As a group, celebrities haven’t responded very well to the Trump phenomenon. They’ve complained about being victims, called for “a month of resistance” and even talked about planning a revolution.
What they haven’t engaged in much is introspection. But that’s exactly what one of the biggest celebrities in the world is asking everybody to do.
In a recent interview, U2 front man Bono called not for resistance or revolution as a response to Donald Trump’s rise, but rather humility.
Humility, defined by Webster’s as “freedom from pride or arrogance,” is always in short supply in both Hollywood and Washington, D.C. That’s especially true when it comes to President-elect Trump.
Most of the D.C., establishment was wrong, so wrong, about Trump — about whether he could win and what motivated his voters. Much of the media and Hollywood not only misunderstood the Trump phenomenon, they didn’t really even try to understand it.
But that’s exactly what Bono is calling for: an honest attempt to understand. And the first step to understanding is humility. He said:
[I]n a democracy the people get the last word — and that’s the way it should be. I opposed Trump while all the time understanding that many of the people who support him are the kind of people I grew up with, and can see myself in to this day. In my head at least the election result demanded I ask myself several questions:
Am I missing something here?
Am I out of touch with American values?
Am I out of touch with the American people?
It’s clear a giant constituency in the country felt ignored or patronized … they are fearful of the future, as are a growing number of Europeans. I understand and respect that, and I want to try and understand those fears better …
I think a little humility might be important for me here. I certainly want to understand better what just happened, but I’m going to do that without crossing what are bright lines for me, things like standing against the [demonizing] of immigrants or refugees. I’m Irish for God’s sake.
This is a great approach. Approaching Trump with humility doesn’t mean giving up on one’s values or principles.
These words in particular stood out to me: “I opposed Trump while all the time understanding that many of the people who support him are the kind of people I grew up with, and can see myself in to this day.”
Bono seems to be saying that his humility stems from knowing Trump supporters and feeling he cannot simply write them off as racist or ignorant, as many celebrities and others have done. These are people he’s grown up with, some of whom are probably friends and family members. He knows there’s a lot more to their support of Trump than simply bigotry and hatred.
If you really know people who support or vote for Trump, it’s much harder to dismiss them. There’s too much goodwill and respect and love that has built up over the years to simply write them off and believe the media caricature that’s taken hold. Humility leads to understanding, which can then lead to a process of reconciliation, which involves coming to terms with two different conceptions of Trump supporters, both as people whose views I oppose and people whom I love and respect.
This can be a difficult process, but one that’s well worthwhile. Instead of protesting, boycotting or calling for impeachment, how about starting with an honest and humble attempt to understand. As Donald himself might say, what the hell do you have to lose?
Daniel Allott is deputy commentary editor for the Washington Examiner
