What to do about the Elephant at the Table

Donald Trump won the 2024 election, in a significant upset that will result in marginalized populations facing increased hardship and persecution of vulnerable groups, all while enabling a kleptocratic, authoritarian policies to spread. He has consistently made blatantly racist, queerphobic, and misogynistic statements, and is a profoundly spiteful person and a bully. He will likely do unimaginable damage to the United States, and his anti-environmental policies will undoubtedly speed up climate change when we need serious action to mitigate the worst outcomes for future generations.

And a lot of people voted for this.

So, the question is, do you want these people sharing a gaming table with you? I asked the community across multiple social media networks and in person conversations, and overwhelmingly, for people who did not vote for Trump, the answer was no, with a small minority saying maybe adding certain context.

As we enter a new era in American life, it becomes important to reflect on our recreation and community, and how we want to use that to both escape from a harsh reality, and create support networks.

Here are summaries of some of the perspectives I gathered:

Trump supporters are not safe people to have at the table

Anyone who supports an administration that seeks to take rights away from women, trans people, and the most vulnerable people do not deserve a place at an inclusive table. They are, by their very nature, poisonous to inclusion. While they might say 'That doesn't make sense, you have to include me if you want to be inclusive' the reality is that while their politics and beliefs support the exclusion and even extermination of others, they can not be welcome.

Part of the resistance is being awesome

Right wing culture sucks. It's got Kid Rock and Hulk Hogan and Fox News and fear. The left has Rihanna and Taylor Swift and better media and joy. By having some of the most awesome, fun, vibrant, and cool culture, while also being firmly exclusionary to Trump supporters, you highlight that their beliefs make them fundamentally unpleasant, unwelcome, and not cool. If they want to sit at your table, they need to work on themselves, because they are currently, kind of a creep. A lot of them will take the Trump win as an indicator that it's cool to be a Trump supporter. Remind them that it really isn't, it's gross and toxic as hell. The safety of marginalized populations is more important than the comfort of Trump supporters.

Escapism is important

A lot of people play TTRPGs to get the hell away from reality, and reality is going to be incredibly hard for a lot of people, especially those groups targeted by cruel legislation. Having a space free of that awfulness may be necessary for survival, as being able to breath, escape, and not think about the horrible realities facing you because of your own nature, is critical to staying alive.

Teachable moments

Some people pointed out that a lot of Trump supporters were genuinely duped by his blatant lies about fixing the economy, something that he's very much unlikely to do. If there is space to convert the person who simply heard the most superficial message and voted for that, but doesn't believe in all the authoritarian policies, then playing at a table with those who are impacted by those policies can change someone's mind. There's no believer like a convert. And while there will be work that needs to happen to help educate those voters who didn't realize what they were doing, it needs to be done carefully and intentionally. It's not on a group of queer players to convert a Trump voter in their TTRPG group, unless they REALLY want to. But mostly, they're there to escape those horrors.

So what do you say to those Trump supporters who are at, or want to be, at your table? Well, that depends on your values. If you're a Trump supporter yourself, well, you probably are fine with fellow Trump supporters at your table. But if not, you have some options.

If there you want a table that is welcoming to marginalized people:

"You're not welcome at this table anymore. You support someone who is really bigoted, and by doing so, that's reflected on you. Those views are pretty creepy and aren't welcome here."

If you are interested in finding common ground, and converting, perhaps something like this, giving them a chance to reflect and understand why their opinions are awful.

"I don't know if I want you at this table. You're a Trump supporter, and that's kind of a big red flag for creeps. Are you really into all that stuff he says?"

But at the end of the day, every single aspect of life in the US is going to be infected by Trump's awfulness. It's important to keep TTRPGs a safe place to not deal with that, or, be part of the resistance.