Shame: The Comeback Tour America Didn't Know It Needed

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Kristoffer Ealy

I was having a conversation with a couple of friends the other night about the people who didn’t vote for Kamala Harris last year. And somewhere between Trump’s latest racist tirade, the structural rot in the Democratic Party, Elon Musk’s ongoing crusade against reality, and the never-ending hand-wringing over the non-voters of 2024, it finally hit me: this country has a shame problem. Or rather, it has a shame vacuum. A shame drought. Shame has packed up its bags, caught the next flight out of LAX, and hasn’t been seen since Obama’s second inauguration.

I told my friends, “Man, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive this country for electing Trump to a second non-consecutive term—especially after everything he did the first time.” And one of them, Rick, nodded and said, “Yeah, the people who didn’t vote for Harris should be ashamed of themselves.” Which is exactly when my friend, Leslie, chimed in, completely breezy, and said, “Well, I voted for everyone except the president, and I’m fine with it. I don’t like what he’s doing with ICE or tariffs, but I’m not ashamed.”

I looked at her the way a parent looks at a child who proudly announces they stuck a fork in an electrical socket. Like, really? You’re proudly saying you didn’t vote for Harris, while also admitting you hate everything Trump has done in just this one catastrophic year? How exactly did you think we were going to avoid this outcome? Harris was the only viable alternative. She wasn’t a raffle prize at a church picnic. She wasn’t an optional add-on like heated seats. She was the Democratic nominee.

Leslie then launched into the greatest hits of Excuses People Make When They Don’t Want to Admit They Screwed Up: Harris was too friendly with Liz Cheney. She didn’t stand up for Palestinians the way Leslie wanted. Trump “felt more authentic.” And yes, that last one almost made me swallow my tongue. Trump feels more authentic in the same way carbon monoxide feels more refreshing—you only think that because your brain is already dying.

https://www.lincolnsquare.media/p/shame-the-comeback-tour-america-didnt