“I will be your protector,” Trump said.
I normally don’t say anything about what this man says, because at this point I think if you can see everything he’s said, done, and been convicted of, and still support him, nothing I say will matter.
But this comment made me so sad. Every girl and woman who has been a victim has had a man in her life who promised to protect her. Every girl and woman who has been a victim has struggled to tell their story, in part because they don’t want to break their protectors’ hearts, or because their “protector” was really their attacker.
There are three reasons a man will say he protects women and then not lay out an actual plan or course of action that will protect them.
The first is that he thinks of himself as a good guy and wants to imagine himself a hero, but does not want to grapple with the day to day realities and dangers women face.
The second is that he himself is a predator, and he’s trying to earn trust.
I believe Trump falls into both categories, which brings us to the third reason — He wants to think of himself as a good guy, and he’s trying to earn trust because he’s a predator.
What do all of these reasons have in common? They do not actually help women be safer. They are all selfish, and all center the man.