Author Jared Yates Sexton went into a Trump rally with 3,000 followers and left with over 80,000. He was not one of them, but he was of them. He live-tweeted a rally that went viral.
Sexton was Indivisible Houston‘s guest. He came to Houston for a book signing and to go over his experience with the Trump campaign he covers in his new book “The People Are Going to Rise Like the Waters Upon Your Shore: A Story of American Rage.”
Jared Yates Sexton understands the Trump Effect because he has lived the dynamics that created the fertile condition that allowed the slide into our national tragedy. He lives it every time he goes home.
Jared Yates Sexton speaks about being the sane voice in a Trump family
Watch the entire discussion here
Sexton embedded himself in many Trump rallies. He realized early on that the now president had traction. As he wrote about what he was learning, Trump supporters threatened his life many times. Listen to the entire talk and learn about Sexton here.
Sexton made it clear that he understood the Trump voter and in many ways introduced their point of view. As wrong as it was, it is the battle we must fight.
Jared told us that he came from a family that included many Trump voters. I asked him if he tries to reach his family members. After all, if one cannot reach their families is there really hope? His answer was salient. Yes, he reaches out to them. In fact, he said while we should not have that task in an ideal world if one can stomach the conflict it is important to do so. Why? Because in general one’s family loves them. Even if they disagree, the mere fact that a family member thinks like some of the people they hate, having that family member articulating the same values as ‘those Liberals’ intrinsically make ‘those liberals’ less threatening and in the long run can open a dialogue.
Jared preaches many of the concepts and tenets we follow at Coffee Party USA in an effort to reach out. He pointed out that while many don’t see the value of First Lady Michelle Obama’s ‘When they go low, we go high concept.’ He said, however, it is essential because in your face engagement pushes many of the Trump followers right into the arms of the White Supremacists.
Get a copy of his book here.