What do I think about Trump & his disciples?
*Face palm*
Washington, DC is a city like no other. It’s the city where news is on 24/7 no matter where you are — a late night Chinese restaurant, a bar near the White House, or even your regular nail salon.
Yup, that’s right. Washingtonians watch the news while they get their nails done.
Recently I decided to take the afternoon off and go to my favorite DC salon to get a mani/pedi. As I sat in the pedicure chair zoning in and out, I noticed the TV. Trump, in one of his many brilliant proclamations, had decided that women should be “punished” (his word, not mine) if they obtained an abortion if abortions weren’t legal (of course, he later recounted this statement).
The Trump coverage on the TV sparked a conversation between two other salon-goers:
GIRL ONE: The underlying racism that Trump is exposing is unreal.
GIRL TWO: Oh yeah, it’s the worst.
GIRL ONE: It’s outright immoral.
It is outright immoral— the American media’s constant coverage of Trump and his overtly racist followers are terrifying. As I have become scared of these followers, I started to think more about the televised Trump hate-rallies and what we Americans should do to counteract them.
Stop watching Trump.
Seems simple, right? But it’s not. The media, in its infinite wisdom and belief that more Trump-time means bigger ratings, has created a monster that is on a head-on collision with reality.
The American media is a sell-out. It is tarnishing the reputation of this country for a mild boost in ad revenue. Images of the Trump rallies make our country look like a bunch of back-water hicks who will wait hours to pack a large stadium to hear a bunch of drivel come out of a semi-charming (say some) guy with horrible hair (say all, but Trump).
Oh, and don’t get me started on the fact that the media refuses to air images of an equal number of people packing into stadiums for Bernie Sanders. That’s for another time.
Tell the mainstream media to stop their shenanigans.
I read (and pay for) the Washington Post. I’ve recently found myself writing comment after comment about their election coverage. It’s a shame they are attempting to manipulate us into voting for President Hilary.
But what’s worse is that each time they cover their money-maker Trump, they are legitimizing a false candidacy. But they don’t realize this. Because while they attempt to manipulate us, Trump is manipulating them. And winning.
Don’t vote for Trump.
Even if your state is an open primary state and allows you to vote for Trump to increase the odds of another Democrat as president, please don’t do it.
Voting for Trump as a joke or to help your candidate is like sucker-punching your friend as a prank. Nothing good comes from it.
And don’t vote for Cruz either!
As much as the Trump mega-hate rallies terrify me, and remind me of the speeches Hitler gave in Munich in the early 1930s, I’m not quite convinced that Trump isn’t just pandering to the audience that shows up to see him.
But Ted Cruz, well, his hate speech is real. How a son of a Cuban immigrant who also happened to be born in Canada can hate immigrants as much as he is beyond my understanding of human nature.
Cruz has consistently come in second (or sometimes first) in primaries this season, and I’d estimate he has a good 30% of the Republican voter backing. Trump, of course, has won more states and polls higher…but if the brokered/contested convention does happen in Cleveland, Cruz has a strong argument for why he should be the nominee based on delegate counts and polls.
Beyond being second-best, Cruz is the only candidate who would happily persecute the “other” population (i.e., not white male) which, based on polling and rally participation, I’d guestimate makes up roughly 70% of the the primary voters in the Republican party (which has has apparently become the open party of hate). Now that’s scary.
Love thy neighbor.
Let’s get old school and stop spreading hate. Even if a person you meet isn’t similar to you, doesn’t agree with your political/religious/sexual practices, says hate-filled things to you, stay open-minded and love them.
Believe it or not, I’ve had the best discussions with people who don’t agree with me in DC. I think this stems from the fact that DC is very culturally diverse and its residents have realized that every person has an interesting story from which to learn.
Following, DC residents* recognize that not everyone agrees with their viewpoints, but they can have civilized conversations about their differences without reverting to name-calling, creating a police state, or deporting people.
You might not remove the hate from all the Cruz/Trump supporters, but you might reach one person. And really only takes one person to change a mindset.
*Note I say “DC residents” to exclude members of Congress. I think noxious gasses must be seeping into their offices, because they’ve lost their minds!
