Archive for the ‘Politics’


Making sense of post-election heartbreak

This morning I woke up wondering if last night had been a bad dream. How have the hopes, vision and hard work of millions of high-minded people been superseded by a racist, misogynistic, narcissistic repeat liar with no knowledge of governing? (And under the new regime, am I going to be “disappeared” for writing this!?!)

As I muddle through my pain and sadness, I have come to realize that this is what the business world calls a “disruption.”

A disruption is an innovation that literally uproots the way the market thinks, often by addressing a previously under-served sector of the market.

For example, Kickstarter made it possible for ordinary people to raise money without having to secure venture capital. Rent the Runway made it possible for women to wear designer gowns at a low price.

Yesterday’s election was clearly a disruption.

Whether or not branding magnate Donald Trump can follow through on the disruption he intended and give his market what he promised is almost immaterial. What they apparently wanted most (as also indicated by the Democratic primary and votes for a third-party candidate) was disruption.

Perhaps the most useful questions the rest of us can ask ourselves are, “Why did so many people need this to happen? What wasn’t working for them?”

Disruption is a destructive and chaotic process, but also often creative, so logically the next question is: “How can we redesign the inevitably ensuing chaos to work better for all of us?” We thought having #HillaryClinton in the White House would help us achieve that, but were unable to convince enough people. Something has to change.

I’m devastated and disheartened that Hillary Clinton won’t be our next president. With a Democratic Congress supporting her, she would have done a stunning job of unifying the country.

It is our challenge to use our anger and disappointment to help navigate the path forward in a positive direction. The pendulum is likely to swing far backward, so once we manage to move through the stages of our grieving process, we are going to have to work our collective butts off to maintain our vision of a more peaceful, just and inclusive world. There is literally no other option.