In praise of spite

Spite plays a key role in political life — and that can be good thing.

I have asked many Americans, in person and online, why they voted for or support(ed) Donald Trump. More than once I got nearly the exact same response: ‘Fuck you, that’s why.’ Because irritating me and who I represent, an educated elite that is both arrogant and aloof, is a good enough reason to cast a vote for the most powerful position in history. And it is irritating. For one, as a relatively conservative libertarian I am not the liberal monster they imagine — I simply can’t stand Trump, probably for many of the same reasons they support him. For another, I can’t help but feel an instinctual revulsion at this thought process; what do they get out of it? Honestly, what kind of childish oaf acts like this?

Then I remembered. Me.

You probably remembered, too. It’s likely that we have all acted with petulant disregard for the personal consequences of our actions as long as that asshole is hurt or at least inconvenienced or stymied. And there is no shortage of assholes. People who jump the queue, don’t clean up when their dog craps on the sidewalk, go out of their way to be rude, or don’t otherwise know how to be considerate homo sapiens, are everywhere. There are over seven billion people on the planet and, while the majority of people are not mean or selfish, there is still an unfortunate…