I mentioned — in my post about Trump (“Curb your Hysteria” – see below) — that I know some real chattering-class types who are convinced his victory was not only something maleficent — a rejection of their brilliant, tolerant ideas —  but the “last gasp” of the bad people among us (i.e., people who don’t think like them), to boot. Further, they seem convinced that it’s only a question of a generation passing before they will be in power again. They are, I think, projecting their own rigidity and lack of self-awareness onto everyone else. They assume that, because their world view has never changed, no one else’s will either. (Some of us do learn and grow in this life, however slowly and painfully.) This is where they are insanely, embarrassingly wrong.

They ought to read this terrific Mark Lilla piece from the NYTimes. Money quote here:

A convenient liberal interpretation of the recent presidential election would have it that Mr. Trump won in large part because he managed to transform economic disadvantage into racial rage — the “whitelash” thesis. This is convenient because it sanctions a conviction of moral superiority and allows liberals to ignore what those voters said were their overriding concerns. It also encourages the fantasy that the Republican right is doomed to demographic extinction in the long run — which means liberals have only to wait for the country to fall into their laps. The surprisingly high percentage of the Latino vote that went to Mr. Trump should remind us that the longer ethnic groups are here in this country, the more politically diverse they become.

Emphasis mine. Spot-on. Fyi, Mark Lilla writes brilliantly about France a good deal, as well.

In regards President-Elect Trump, I think everyone needs to calm down. I say this as someone who likely would – were she American – have voted for Hillary Clinton. Or not voted at all.

And yet, the week after the U.S. election I was concerned for the future not because of Trump’s victory – but because of the reaction to his victory. Such histrionics. Such hysteria. It makes me fear for the next generation and wonder about the Millennials. It seems they really are that fragile.

For example, a friend of mine’s daughter wrote that – due to Trump’s victory – she felt “triggered and unsafe” and needed to seek professional help! Seriously? This is an adult woman – albeit a young one, but an adult nonetheless. If I reacted that way each time someone I didn’t like won an election, I’d be in a straight-jacket in a padded room by now. For heaven’s sake! Calm down.

I think that Trump will probably disappoint some of his supporters and will very likely surprise (pleasantly) some of his detractors. As I said to my grammar prof in Italy – non potrebbe essere peggio di Obama. He couldn’t be worse than Obama (see: Syria). I also think he will have a hard time being more divisive than Obama (see: America).

It’s worth contemplating this: he won with pretty much all of the mainstream media against him, and while spending about 10% of what the Clinton campaign spent. This is extraordinary, as big “f**k yous” to the status quo generally are.  Without California, he would have won the popular vote – if you need any stronger reason why the electoral college system is a good one, look no more. I also think it’s worth remembering that the American system is a great one, with a set of checks and balances that have long worked well. And Trump will have a cabinet that, from the looks of how it is shaping up, will be diverse. And when I say “diverse” I do not refer only to gender, colour, and creed (what the left generally mean when they refer to diversity), but to ideology, world views, concerns, convictions and experience (something totally lacking at universities, just for starters). The latter type of diversity is much richer and offers more, I believe.

This could be good nor not. But let’s give him a chance and let’s curb our hysteria. And in the meantime, let’s enjoy watching the impotent rage of the elites and of the left (but I repeat myself) – it is a delightful thing to behold. What really gets me is their tremendous condescension, and how even Trump’s victory has not taught them that perhaps that condescension is the problem. Elitists and leftists (but again, I repeat myself) have never been long on self-awareness. In fact, I still hear many of them dismissing the election as the work of angry, racist, stupid “deplorables,” – their last gasp, so to speak. When I read/hear such “analysis,” I want to scream, “This is why he won!”

And win he did, so again, curb your hysteria and we’ll see how things roll.