Should-Read: Dan Drezner: The politics of discomfort in the Age of Trump

Should-Read: Dan Drezner: The politics of discomfort in the Age of Trump: “It was on the plane… that I remembered… I had forgotten to upload my lecture notes for the next day…

…I couldn’t really afford to give up my computer. Which meant, if push came to shove at the CPB desk, I would need to grant access to my electronics so as to ensure I had a lecture to give the next day. That realization led to some sadness that I was so disorganized as to be unable to take a principled stand, but — and here’s the embarrassing part — I also felt some small measure of relief. I wouldn’t have to be inconvenienced. Even if actions are being taken that tarnish American exceptionalism, I wouldn’t have to resist that day. And that felt comforting….

I could manage to get through the Trump era without any personal fear of the coercive apparatus of the state intruding on my affairs — even if CPB or DHS chooses to crack down on less privileged groups. What scares me the most about the Trump administration isn’t what the federal government will do to me. What scares me is my own ability to look away if the federal government does things to more marginalized segments of the population.