kakistocracy /kăk″ĭ-stŏk rə-sē, kä″kĭ-/

          Government by the least qualified or most unprincipled citizens.
          [Greek kakistos, worst, superlative of kakos, bad; see caco– + –cracy.] (1)

Here in the U.S., and for the rest of the world, inauguration day of the second presidency of Donald Trump has befallen us. Catastrophic and incomprehensible it is. How can it be that the American populace, having made what appeared to be a foolish mistake in electing him the first time, and thereafter having experienced the chaos and damage of that first term, would elect the man again? It is a nightmare, recurring.

     Most disturbing to me is knowing that a plurality (granted, by a small margin) of citizens, including my fellow county residents, supported and voted for this terrible person. It makes me very uncomfortable to know this. I live in a largely Republican, Trump-voting district: I am now discomforted even to do simple things, say, for example, to be among townspeople at the grocery store. Another writer said it better and simpler than I might:

      “Even today, it is difficult to comprehend that a plurality of those who chose to vote on November 5, 2024, preferred a twice-impeached, coup-plotting, insurrection-inciting, adjudicated sexual abuser and fraudster whose campaign was premised on revenge, division, and overt racism.” (2)

     It is worse than this: Trump has the mind set of a fascist.

     As to his cabinet: he is appointing the worst collection of clowns, saboteurs, incompetents, unstable know-nothings, hard-core ideologues and destructionists. For example, there is the advisor Elon Musk. You know things are bad when even the likes of Steve Bannon calls Musk “evil.” No, I am not making this up! (3) Then there is Pete Hesgeth, unbelievably unqualified and dangerous, put forward to be leader of the world’s most potent military. Even the most innocuous nominees – borrowing a page from the old Reagan destruction game-book – are people whose main qualification is that they oppose the functions of the offices they are to head, such as Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. You know the ride is going to be rough when the befuddled non-physician Robert Kennedy, designated to be Health and Human Services Secretary, looks like one of the good guys.

     Dear old Dad, if he were still around, in his understated comedic way would say: “the jokers are in charge.”

     Unfortunately, the jokes aren’t funny. Some things, like the choice of Hesgeth, are outright terrifying. For people who care about good government, who care about civic well-being, about democracy, truth, justice and fairness, about international order, about saving the world as we know it from the ravages of climate change – well, it is going to be bad. There is no way around it. I confess that this has resulted in a kind of existential crisis for me – but I know that I am not alone and there is solace in that.

 

The question is: how do I – we – survive the Kakistocracy? In this, I can only speak for myself, but I offer considerations that have come to mind in case these may be helpful to others.

     Refuse: I am old and the time I have left here is finite. I refuse to give over that time to this man and his minions. I refuse to give up any serenity I have in old age. I refuse to give into distress, to cede the happiness I experience at seeing a herd of pretty cows in a rolling green field, or watching my grandchildren take flight in the world, or in the funny conversations I have with my dear companion. No! This is mine. You can’t have it. I will not fall into line! (4) I will fight, but keep the joy that I have.

     Resist: The agenda, the cruelty, the hatred, the indecency, the dishonesty must be resisted every day. I will redouble efforts to practice decency and kindness in my daily affairs – by itself a form of resistance. I will fight by supporting good causes, in writing letters to civic leaders, and in signing petitions. Although I am not wealthy, I will send bits of money that I can afford to good organizations that will fight the Kakistocracy and will take it to court, such as the ACLU, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Planned Parenthood, VoteVets, and in Canada, the Suzuki Foundation or the Wildlands League.

     Demonstrate, march, and join vigils if you have the strength and stamina. Engage in civil disobedience if the moment or opportunity arises. Dig out and dust off your pussy hats! And men, if you don’t have one, get one!

     If I can say it without sounding melodramatic, when the agents come to take my undocumented neighbour family into custody, I hope that I will find the courage to put my body between those agents and that family. I say this despite being a believer in the need for secure borders. Remember Pastor Martin Niemöller: “First they came for the Communists…” (5)

     Reappraise: I want to be careful about what I allow into my consciousness. I want to avoid reading the daily Trump “outrage de jour,” (6) this time – he is not getting free rent in my brain. I hope not to write much about him anymore. The situation is terrible and I know that already: no need to torture myself. I will avoid reading “what if” opinion columns. There is no need to speculate; we know it will be bad.

     The problem is how to stay aware enough, if one chooses that, without going mad. I am focusing on only reliable sources: well established, credentialed, ethical news sources, such as, say Reuters or the BBC, or here in America, PBS. Personally, I am watching little television news now and avoiding infotainment networks; but if you enjoy these, chose the networks that will oppose the Kakistocracy, such as CNN. There is no need to view Fox so-called “News” for “balance;” it is merely a toxic swill of carefully crafted lies and insidious propaganda. Even without the current crisis, I’d recommend ditching social media with their algorithms and their embrace of inflammatory misinformation that drive civic discourse to the bottom of the rat hole.

     Retreat: There is nothing dishonourable in leaving the battleground when you are defeated. I am not entirely there yet, but sages and those wiser than myself, over many ages, have advised against becoming too invested in the affairs of humanity. It is perfectly acceptable to eschew the vexing machinations of the greater world, and instead to tend your own garden. The world may have gone mad: there is no requirement that one join the madness.

     Run: should things go too far – if the concentration camps start to be built – it is acceptable, even advisable to run, if you can. Just as in retreat, if you are not young enough and not predisposed to taking up arms, there is nothing ignoble in running from imminent danger to a place that is safer or saner. As a dual citizen, I think about it a lot. I can go to Canada – although Canadians are on the verge of electing their own populist joker, Pierre Poilievre, so I am not certain that is a good option. Portugal will have you if you have a bit of Social Security or other very basic income, and there are any number of other stable countries that welcome Americans.

     Reflect: K has reminded me that the great spiritual traditions recognize the duality of human existence – that there is always a struggle between the positive and negative, between good and evil. It seems that human history is not so much about linear progress, but more about oscillation, between light and dark, between progression and regression, and back again. At times the darkness prevails, but then light returns.

     I have found comfort also in reflecting on Buddhist view that one way or another, like everything else, this will pass. Everything changes. Perhaps in two years, American voters will recognize the disaster and will flip the House and the Senate, partly stymying this administration. In four years, should the Democracy survive, a decent person may become president. There is no reason to suppose that the distressing lurch toward autocracy will not be reversed. Perhaps the populace will come to its senses and resume its slow pilgrimage toward democracy. Perhaps there will not be too much damage that is permanent. We simply don’t know what will happen.

     Looking out my window this sunny winter morning, seeing Dudley, the Maine Coon cat, sniffing mole-tracks, and seeing the snow-covered landscape, the heavy boughs of the evergreens, the iced-over pond, and the mountains of Vermont in the distance, I can only hope that this is the case: that we are in a moment of oscillation and that at some point – while I am still upright would be good! –  the nation will reject the Kakistocracy and turn back toward the light. I hope so.

     Above all: we must keep the faith.

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1. ITP Nelson Canadian Dictionary of the English Language: An Encyclopaedic Reference. ITP Nelson. 1997.

2. Hubbell, Robert B. “2024 changed us for good.”   Today’s Edition Newsletter, 31 Dec. 2024, https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/2024-changed-us-for-good?r=3no2gg&triedRedirect=true. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025. 

3. Michael, Chris. “Steve Bannon condemns Elon Musk as ‘racist’ and ‘truly evil’.” The Guardian, 13 Jan. 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/12/steve-bannon-calls- elon-musk-racist. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

4. For a most powerful statement of this, see: Pavlovitz, John. “I Choose Not to Obey in Advance.” Fact Keepers, 6 Jan. 2025, https://factkeepers.com/i-choose-not-to-obey-in-advance/. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025. Thanks to Mary M. for directing me to this. 

5. “First They Came by Pastor Martin Niemöller.” Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.
https://hmd.org.uk/resource/first-they-came-by-pastor- martin-niemoller/. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.

6. David Brooks, the NY Times columnist, used this term on the PBS Newshour.