How did that disgusting man win?
Here's something that is worth thinking about.
Trump said horrible things and many were aghast. These were views they would not dream of having. These were views they would not touch with a barge pole. Destructive views about minorities, immigration, racism, and all that.
These are views that are reacted to with so much (rightful) scorn that they became part of an invisible vocabulary. People who had these views kept quiet for fear of being scorned and the others began to live happily under the assumption that they had defeated these views.
Then elections come and a certain candidate begins to openly talk about these things. Those of us who had assumed victory are horrified and think he is just one person and that nobody will ever come out in support of him. Sooner rather than later, this person begins to attract followers. It does not stop. He becomes unnaturally popular. This can't be happening, we think. Something is wrong, we think. This is an echo chamber, we think. He will never win, we think.
And then he wins.
The so-called civilised society of liberals got him this victory. By living in denial about the society we live in and the issues that matter to people, we give power to every such enemy.
Xenophobia exists for a reason. Sexism exists for a reason. Racism exists for a reason. We share our communities with xenophobes, sexists, and racists. By pretending that these people do not belong to the same society we belong to, we create a bubble that blows us away at the end of each election season. We are fond of using phrases like “mindless violence”. Violence is almost never mindless. We lose any chance of doing away with it by refusing to accept that the violent ones may have reasons for doing the things they do.
The next time you get into an argument with someone you can't see eye-to-eye to, try to have a conversation anyway. It will not be the most comfortable conversation of your life. The other guy will question your motivations, he will bring your parentage into the picture. Still... talk. You are not better than him. You are both equals when it comes to the society you live in.
If it helps, get sarcastic sometimes. But bear in mind that the conversations must happen. They are what will save the world.