Dissent is as American as apple pie or Apple computers. And not just as a safety valve for discontented citizens to let off steam. Whether expressed in protests, statements, satire, or song, dissent is instrumental to a free society, a way for those upset by anything from government policy to repressive societal norms to prod others to consider their concerns. Indeed, the notion of a dissent-free democracy is a contradiction in terms. And that’s why, vexing as public disagreement often proves to its target, it is something enlightened leaders treat with forbearance.
Not Donald Trump, however. Almost from the start of his presidential quest, he lashed out at protesters and critics. And as president-elect, he clearly hasn’t changed his attitude toward those who disagree with him. When protestors took to the streets after he won an Electoral College victory despite Hillary Clinton’s popular vote predominance, Trump tweeted out a self-pitying jab: “Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!’’
His next Twitter attack on dissent targeted the cast of the play “Hamilton,’’ after actor Brandon Victor Dixon made a post-performance statement from the stage directed at Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who was in attendance on Friday. The brief statement Dixon read was perfectly respectful; noting that “diverse America’’ was concerned that “your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights,’’ Dixon said he hoped that “this show has inspired you to uphold our American values, and work on behalf of all of us.’’
Although Pence, to his credit, said later that Dixon’s comments had not bothered him, they clearly annoyed Trump. “Our wonderful future V.P. Mike Pence was harassed last night at the theater by the cast of Hamilton, cameras blazing,’’ Trump tweeted. “This should not happen!’’ He followed up by saying that the theater should be “a safe place,’’ making it sound as though he was calling for one of those psyche-soothing sanctuaries usually mocked by conservatives: a safe space. That was followed a day later by a Trump tweet saying that “the cast and producers of Hamilton, which I hear is highly overrated, should immediately apologize to Mike Pence for their terrible behavior.’’
Nor was that Trump’s only bitter Sunday tweet. He also attacked “Saturday Night Live,’’ where Alec Baldwin had depicted him as an over-his-head president-elect quietly backing off an array of campaign promises, a deft satirical portrayal that obviously cut to the quick.
“It is a totally one-sided, biased show — nothing funny at all,’’ Trump tweeted. He has also resumed his twitter sorties against The New York Times.
All this, mind you, from a man who, beyond a few brief, interviewer-prompted “stop it’’ comments or disavowals, hasn’t found the time to address the incidents of harassment or hateful behavior inspired by his election or to speak out pointedly against the various disreputable groups celebrating his triumph.
As a soon-to-be president with the power to command national attention and to intimidate those who disagree with him, Trump shouldn’t treat the public dialogue as an extended game of last licks. Rather, he should understand and respect the importance of dissent in our history and to our democracy. From Thomas Paine to Henry David Thoreau to Norman Thomas to Susan B. Anthony to Rosa Parks to Martin Luther King Jr. to Ralph Nader, dissenters are an honorable part of the American tradition.
“We must learn to welcome and not to fear the voices of dissent,’’ Senator J. William Fulbright once said. That’s a lesson Donald J. Trump badly needs to learn.
