“OMG! WTF?! Holy Sh...!!!” is Not a Plan

Shock and outrage are justified—and in a twisted way can feel good. But we must move past them to stop Trump and Musk.

These days progressive social media is full of comments like, “OMG I can’t believe they’re doing this! They’re awful! This felon abuser is NOT my president!! They all should be in prison!”

Venting like this (let’s call it the OMGWTFJFC Effect—that’s catchy, right?) can feel beneficial in the short term. Screaming in frustration, fear, and anger gives us a little temporary adrenaline boost, a rush of artificial superiority, even a false sense of accomplishment. (“I did something—I yelled a lot and called names!”) It can also create a sense of bonding—of building community by coming together to scream together. We feel like we’re all in this together by way of our shared panic.

This is not the way

However, the expletive-filled handwringing and wheel spinning is not only ineffective, but corrosive and defeatist. In addition to their obvious destructive intentions, much of what the new administration and DOGE have been doing is specifically intended to create shock and outrage and—most importantly—paralysis. Trump and Musk want us angry and spinning out, frustrated and punching walls, and flailing in our emotions because eventually we exhaust ourselves and sink into hopeless despair, depression, and resignation. (Rope-a-dope by the dopes.)

When we yell and scream and put a lot of exclamation points in our comments, we don’t just indulge in impotent fear and despair, but we also spread a contagious corrosion around our progressive communities, encouraging more anxiety and anger from others. We don’t do anything productive; we don’t get focused on the real work, we just scream all day into the void together. Soon we end up with a coalition of the totally freaked out.

Our emotions are valid. No one is saying we shouldn’t feel shock, fear, and anger at what’s going on—harnessed healthily, that can get us up off the couch and into action. But that’s only if we see our emotions as the initial call to action and not the action itself. If we vent and scream and then feel we’ve done “something,” that can be improved on.

Venting is a start, not a solution

Here at Smart Politics, we take emotion management very seriously, as Dr. Tamerius has been writing about all month. But it’s just the first step on the way to the challenging work of talking empathetically and effectively with Trump-voting friends and loved ones.

Being perpetually spun out on fear and anger can not only paralyze and keep us from having those powerful and effective conversations, but it can also poison them when we do find ourselves talking with Trump voters.

We spend all day shouting “WTFOMGJFC?!” into our social media, legitimately outraged at the policies Trump and Musk are enacting, but then things get tricky. Like roaring tsunamis, we can’t always control where our emotions go or who gets crushed by them. When we get so worked up at politicians and oligarchs, that rage often spills over and lumps everyone on the other side together—we end up lashing out at the average voter for what Trump and Musk are doing. “After all,” we tell ourselves, “they voted for it, often more than once, so they should own it; they’re responsible, right?”

But we can’t have effective, persuasive conversations with Trump voters if just under the surface we’re seething at them with Trump-fueled spill-over anger. We know how that goes—no matter how we try to tamp down those emotions, they will pop up. We get triggered and lash out and undermine whatever trust and connection we tried to build with the other person.

So, what do we do?

• Practice controlled venting, like at a nuclear reactor. Let off a little steam with close friends in private. Yell into a paper bag, if you must.

• Try to frame that venting as a First Step, something to be cleared out of the way and moved on from.

• Then work on whatever calming, centering practices you find most effective for helping you focus and channel your emotions into more productive work. Anger can burn or forge us. Let’s put our fire to work in the forge.

Dr. Tamerius has many tips for that last part. One of my favorites comparisons of Karin’s is how doctors and nurses in ERs, driven by a sincere, passionate desire to help others, compartmentalize their emotions when working so they can effectively treat patients, even under extreme stress and with panic all around them.

More from Dr. Tamerius on Emotion Management in the Second Age of Trump:

· Panic Benefits Trump https://karintamerius.substack.com/p/stop-freaking-out

· How to Stop Panicking About Trump https://karintamerius.substack.com/p/how-to-stop-panicking-about-trump

· Your Brain Isn't Built for Politics—Here's What to Do About It https://karintamerius.substack.com/p/your-brain-isnt-built-for-politicsand

· Most People Aren't Ready for Four More Years of Trump—Here's How to Be the Exception https://karintamerius.substack.com/p/most-people-arent-ready-for-whats

The sooner we move from screaming into the void to talking calmly with Trump voters, the sooner we move towards a more progressive future. That’s the real plan.

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What is the Smart Politics Way?

Smart Politics encourages and teaches progressives to have more productive conversations with Trump voters. We believe the most effective actions for achieving short- and long-term progressive goals involve talking one-on-one with and listening compassionately and constructively to folks with different opinions.

My recent pieces on our work:

• Why This is the Way https://karintamerius.substack.com/p/why-this-is-the-way

• Five Things We Won’t Ask You to Do https://karintamerius.substack.com/p/five-things-smart-politics-wont-ask

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Locke Peterseim is the Smart Politics Content Manager.