Indian liberals can learn from Eminem’s anti-Trump rap – it won’t help

If I had to find the most appropriate aphorism to describe Eminem’s anti-Trump rap, it would be “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”. Why, you ask? Let me explain.

Eminem’s rap is old wine in new bottle, offering nothing beyond what’s already known. In his characteristic profanity-laced style, he expresses his anguish over the current state of affairs, ultimately hoping to accomplish the noble task of weaning voters away from Donald Trump.

The minor issue with this attempt is that, with the probable exception of his Stan-like fans, it isn’t going to work. The major issue, however, lies in its ending.

By giving a “take it or leave it” choice to his fans, the self-proclaimed Rap God repeats exactly the folly of Hillary Clinton’s infamous “Basket of Deplorables” and the subsequent #NotMyPresident protests – events that arguably acted as forces greater than any other in concretising Trump’s base.

Each of these three forms of protest, besides uncountable others, has erred by denouncing Trump’s entire voter base along with the man himself. At some level it’s hard to blame the protesters. Given Trump’s ferociously dedicated fan base that remains committed to him despite his shrinking popularity, is every bit as bigoted as he is, and dismisses even the most serious allegations against him as fake news, the saner Americans find it hard to associate with these people.

The problem is, by slighting a mass of people, the liberals continue to succumb to Trump’s divide-and-rule strategy. With every insult hurled at them, the Trump fan base turns increasingly inward and spiteful.

This conservative sentiment was in full splendour on Reddit – the thought equivalent of secret ballot – post Trump’s election. In an outpouring of emotion in response to “we will leave America if Trump wins” campaign run by Hollywood celebrities, Trump supporters blamed them for “forgetting it was us who made you”.

By adapting these tactics, even if the liberals manage to defeat Trump in the 2020 elections, they will have ensured that there exists within America two separate nations, for all practical purposes.

Given their liberal pedigree, maybe Hillary and the organisers of #NotMyPresident protests could be forgiven for failing to organise a better protest. But the same can hardly be said for Eminem – a misogynist, homophobe, white male well acquainted with America’s Rust Belt, with massive following among Trump’s traditional voters – who was presented with a tailor-made opportunity to build a bridge between the two Americas.

Perhaps lyrics that debased Trump could’ve been replaced by those that lamented the gulf between liberals and conservatives. Perhaps instead of solely hating conservatives, Eminem could’ve chosen to highlight liberal hypocrisy too.

Besides focusing on the travails of blacks and Puerto Ricans, a line or two about the decay of white American workers could’ve gone a long way. Most importantly, a hug could’ve replaced the middle finger at the end of the video.

Of course, it’s likely that Eminem is just being a businessman and not trying to help America at all. But if that assumption is wrong, as many of his liberal fans would like to believe, he has forever squandered the rarest of opportunities to give Americans a semblance of unity.

Predictably, as shown by their reactions on Reddit and Breitbart, Trump voters are opting for the “leave it” option. Those who are not will simply listen to Eminem while still voting for Trump. In short, Eminem and America have lost, and Trump, who derives strength more from liberals’ mistakes than from his own righteousness, has won.

What lessons does this carry for India? Many, if one digs deeper.

Though to most PM Narendra Modi is simply incomparable to the imbecilic US President, many Indian liberals simply can’t bear to see him at the helm of affairs. This is not the only commonality they have with American liberals.

Another is their manner of protest that has either ended up either preaching to the choir or uniting those who disagree with it, or both. If American liberals had #NotMyPresident, their Indian counterparts had #NotInMyName – an ineffective protest whose ultimate result was to deepen the gulf between the two sides.

Just like their American counterparts, the Indian liberals need to up their game to reach out to a wider audience.

Perhaps this is the nature of global politics as it stands today. Traditional protests won’t work. Creative, broader and more inclusive thinking is needed on the part of liberals who wish to topple those in power, while making sure the ramifications of their demands don’t end up hurting their nation’s social cohesion.

More than protesters, the world needs leaders. More than Eminem, the world needs a Mandela who’s capable of bridging the gap between the two sides.