COMMENTARY: ELECTION 2016
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The headlines proclaimed: “Donald Trump, President Elect”. At first, my heart sank. I felt nauseous—I still do. I was completely surprised. And then, I had a reality check. And my surprise completely disappeared. I was forced to recognize that I am a very privileged citizen of this country in the fact that I grew up—and continue to live in—some of the most progressive states in this nation. I am surrounded by people that believe in everything antithesis to what the 45th POTUS (and his Vice President Elect) promotes. But I am forced to face the simple fact that the majority of America is not so forward thinking… as was proven today. Yes: America has elected to the presidency the absolute worst candidate ever. How? The answer is multi layered and just like all the pollsters and newscasters who thought the election was headed in the other direction, I can only attempt to rationalize it through my obvious shock. |
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Trump is blatantly uninformed and he has no definitive policies. Trump is a liar. Trump is sexist and misogynistic. Trump is racist. No, really racist. He is “stunningly vindictive” and highly unstable. Trump promoted hate and even encouraged espionage against our country. Trump is all this and more but his followers don’t care, and for two possible reasons: either they are deliberately uninformed or they see a perfect reflection of their own beliefs in this man.
It comes down to education. The uneducated (henceforth known as Group A) ignored his rhetoric and pandering, blinded mainly by his bluster and celebrity. This group of people is mainly informed by their television sets and even though educated citizens (Group B) get their information in the same way, the latter group supplements that information by gathering additional and alternate viewpoints while the former does not. Add to that the fact that Group A rarely follows the truly informational media and/or news outlets available to them; they watch TV mainly to escape the real world, not learn more about it. Group A never heard about Trump’s dirty comments to Billy Bush. They never saw him denigrate a reporter with a disability. They never saw him incite violence at his rallies (or is that more aptly defined as censorship?) and never heard him offer financial assistance to those that followed through on those threats. Then again, maybe they did and they just didn’t give much weight to those accounts because the lunacy played appropriately into what they already knew about Trump: his celebrity and entertainment factor.
Group B, on the other hand, is educated. However, they see and acknowledge all of Trump’s fallacies and either relate to them and/or willfully choose to ignore them.
For either group, Trump became their white knight. Erroneously. As he previously admitted, Trump blatantly pandered to the public with shock and awe—a cavalcade of exaggeration and misinformation. As he famously remarked in his book, Art of the Deal, “The final key to the way I promote is bravado. I play to people’s fantasies.” He explained further: “I call it truthful hyperbole. It’s an innocent form of exaggeration — and a very effective form of promotion.” And it obviously worked again. For Groups A and B, Trump was their voice—either in relatable cynicism or malicious misdirection—and it garnered the man the ultimate win of his entire life… to the detriment of the nation he claims to hold so dear.
He won. I get it. He played the system beautifully and won. But that’s all he wanted—to win. Trump doesn’t want to work for us, he just wanted to prove he could win the election, nothing more. You’re jaded if you think otherwise. He used the system to his advantage time and time again. Why would this self-professed billionaire trade his “bigly” rich earnings for the measly $400,000 annual salary of the American president?? He’s simply not in it for you and me; Trump has been and always will be in it to win it strictly for his own ego. And he did it. Trump played to the public’s fears and anger to become the leader of the free world. That is a disaster.
For those that voted for Trump, you clearly feel vindicated and your communal victory is acknowledged. However, as a friend of mine remarked: “If you voted for this man, then just know that whatever happens in this country in the next four years, you own it.” Even when Trump fails to do so, you absolutely must.
I could go on… think about the fate of working moms, regulations on Wall Street, the future of healthcare, his effect on the nation’s economy (and what that means for him and us), the world economy, the state of freedoms in America (speech, press, and religion), and even the world view of America overall.
But back to my point: I’m no longer surprised. The majority of the public was duped—misinformed and misdirected to believe in a noted con man with a history of conceit, deceit, self-importance, and abnormally destructive behavior without a care in the world for who that affects other than himself. They believe he will change the nation for the better. I do not. Trump and his followers claim a desire to “make America great again”, but their indignant and regressive stance on a majority of the issues proves counterrevolutionary and highly undignified.
However, I would love nothing more than to be proven wrong. Honestly. Until then, I will ride through my apprehensions, my fears, my anger and my sadness. I will do so openly. I will also focus on my hopes for the future of this country and this planet and continue to have unyielding optimism and love for my fellow human being. I will, likewise, do so openly.
There is a trend on Facebook currently where members upset by the election results are changing their profile pictures to blank black squares. Whether this is in defeat, anger, sadness, a symbolic representation of mourning, or a combination of all of that and more, I cannot singly define, but I understand their movement. However, I refuse to join in. When I comment or criticize the actions of our future POTUS and his cabinet, I want my face to be seen; I want to make it easy for people to recognize exactly who it is making the statements they see online as well as in person.
Because, unlike Trump, I will own every one of them.
It comes down to education. The uneducated (henceforth known as Group A) ignored his rhetoric and pandering, blinded mainly by his bluster and celebrity. This group of people is mainly informed by their television sets and even though educated citizens (Group B) get their information in the same way, the latter group supplements that information by gathering additional and alternate viewpoints while the former does not. Add to that the fact that Group A rarely follows the truly informational media and/or news outlets available to them; they watch TV mainly to escape the real world, not learn more about it. Group A never heard about Trump’s dirty comments to Billy Bush. They never saw him denigrate a reporter with a disability. They never saw him incite violence at his rallies (or is that more aptly defined as censorship?) and never heard him offer financial assistance to those that followed through on those threats. Then again, maybe they did and they just didn’t give much weight to those accounts because the lunacy played appropriately into what they already knew about Trump: his celebrity and entertainment factor.
Group B, on the other hand, is educated. However, they see and acknowledge all of Trump’s fallacies and either relate to them and/or willfully choose to ignore them.
For either group, Trump became their white knight. Erroneously. As he previously admitted, Trump blatantly pandered to the public with shock and awe—a cavalcade of exaggeration and misinformation. As he famously remarked in his book, Art of the Deal, “The final key to the way I promote is bravado. I play to people’s fantasies.” He explained further: “I call it truthful hyperbole. It’s an innocent form of exaggeration — and a very effective form of promotion.” And it obviously worked again. For Groups A and B, Trump was their voice—either in relatable cynicism or malicious misdirection—and it garnered the man the ultimate win of his entire life… to the detriment of the nation he claims to hold so dear.
He won. I get it. He played the system beautifully and won. But that’s all he wanted—to win. Trump doesn’t want to work for us, he just wanted to prove he could win the election, nothing more. You’re jaded if you think otherwise. He used the system to his advantage time and time again. Why would this self-professed billionaire trade his “bigly” rich earnings for the measly $400,000 annual salary of the American president?? He’s simply not in it for you and me; Trump has been and always will be in it to win it strictly for his own ego. And he did it. Trump played to the public’s fears and anger to become the leader of the free world. That is a disaster.
For those that voted for Trump, you clearly feel vindicated and your communal victory is acknowledged. However, as a friend of mine remarked: “If you voted for this man, then just know that whatever happens in this country in the next four years, you own it.” Even when Trump fails to do so, you absolutely must.
- Based on his own claims and promises, you must explain to your children why their world is descending into a cesspool of pollution, global warming, rising oceans, super storms, and our decreasing biodiversity (both plant and animal) when he ignores the science so he could claim the coal and oil votes.
- When Trump nominates a remarkably conservative judge to the Supreme Court and Roe v. Wade is called into question and/or overturned, you must own that decision and defend that to every woman that just lost her right to choose and unwillingly forfeited control over her own body.
- When the wall goes up, you must accept the higher taxes needed to pay for it because Mexico refused to do so, regardless of what Trump stated. And the taxes will go even higher than you think because the price tag on the wall is exorbitantly higher than what Trump has ever claimed.
- When it happens, you must validate Trump’s retraction of marriage equality to all your LGBT friends and family members because he will “be very strong on putting certain judges on the bench that [Trump] think[s] maybe could change things.” You must also claim responsibility for all anti-LGBT discrimination and violence thereafter.
- You must teach your children and fend for yourself with regard to sex & sexual health when Trump cuts AIDS spending and slashes the budget of Planned Parenthood, the only provider of education and prevention tools in most parts of the nation.
- You must explain to your daughters why they are regarded less than men, in pay and in respect, when they hear President Trump’s remarks and thoughts on their gender… and the sons of the nation follow suit.
- You must look your immigrant and Muslim friends in their tearful eyes as they are deported and/or their families are torn apart. Explain the discrepancy to them how you somehow care, but knowingly voted for the wall, the deportation forces, and the religious discrimination that blatantly defies the very tenants that this “land of the free” was founded on.
- You must accept when the middle class (almost entirely populated by Trump voters) is further reduced when even higher tax cuts support the rich, including Trump himself.
- You must accept the accolades poured upon Trump when noted rivals and threats align with him. When he ends the nuclear deal with Iran, dismantles relations with Saudi Arabia, and prompts new tensions with China, you must accept what happens to the nation and the world as a whole.
I could go on… think about the fate of working moms, regulations on Wall Street, the future of healthcare, his effect on the nation’s economy (and what that means for him and us), the world economy, the state of freedoms in America (speech, press, and religion), and even the world view of America overall.
But back to my point: I’m no longer surprised. The majority of the public was duped—misinformed and misdirected to believe in a noted con man with a history of conceit, deceit, self-importance, and abnormally destructive behavior without a care in the world for who that affects other than himself. They believe he will change the nation for the better. I do not. Trump and his followers claim a desire to “make America great again”, but their indignant and regressive stance on a majority of the issues proves counterrevolutionary and highly undignified.
However, I would love nothing more than to be proven wrong. Honestly. Until then, I will ride through my apprehensions, my fears, my anger and my sadness. I will do so openly. I will also focus on my hopes for the future of this country and this planet and continue to have unyielding optimism and love for my fellow human being. I will, likewise, do so openly.
There is a trend on Facebook currently where members upset by the election results are changing their profile pictures to blank black squares. Whether this is in defeat, anger, sadness, a symbolic representation of mourning, or a combination of all of that and more, I cannot singly define, but I understand their movement. However, I refuse to join in. When I comment or criticize the actions of our future POTUS and his cabinet, I want my face to be seen; I want to make it easy for people to recognize exactly who it is making the statements they see online as well as in person.
Because, unlike Trump, I will own every one of them.
