More and more people I know are shocked by the statements, antics, and crass race-baiting being done by the Trump campaign. I see it on Facebook, and hear it from friends. I get it, you’re pissed off. Women especially are pissed off.
Not to insult these friends for their legitimate outrage, but have you been asleep the last 8 years? What did you think conservatives believed? Did you think they just don’t like high taxes, want a strong military, and aren’t as comfortable as you are with abortion and gay marriage? It’s way worse than that!
Trump is using free media to excite white conservatives with hyperbolic language. This is the same thing conservative talk radio personalities have been doing for years. This is the same thing conservative congressmen and state and local politicians have been doing for years. And yet it took Donald Trump to finally expose this spiteful language and rhetoric to the entire public.
I for one think there is too much focus on political correctness, and I don’t think we should cut in with breaking news any time some conservative pundit or celebrity uses a slur against gays or some idiot college fraternity spouts the N-word on a stupid drunken video. I didn’t care about insensitive things said by Don Imus or Donald Sterling or even Alec Baldwin in a drunken rage upset over his ex-wife. The language police feel better when they expose someone for saying something mean, but that usually doesn’t accomplish anything, and just makes people hold onto their prejudices more strongly.
The sad thing is that we’ve been electing Donald Trumps since 2010 and nobody seemed to notice or care. Every now and then some idiot politician on the right would spout racist, sexist, or homophobic ignorant tripe, and it would get a tiny bit of coverage. And we’d all forget about it because nobody pays attention to idiot politicians even though their racist, sexist, homophobic, ignorant views are way more important than those who don’t hold elected office.
One thing that people should realize is that there is big difference between saying things that are ignorant, racist, homophobic, and sexist and legislating things that are ignorant, racist, homophobic, and sexist. It’s not what you say, it’s what you do that really matters.
Rush Limbaugh has said a lot of nasty things, but he didn’t rule that the Voting Rights Act was no longer necessary. He never closed an abortion clinic. He never prevented a gay couple from adopting a child. He never even deported an illegal immigrant while their children screamed in the night as their parents were taken away. Government authorities do things like that. Not talk radio hosts or celebrities.
The things Trump is saying, implying, or posting to his Twitter feed aren’t unique. They are just finally being displayed to the entire nation and across the globe.
There are hundreds, if not thousands of Trump-like politicians up for election or re-election right now. They want to codify laws that hurt women, minorities, and the LGBT community. It is happening right under our noses and blasting Trump on Facebook or Twitter isn’t the solution.
There are two great things about America that the American people tend to forget. One, we have freedom of speech, and two we have the right to vote out government officials who say or do things we don’t like. I love the fact that even the most ignorant racist, sexist dribble is protected by the First Amendment. The only way to address racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, and plain old ignorance is to let it out in the open.
Donald Trump, believe it or not, is doing a great public service by lifting the veil of prejudice in front of the American people so plainly that he is causing outrage in people who have never participated in the political process. If you think the people coming to his rallies never voted before, you’re wrong. They are the ones who voted the last three election cycles and led to a wide-spread Republican wave of electoral victories.
If you really can’t stand Trump and you don’t like what you are seeing, then pay attention to state and local races and vote out the people who espouse the same views. The only way to truly defeat racism, sexism, and all forms of ignorance is through the voting booth.
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