A post election tune out
Many are ignoring stories that will reshape the global order: from China threatening US mineral access, to democracies’ divisions, to a changing media landscape
No matter who I’m talking to lately, I hear a common refrain: I’m tuning out.
There’s a dear friend — a driven, professional woman and a normally voracious consumer of news — who says she’s on a media “diet” post election.
When another friend visited, conversations that would have locked in on politics focused on … just about anything else.
Cable ratings back up my hunch, too. They have cratered post election, dropping to historic lows.
Maybe it is to be expected after a grueling, attention-sapping 4+ year campaign for the presidency — one that included a surprise drop-out, assassination attempts, legal battles and so much more.
When I talk to more friends who are tapping out, though, I can’t shake the feeling that our collective exhaustion is coming just as shifts worldwide are developing that will, in time, directly affect the United States, our future and reshape US policy.
So, this week, I’m highlighting three important stories I think we’re missing in post election malaise as we head into the holidays.
China’s Trade War.
The story:
One thing both parties agree on is that China has not been playing fair when it comes to trade. Between undervaluing its currency, stealing US intellectual property and raising the stakes on Taiwan, both Democratic and Republican administrations have made efforts to counter China. But China just took a more brash step implementing a mineral embargo — working to ensure key minerals don’t end up in the US.
Why it matters:
For years, China has been working to secure minerals critical to technology, and increase their influence in mineral rich countries, including across Africa. When I visited countries in Africa during the Obama administration more than 10 years ago, Chinese influence was everywhere. Large tributes loomed over impoverished countries, presents from China, that seemed to keep eyes on countries where they mined for minerals. China has been playing the mineral long game, cozying up and creating alliances with dictators and weak democracies.
While both parties have largely agreed that China’s practices are unfair, we haven’t been united enough to long-game the investments and response. That takes working together at a time where divisions are heightened.
Divided Democracies
The story:
We’re not the only ones struggling to keep a united front, nor are we the only country facing seismic anti-incumbent sentiments. From France and Germany to Canada and South Korea, in some of the most steadfast and strategically important democracies in the world are facing tumult and disruption. There is a strong current of “throw the bums out” across the world.
Why it matters:
In the midst of new innovations and global turmoil, there’s a fear in populations and a desire for change. As in the U.S., these divisions take time to sort out and distract us from being able to come together and act to preserve freedom and democracy.
The US’s strength has always been in its ability to rally allies and work together. As our allies struggle internally, we are vulnerable to outside influence that could divide us further. We need to protect against it and that starts by respecting our neighbors, regardless of politics.
Longer-term, instability will create uncertainty or make it harder to rely on some of its historic global partners.
A collapsing media ecosystem
The story:
The media, as we know it, is changing — rapidly. With news ratings collapsing, billionaire owners tinkering and reimagining what they see as fair, and a much discussed new class of “influencer” journalists shaping the conversation, traditional journalism won’t be traditional much longer.
Why it matters:
Democracies require well-informed citizenries. Too many of us are being fed just one side of the story, we’re fed entertainment as news, or we’re turning to one person we trust. One person can always be flawed and without all the facts, our notion of a shared fact-base is also continuing to erode.
That has a real effect on our population’s ability to come together and vote for solutions. Some news organizations are turning to technology to boost their bottom line, and to do more with less, but that also has real consequences (AI, it turns out, isn’t always telling the truth — sometimes it’s literally hallucinating). Those challenges could increase our distrust, and present a challenge to countering the issues we face.
A cure for exhaustion?
It’s normal to want to escape. I want to escape. There are great books to escape into, TV shows that capture our imagination and movies that inspire. But whether we pay attention or not, the events happening will reshape our world.
That is why I think it’s important to understand the difference between finding an escape, which is healthy, and indifference and apathy, which are not.
After a long year, people deserve a wonderful holiday. But I do think that after we recharge intellectually and spiritually, it’s important to find the right terrain to build progress. We’re so blessed to have an abundance of technology and innovations and the solutions are at our fingertips for all. But we have to be part of that future.
It’s always been amazing to me, having worked at the Presidential level, how many people believe that one person will solve it all. They won’t.
Paying attention and driving the conversation forward, with respect, at the local level, there are real solutions that we can begin to implement. And that is my hope as we head into the holidays: that for next year, we can come together and do better.
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Programming Note: Unless there is major news (which I will be following), you won’t hear from me the next two Tuesdays – Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. If you’re enjoying this column, please shoot me a note on what you want to see in 2025. If you’re not, feel free to unsubscribe - it is one click and I take no offense.
I’m so grateful for our engaged subscribers who write to me every week and I hope you have a wonderful holiday. 2025 here we come.