“ You
better worry, because that wave of truth and anger will come, and you, other so
called progressives, and your immigrant neighbours will be the first to be
washed away.”
- F.
Stevens, Hamilton
Letter to the Editor,
And people
wonder why I’m depressed by a Trump victory?
Like
termites, these bigots have come swarming out of the rotten woodwork, into the
letters pages, the radio-call in shows, and the Facebook echo chambers. They’re
feeling vindicated now, as if their hatred of Mexicans, Muslims and scientists
was somehow right all along. They’re feeling emboldened – their prejudices are
official policy now. They’re excited by the purges to come. They’ve been baying
for blood for months now, and yet wonder why “mainstream media” won’t respect
them.
What do
they want? A gold star for their insight? A pat on the head for the deep
understanding of issues?
Distain
from the “liberal elites” was a common refrain among the Trumpeters’ many
grievances. It struck me as a little thin-skinned coming from a group that
supposedly admires toughness so much. But
then it’s always struck me how those who reserve the right to hold ridiculous
ideas also feel entitled to immunity from scrutiny.
To be sure,
human beings deserve respect. But ideas are open to both criticism and ridicule
When a politician offers up a program that’s unrealistic, unworkable, and
downright dangerous, how much respect is it entitled to? Just as when I’m confronted by a creationist,
a 9-11 or an anti-vaxer, I’m not going to pretend that Donald Trump is a beacon
of enlightenment. His policies aren’t just unworkable, but downright dangerous,
and if that results in a little disdain for the people that empowered him,
well. . . life sucks.
Perhaps I
should ask of the Trumpeters directly: what do you expect?
Don’t like
liberal condescension? Your guy is a climate change denier, and made a young
earth creationist his running mate. What do you expect?
Resent
charges of racism? Your guy is openly endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan! His
signature issue is attacking ethnic and religious minorities. What do you
expect?
Resent
accusations of callousness? Well, you seem quite ready to abandon a million
Syrian refugees to their fate. You do know a lot of those people are going to
die, don’t you? Just making sure.
Resent
charges of sexism? Your guy groped and openly bragged about groping women. What
do you expect? Besides, have you seen some of the folks showing up to your
rallies? The T-shirts and signs? What do you want, the Gruber Prize?
Think
Hillary was out of touch? And Donald Trump, with his penthouses and private
jets and mansions was just a regular good ol’ boy wasn’t he?
Think
Hillary was a war monger? And Donald “bomb the shit out of them and take their
oil” is just such a dove!
Think
Hillary was mean? Oh come on! Like Donald was a model of civility at the
podium!
Think
liberal commentators were mean? Like Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter are such
paragons of decorum!
Think I’m being
hysterical? Well, you’ve read the letter above. When your fellow travellers
write letters like that, what do you expect?
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