Bizarre may be an overused word of late. But as I write this in advance, one day before departing for Poland to cover a huge audio show, only "bizarre" can begin to encompass the plethora of emotions I feel at thoughts of metaphorically fiddling away on my violin like the proverbial Nero as Rome burns.

In today's political context, who can escape the word "bizarre" when assessing Donald Trump's statements and actions in the days before November 5? As much as there may be many more Trump outrages by the time you read this, three stand out: His pathetic half-hour attempt at so-called dancing at one of his rallies, including dancing and smiling like a clueless idiot to Andrea Bocelli's rendition of Schubert's sacred "Ave Maria"; his outsized fascination with "all man" Arnold Palmer's huge and "unbelievable" you know what; and his claim that the January 6, 2020 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, which cost at least seven people their lives and left 174 police officers injured and four more on a path to suicide, as "a day of love" at which no one was killed.

Although it's easy to dismiss and mock such Trumpisms, bemoan his mental state and increasing depth of desperation, and shake one's head at those who doggedly elevate him as their champion, it's even easier to overlook the degree of disaffection that leads people, especially men, to embrace him. When former President Barack Obama excoriated Black men for refusing to vote for Kamala Harris because she is a woman, did he take into account the degree to which Black men (and white men as well) feel emasculated by their self-perceived powerlessness to transcend the economic, social, and spiritual challenges they have faced for decades? Did anyone consider that men might interpret Trump's praise of Palmer's so-called masculinity as championing the power that they have for so long felt denied to them?

In this light, men's accelerating resort to guns and violence as a legitimate means to settle political differences can be seen as absolute declaration of "Enough!" It's the logical successor to the phrase, "Don't Tread on Me!", whose origins lie in resistance to British oppression in the years leading up the to the American revolution.

Too many of us fail to accept the level of desperation that has long seethed in this country. It's desperation at people's inability to adequately care for themselves and their families. It's a desperation and a fury that, for some, cannot be tamed or obliterated by alcohol, fentanyl, heroin, or other harmful drugs.

We are experiencing a mass desperation so extreme that it has driven some to embrace the "ultimate solution" of insurrection, chaos, dictatorship, destruction, and murder. As much as violence and dictatorship are false alternatives to taking the responsibility necessary to turn lives around, they can seem a legitimate last resort when nothing within one's power can pay medical bills, rent or mortgage, and insurance, let alone patch the roof and put adequate food on the table.

In some respects, the Republican-led "culture wars" against 2SLGBTQ+ people—especially against "trans" people—can be seen as a last stand of patriarchal dichotomies. Consider how emasculated and betrayed a man (or woman) may feel when a trans woman rejects the very gender identification with which they attempt to lift himself up. Imagine how betrayed and mocked some feel when they spend a goodly part of their lives trying to enhance their womanhood or manhood, only to find themselves confronted by an increasing number of non-binary young people who reject the traditional gender categories at the foundation of their identities and ego constructs.

Over 54 years ago, when I first began to work in the original Gay Liberation Front, another adamantly "out" man declared that the reason so many straight men hated and feared us and our trans allies is that they viewed us as "traitors" to their gender. As much as I rejected that analysis as overly simplistic, it has lingered in my mind for many decades. Until now, when I can finally understand that the ever-accelerating rejection of binary norms can be perceived as a huge betrayal to those whose ego constructs rest on a foundation of binary absolutes.

Regardless of the outcome of Presidential, federal, state, and local races, division, disaffection, dissatisfaction, and powerlessness are not going away. These are realities each of us must grapple with, both individually and collectively. Only by embracing a common way forward that elevates and holds sacred the worth and rights of all human beings, whether here or abroad, will we ultimately begin to find our way out of this terrible mess we all are in.

Jason Victor Serinus is a critic of culture, music, and audio. A longtime advocate for rights, equality, and freedom, he is also a professional whistler. Column tips: jvsaisi24@gmail.com