hyperbole does not heal the nation’s wounds. If the Republican base has become increasingly paranoid and conspiratorial, it is partially because of his conduct in office and the rhetoric of his allies. Biden may not bring his supporters down to the degree that Trump does, but he often pumps them full of anger and anxiety and indulges them in expressing the worst parts of human nature.

In his seminal Influence, the Psychology of Persuasion, the social psychologist Robert Cialdini mentioned that in a study he examined, the mere act of dividing children into teams over trivial matters caused them to become tribal, finding differences where they did not previously exist, and angrier at one another:

“It didn’t take much to bring on certain kinds of ill will. Simply separating the boys into two residence cabins was enough to stimulate a ‘we vs. they’ feeling between the groups; and assigning names to the two groups (the Eagles and the Rattlers) accelerated the sense of rivalry. The boys soon began to demean the qualities and accomplishments of the other group. But these forms of hostility were minor compared to what occurred when the experimenters purposely introduced competitive activities into the factions’ meetings with one another. Cabin against cabin treasure hunts, tugs-of-war, and athletic competitions produced name-calling and physical friction. During the competitions, members of the opposing team were labeled ‘cheaters,’ ‘sneaks,’ and ‘stinkers.’ Afterward, cabins were raided, rival banners were stolen and burned, threatening signs were posted, and lunchroom scuffles were commonplace.

“At this point, it was evident to Sherif that the recipe for disharmony was quick and easy: Just separate the participants into groups and let them sit for a while in their own juices. Then mix together over the flame of continued competition. And there you have it: Cross-group hatred at a rolling boil” (pg. 180).

Can we doubt that American politics has become similar to this? Granted, the United States has had bitter partisan divisions from its beginning. The founders took part in partisan rancor every bit as acrimonious as that found today. However, because the internet, particularly social media, has blurred the professional, political, and personal aspects, all aspects of life seem to be forming around these partisan divisions.

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We know these devices and apps are addictive. It is an easy sugar high to post something provocative that rattles the “enemy” and get praise from your “side” for it. We’ve all done this at one point or another, but has it led to anything good? Ask yourself, has it connected you with the better part of your nature? I’m betting that the answer is never or almost never.

A few months ago, Arnold Schwarzenegger made a challenge to the members of his “Pump Club” email list—do not post anything negative on social media for 30 days. I found the challenge to be cleansing and clarifying.

So this year, I’m expanding the challenge and asking you to join me—do not post anything negative on social media related to the election or participate in the factional activities surrounding it. See everyone as a human being first and not as a part of “them.” You might be surprised at how well you get along with the other person and how much clearer your mind is.

Avoiding the negativity of social media is equally important for your physical health. A new study involving 500 adult participants found that the individuals who used social media at a higher rate had higher levels of C-reactive protein in their bodies, even when the researchers adjusted for other factors. C-reactive protein arises from the liver in response to inflammation. Inflammation is necessary for immune function and healing injuries, but chronic inflammation can lead to severe health issues like obesity, cancer, heart disease, and arthritis.

In other words, there is reason to think that the longer you spend on social media, the higher your chance of suffering from chronic inflammation. Although this area requires additional study, it adds to the growing body of evidence that these devices, apps, and algorithms have not been a net positive for our well-being. They are designed to encourage tribalism and addiction. Politics is one of the easiest ways for them to do so. Indeed, it feels like social media algorithms are designed to divide us along just these lines as if we were all part of a “high-tech” version of the experiment Cialdini mentioned.

Let this be the year where we halt the trend of categorizing the entire identities of others based on political affiliation. Don’t rush to judgments based on a political point of view, let alone a tweet or a 30-second TikTok video. This is the best way to defy the tragic and catastrophic choice that unhappy fate seems to have imposed on us.

Vote as you please. Participate in a discussion of a substantive nature that suits you. But don’t take part in partisan activities in ideological silos, nor alienate yourselves from others based on politics. And remember to put the device down—a lot. If there is any year to reduce your social media use, this is it.

Biden and Trump are not worth it.

Jordan Carpenter received his BA in Political Science from Fordham University in 2011, with coursework in international law, political theory, and political ethics. He was Assistant to the President at New York Civic, under Henry Stern, from 2012 to 2017 and is currently a script writer for The Military Show on YouTube.