Calm Down

This is why I hate politics.

Today, I’m doing the thing I swore I’d never do: I’m writing about politics. I really wanted to talk about Rings of Power this week, but you internet types pushed me over the edge.

Several days ago, Dr. David Cardon, a BYU math professor, wrote a relatively benign rebuke of Trump voters and posted it on his office door.

It must have been a slow news day, because the Cougar Chronicle, a conservative student newspaper, wrote a whole article about this. Libs of Tiktok posted about it on X, which has led to wildly undue attention.

The responses were predictably disappointing: calling for Dr. Cardon to be fired, denouncing the Book of Mormon as Satanic and “Mormons” as un-Christian, etc.

What really upsets me is the number of people harassing Dr. Cardon. He is a genuinely good man, one of my favorite professors and the father of a dear friend. There was no leftist ideology in his classroom—just math (which is more than I can say for some of my chemistry classes). He wrote a letter of recommendation for me when I applied to work in the Math Lab my junior year, and was generally kind and helpful throughout my college experience. Although I’ve always known Dr. Cardon’s political views don’t line up with mine, I respect him greatly. He does not deserve to be barraged with angry phone calls and emails.

And what’s more—my father, a life-long conservative who shares a last name with Dr. Cardon (we are related, but distantly—thanks, polygamy!) doesn’t deserve to receive threatening emails because he has a similar work email address. That makes me angry.

Full disclosure: I voted for Trump this past week. He wasn’t my first choice, and I voted for someone else in the primary. But after a lot of thought and lamentation, this was the choice I made. Despite my frustrations with Trump as a person, I’m pleased that he won the election.

So I’m not speaking as just another liberal sore loser when I say to my fellow conservatives (and Latter-day Saints in particular): cut it out.

Seriously. Cut. It. Out.

Look, I get it. This was a high-stakes election, and emotions are running high. Celebration is in order, and I’m not calling for you to self-flagellate in the name of compassion for Kamala-voters. So by all means, celebrate. Gloat. Poke fun. Post excellent memes. Own the libs—heaven knows they would do the same if Kamala had won. But rein it in before it crosses the line, and you become the monsters they think we are.

Our family motto is relevant here.

The thing is, Dr. Cardon isn’t wrong—Trump is an evil man, and Mosiah’s warning is something we ought to take seriously. Whether Trump is an Omni or a King Noah is up for debate. But the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have always counseled us to consider the character of the person running over their professed platform, and I just can’t bring myself to blame anyone whose conscience won’t let them vote for someone like Trump.

Here’s the problem: Kamala is evil, too. So is Joe Biden. I’d consider almost every politician I’ve ever heard of to be less than morally-upright—it’s what attracts them to the job (exceptions apply, I guess. Maybe). Every election requires us to choose, in the words of Jack Aubrey, the lesser of two weevils.

With this in mind, we need to exercise a little humility about our own political views and decisions. We were all forced to make a dismal decision based on faulty information. One side has a deep abhorrence for Molech-style child butchery. The other is genuinely terrified that we’re heading for a Handmaid’s-Tale-style dystopia. Obviously I find one of these perspectives more compelling than the other, which is why I made the decision I did. But with a dumpster-fire media and a political climate that offers us Bad Orange Man and the Wicked Witch of the West as presidential candidates, it starts to feel like there are no right answers, only wrong ones.

To the Cougar Chronicle: I suggest that you consider the possible consequences of your actions. Remember the ugliness of the internet, and the psalmist’s council to “Put not your trust in princes.”¹ As (presumably) members of the Church and followers of Christ, you have made covenants to do better and be better.

To Libs of Tik Tok: I like you. I think you’re doing good work. But this one was a miss. BYU isn’t going to fire Dr. Cardon, and if they did, the students would suffer for it. There are real bad actors out there, who truly deserve to be dunked on. Save your energy for them, and leave the David Cardons of this world alone.

To Americans of all political persuasions: Calm down. Remember that there are more important things than politics. Exercise humility, and live your life. Work hard. Love your families. Live as if the Savior is coming tomorrow, but continue to plant cherry trees. Always remember that when you’re venting your frustration to people over the internet, there’s a real person on the other side of the screen.

And for goodness’ sake, leave my dad out of this.

1. Psalm 146:3