Hello from my upstairs sanctuary,
Each day I want to believe – seriously I do – that we cannot become more divided, more visceral, more unwilling to listen to the other, but each day it seems I can be proved wrong. The last 24 hours have my head reeling. To listen to the flash gernades in the background as I waited for the President to address us from the Rose Garden yesterday was such a juxtaposition that seems to typify everything in our country right. That was one thing. However, to find out on the hand that he (or his Attorney General, William Barr – and this is an addition) specifically had Lafayette Park cleared of a largely peaceful protest, using flash grenades, tear gas, and rubber bullets to walk over to St. John’s Church carrying a Bible moved beyond even how low I imagined he could go. The response of the Episcopal Bishop this morning (and clergy who were gassed in the church) sums it up quite appropriately. And, then to top it off, he broke his own curfew, just imposed by Mr. Law & Order, to walk over there. Where in any of this can one find even an inkling of appropriateness?
As a person who has a background as a history major, a theological background as a former ordained Lutheran pastor, and two degrees in rhetoric, I find myself trying to make sense of the optics of last evening’s incredibly profound fiasco that began as a Presidential statement. Certainly, I agree that when protest disintegrates into violence and looting, that is beyond a serious problem (and some for whom I have great love and I have disagreed since my posting about this). However, there needs to be recognition of the reason the anger has become so visceral. I could list the names over the last 10 years; I could explain what I know my students of color face everyday in terms of being treated differently, viewed suspiciously, or spoken to disrespectfully by supposed law-abiding, often conservative-Christian, white people. Most of us, if we will stop and think, would be angry, fed up, and struggle also. Think about it on an individual scale. Anyone who has been married and divorced: generally (hopefully) you believed you could not love that person more on the day of your wedding. And yet something disintegrated. The hope, the trust, the foundational belief in the goodness of something changed. Did you ever holler, swear, throw something, punch something, do something out of anger you wish you had not done? Did you ever hate them so much you wished them dead? Sad, but most of us can probably answer yes. When you are so angry you wish them dead or out of your life, regardless, perhaps we come to some understanding of how the loss of hope, trust, and foundational belief in society for those marginalized for years might feel. I have watched as some have gotten angry merely over being told to wear a mask and have stormed the State Capitol waving guns (which btw, what did 2nd Amendment have to do with anything in that statement last night?). If the same people now demonstrating against discrimination, even without hollering or chanting, walked into the State Capitol carrying a gun, legally or not, what would happen? I would venture someone would be in a hospital recovering from bullet wounds, and charges would be filed. Do you not see the double standard in this? Can we not admit we have systemic racism in this country? Why is it we are afraid of mail in ballots? That is the way to manage a change appropriately should we as a county believe there is a change needed. I voted two weeks ago. I requested and got my ballot. It came to my mailbox as it should; I filled it out as I should; and I was notified that it was received and would be counted, as I should. Studies have shown the incidences of fraud are minimal (I could list them, but will not) and the states with Republican or Democrat governors is split almost 50/50. In addition, of 5 Western States, those who have gone to mail in balloting, three have a Republican Governor or chief election official (Collier, 29May2020). The governors and the chief election officials of any state, regardless their administration’s party have a swore duty to uphold laws. The seemingly prevelant argument that Blue States have no laws, nor enforce them, is asinine. The false narrative that all non-white people are trying to sway an election is fear mongering at the very least. More importantly, it is yet another example of disenfranchisement of a significant part of our electorate at its worst. It is discrimination at its most fundamental worst. Certainly the right to cast a ballot has been a struggle many in of our democratic country has experienced from the outset. There was a reason for the passage of voting laws to curb that. Yet, as typical of our states’ rights bent, if you were a woman, a black, an immigrant who gained citizenship, the ways states made it difficult to vote are legion. Too often the stories of KKK leaders, those who hid under their pointed hoods, were the very law enforcement people, the very lawyers, and the esteemed businessmen of their communities, too often the supposed Christians sitting in the pews on Sunday morning, but more accurately little more than bigots and liars with not enough balls to be honest.
The difficulty today is the only thing changed is their tactics, but their actions result in the same discriminatory and hate-filled rants that went along with their white-nationalistic, their white-supremacy-filled, hateful rhetoric and the crosses they burned in the night. Today they argue that the way of the white person is being overrun by immigrants, illegals, or academic liberal ideology that somehow questions their 21st century version of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. I know this is an incredibly inflammatory statement that will anger some people, but I believe this is where we are. The President’s statement yesterday is not that different from the arguments that an Austrian failed-artist once made to rile his base supporters in the 1930s. I am reminded of the statement of Martin Niemöller, the German theologian and pastor imprisoned for his opposition to what Hitler had done to the church. Hitler demanded that the church show allegiance. Hitler too was obsessed with loyalty. Niemöller wrote, “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist . . . Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist . . . Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew . . . Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.” Being called socialist is something this President has done to those like Senator Sanders and Warren, and certainly many in the right fringes have picked that up. The role of unions has been battered by big business and certainly those who do not want to allow labor a decent wage. This has been an argument for some time. And yet, while the President has promised job things like the auto plant in Lordstown, OH would be back bigger than ever, he has taken more than one auto company CEO to task for not playing his game. An issue of loyalty again. As I have noted in recent blogs, the fact that we can go from 3.3% unemployment to 19% in less than three months (40,000,000 people unemployed) gives some indication of how strong the job market really was. And while there has been a significant uptick in discrimination and hate crimes against the Jewish people, what is happening continually against blacks, which has never really stopped, the Muslim people, particularly post-911, the Hispanic people, because current administration policies from the very first statements when President Trump declared his candidacy, and now Asians, because of Covid, referred to regularly in discriminatory terms by the President as the China Virus, are all exemplars of this administration’s bigotry. To what extreme has this happened? Check out the recent video news conference when he told an Asian reporter to ask China about the Corona virus. When she appropriately asked why he would say that to her, he acted like she was wrong. Incredible. Futher, more problematic is his overt and blatant racism is met too often by silence by many in the Republican Party, the very party the helped pass the 13th Amendment and was led by the Illinois Senator who stated unequivocally that “a house divided against itself cannot stand” (Lincoln, 1858). In questioning the role of slavery in the country, Lincoln understood that this was a national issue, not merely an issue of popular sovereignty as his opponent Stephen Douglas had argued. I believe we are, at minimum, at a crossroads once again. Yet as our President wants to claim law and order through his militaristic threats, he simultaneously argues the states need to do their work while he has ultimate authority. It is the divide and conquer strategy. When there is no clear path forward, chaos can reign and the individual gets lost in the morass. More significantly, the creator of the chaos claims it is not their fault.
In the last 24 hours, this President, who can argue that he can grab women by the genitals and they will let him, wants to now hold up a Bible and somehow make us believe in his faithfulness. As a former pastor, I will note I never believed I had the right to question the position of someone’s soul, but I do believe that the importance someone’s faith has in their life is demonstrated through their daily actions and words. I will let that statement speak for itself. And as such, the photo opportunity after clearing Lafayette Park is an anathema to faithful well-intended, struggling Christians or people of any faith for that matter. As people protested in Lafayette Park on Monday, members of the clergy were at the church, offering water and aid as things were peaceful. As noted in the New Yorker today, the scene that unfolded as the President strolled into the recently cleared park was beyond words. “When he reached the sanctuary, he did not go inside. Instead, he turned toward the camera, and members of his entourage assembled into a tableau so bizarre that it took a moment to understand what was unfolding. He held up a Bible and posed with it for the cameras, clasping it to his chest, bouncing it in his hand, turning it to and fro, like a product on QVC. He did not offer a prayer or read from scripture. On either side of him, his aides fidgeted awkwardly; there was the droopy, basset-hound visage of his enabling Attorney General, William Barr, his unrelenting cheerleader Mark Meadows, the chief of staff; his spokesperson, Kayleigh McEnany, who grinned madly. Apart from Ivanka Trump, none wore masks” (Osnos 2Jun2020). There was no contacting the Bishop or the clergy of the parish, there was no mention of God, it was simply an arrogant bully, a foul-mouthed, poor-excuse-for-a- President getting his picture taken with sacred scripture. This crawls into the depths of nothing I have read or researched since the Reich Church swore an allegiance to Hitler.
When are we willing to admit the mistake we made in the last election? Hopefully soon. While I was not an initial Biden supporter, wanting the process to play out, his statement yesterday is more presidential than any statement I have heard in three and a half years (this is an edit also). When are we willing to question the policies of an administration who make a mockery of checks and balances, and jeopardize the very democracy we want to believe we have? If you take the time to look at some of the speeches in Germany of the 1930s and the Presidential rhetoric of today, the parallels are obvious, but the enemy is a bit different. The enemy is not pointed at any one group, but rather at anyone who speaks out in disagreement. Certainly, the use of Hispanics, immigrants, Arabs, Muslims, and other groups of color are well encased in the President’s disdain, but it goes farther. When anyone disagrees, his inability to manage disagreement is well evidenced. I can appreciate that people were fed up with the normal politics because they too (and I believe there are good people on both sides of the aisle) seem to do little more than figure out how to stay in office and maintain their power; most often at expense of the masses. As I have argued, term limits would be an important remedy, but I would term limit both Congress and change the term length and change the length of a term for the President also. I would do the following as related to terms and their limits:
- Six Years (three terms) for House Representatives
- Eight Years (two terms and this changes the length) for Senators
- Six Years (one term, which changes to a single term and the length of term) for the President
I know this would have some difficulties like, for instance, is a President automatically a lame-duck? Six years is a long time to do nothing, but I am thinking it would require people to work harder, more diligently, and more thoughtfully. I would also take away their life-long pensions (at least in Congress). It would limit the power any one person could have and in that is democracy. Can we admit that President Trump, who I can appreciate was elected both because of his business acumen and because Secretary Clinton had flaws as a candidate, has not been successful? If the economy was successful, would it have tanked as quickly? Would the stock market had wiped out things as quickly? Can we admit that we have a systemic racism issue in this country and while looting and rioting are a problem (as one of my colleagues regularly admonishes me ‘Michael, that is an F-ing understatement), the anger behind it is justified and must be worked with? It is a mistake not to do so. To admit failure or mistake is difficult, but it is also a chance for redemption, which is a biblical term, a theological term. It is a chance to change direction and make amends for our failings. It is a chance for forgiveness and for renewal. We need renewal desperately if we are to come together as a people. The words of the Reverend Doctor King need to ring out from every corner of this land if we are to create a society he dreamt of. I wish I would have been more courageous earlier in my life to speak against so much injustice, but like Niemöller, I have too often acted as if it did not affect me it was not my fight. I have to admit, I was wrong, but never again. I will not be silent in the face of tyranny and injustice, the injustice that too many people I care about face each day. I know this is a difficult blog for some to read, and I am more than willing to speak and listen to those who disagree with me. Come visit the acre and I will make the coffee or offer a beverage. I am not kidding. I am not saying you do not think; I am not saying you are bad if you openly disagree. I am saying I think I have too often been silent when I should have stood up and supported those who do have the same opportunity to speak up. That time is now.
Thanks as always for reading.
Dr. Martin
thewritingprofessor55 
As a young naïve woman, I have never really had an interest in politics. It may be because my parents are not voters and do not watch the news. It may be because school has never taught us anything about politics since it is too debatable. School should teach us about these debatable topics from each point of view to help us navigate our newly right to vote as 18-year-olds. Within the past 8-9 months, I have took it upon myself to try and make sense of what is happening in the political world. From the way I see it, it is just a game. One person will say this while the other says the opposite.
Currently, the most pressuring topic to me right now is Planned Parenthood. Abortion, just like politics, is a debatable topic that people choose to disregard rather than communicate about. In a recent letter written by the president, he claims to “ending taxpayer funding of abortion providers, such as Planned Parenthood, that refuse to separate abortion services from family planning” (Berry). As a woman, this is outrageous and very upsetting that people would support this so called “beneficial” idea. Do people not realize all of what Planned Parenthood has to offer to women in need? If a young girl needs birth control, she may go there and receive it at a lower price. Would you rather have her unable to receive medication to prevent a pregnancy and solely rely on condoms, which are not 100%? If you help prevent pregnancies, you are also helping to prevent possible abortions. Planned Parenthood offers STD testing, health examinations for woman to check for cervical and breast cancer, and offers a sense of safety to those who may have been attacked.
Planned Parenthood may offer things such as abortions, but it also provides numerous things that can help a woman in need. Even though I do not agree with abortion, but I think it should be allowed. As a young woman and if I were attacked and had to carry that man’s baby, I would not be able to do it. It would be very difficult to look at the child as a constant reminder to how s/he was created. Imagine taking away a woman’s opportunity to heal from an event as described. However, I do not think abortion should be used as a form of birth control. If a woman decides she wants an abortion because she cannot care for the child, then she must carry it to term and give it up for adoption. Abortion should be legal, yet have certain regulations implemented. Sorry, I got a little sidetracked. If you cannot tell, the defunding of Planned Parenthood has me furious.
Back to what you have written, our President is very racist indeed. In our current time, with the increase argument about racism, our President should remain neutral and do what is best for the people. If he cannot stay neutral, he should at least acknowledge the fact that blacks are equal to whites. Instead, he says racist things and shows zero regret or remorse. It appears to me that he is attempting to convince fellow Americans that his actions are necessary since they share common beliefs and that is why they should vote for him. That is unreal. A President should be a person who puts his citizens in front of his desires and values. As we all can see, he has done neither of these things.
Regarding church, how can our country accept him using the bible as a publicity stunt? Our country was founded on the basis of Christianity! Who are we to blame for our actions and seeing this act acceptable? Personally, I fault the schools. I think schools should teach about religion at a young age instead of avoiding the topic. This is another one of those controversial issues. Schools should have the ability to make students aware of all the religions and their importance. Schools should teach students to have respect towards anyone’s religious preferences instead of allowing the students to make assumptions! I feel as if the kids I went to high school with think these terrible thoughts about other people and their religion because they do not know enough history. Our school system could help prevent this issue, but they instead back away from the topic of religion! They give the students the bare minimum and do not care what the students do with that information.
This world feels as if it is falling apart. Who is to blame, the President or the citizens who allow him to stay in office? In total honesty, I do not know how the election will turn out, but I do not think it will be pretty. Every day I hear people complain about the candidates, yet they are not registered voters. How can one complain about their situation when they did nothing to try and prevent it? As an 18-year-old, I will not be one of those typical ones who do not vote. I will continue to pay attention and vote based upon my beliefs.
Thank you for opening my eyes to bigger things such as the comparison involving Hitler and how it is eerily similar. Or the fact that you provided your opinion while using evidence as back up!!! People often make statements, but do not have any support to defend their claim!!! If you do not have substantial evidence to defend your statement, then do not make it!!! That is one of those I firmly believe in after witnessing social media with the rise of false information.
Thank you again,
Jade
Berry, Dr. Susan. “Donald Trump Pledges to Defund Planned Parenthood in Next
Term.” BREITBART, 3 Sept. 2020, http://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/09/03/
donald-trump-pledges-defund-planned-parenthood-next-term/. Accessed 21
Sept. 2020.
As a young naïve woman, I have never really had an interest in politics. It may be because my parents are not voters and do not watch the news. It may be because school has never taught us anything about politics since it is too debatable. School should teach us about these debatable topics from each point of view to help us navigate our newly right to vote as 18-year-olds. Within the past 8-9 months, I have took it upon myself to try and make sense of what is happening in the political world. From the way I see it, it is just a game. One person will say this while the other says the opposite.
Currently, the most pressuring topic to me right now is Planned Parenthood. Abortion, just like politics, is a debatable topic that people choose to disregard rather than communicate about. In a recent letter written by the president, he claims to “ending taxpayer funding of abortion providers, such as Planned Parenthood, that refuse to separate abortion services from family planning” (Berry). As a woman, this is outrageous and very upsetting that people would support this so called “beneficial” idea. Do people not realize all of what Planned Parenthood has to offer to women in need? If a young girl needs birth control, she may go there and receive it at a lower price. Would you rather have her unable to receive medication to prevent a pregnancy and solely rely on condoms, which are not 100%? If you help prevent pregnancies, you are also helping to prevent possible abortions. Planned Parenthood offers STD testing, health examinations for woman to check for cervical and breast cancer, and offers a sense of safety to those who may have been attacked.
Planned Parenthood may offer things such as abortions, but it also provides numerous things that can help a woman in need. Even though I do not agree with abortion, but I think it should be allowed. As a young woman and if I were attacked and had to carry that man’s baby, I would not be able to do it. It would be very difficult to look at the child as a constant reminder to how s/he was created. Imagine taking away a woman’s opportunity to heal from an event as described. However, I do not think abortion should be used as a form of birth control. If a woman decides she wants an abortion because she cannot care for the child, then she must carry it to term and give it up for adoption. Abortion should be legal, yet have certain regulations implemented. Sorry, I got a little sidetracked. If you cannot tell, the defunding of Planned Parenthood has me furious.
Back to what you have written, our President is very racist indeed. In our current time, with the increase argument about racism, our President should remain neutral and do what is best for the people. If he cannot stay neutral, he should at least acknowledge the fact that blacks are equal to whites. Instead, he says racist things and shows zero regret or remorse. It appears to me that he is attempting to convince fellow Americans that his actions are necessary since they share common beliefs and that is why they should vote for him. That is unreal. A President should be a person who puts his citizens in front of his desires and values. As we all can see, he has done neither of these things.
Regarding church, how can our country accept him using the bible as a publicity stunt? Our country was founded on the basis of Christianity! Who are we to blame for our actions and seeing this act acceptable? Personally, I fault the schools. I think schools should teach about religion at a young age instead of avoiding the topic. This is another one of those controversial issues. Schools should have the ability to make students aware of all the religions and their importance. Schools should teach students to have respect towards anyone’s religious preferences instead of allowing the students to make assumptions! I feel as if the kids I went to high school with think these terrible thoughts about other people and their religion because they do not know enough history. Our school system could help prevent this issue, but they instead back away from the topic of religion! They give the students the bare minimum and do not care what the students do with that information.
This world feels as if it is falling apart. Who is to blame, the President or the citizens who allow him to stay in office? In total honesty, I do not know how the election will turn out, but I do not think it will be pretty. Every day I hear people complain about the candidates, yet they are not registered voters. How can one complain about their situation when they did nothing to try and prevent it? As an 18-year-old, I will not be one of those typical ones who do not vote. I will continue to pay attention and vote based upon my beliefs.
Thank you for opening my eyes to bigger things such as the comparison involving Hitler and how it is eerily similar. Or the fact that you provided your opinion while using evidence as back up!!! People often make statements, but do not have any support to defend their claim!!! If you do not have substantial evidence to defend your statement, then do not make it!!! That is one of those I firmly believe in after witnessing social media with the rise of false information.
Thank you again,
Jade
Berry, Dr. Susan. “Donald Trump Pledges to Defund Planned Parenthood in Next
Term.” BREITBART, 3 Sept. 2020, http://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/09/03/
donald-trump-pledges-defund-planned-parenthood-next-term/. Accessed 21
Sept. 2020.
(If I commented this twice, I apologize. It still says no one has commented, but it may be because you have to allow it.)
I have never really had a political view or never even thought about it if I’m honest. My mom never expressed her opinions to me as she didn’t want me to be swayed to either side. My sister is a Biden supporter, and she is not at all afraid to say it. My best friend and I had recently started talking about the election because neither of us knew anything before. I wasn’t going to vote, and I wasn’t planning on it, but things are getting ridiculous recently. The debating and the fighting that will happen no matter what side wins will not surprise me because some people can’t handle that they are wrong.
I live in rural Pennsylvania in the middle of the country. Someone brought up to me the other day that most Trump supporters have Trump signs AND American flags in their yard or on their porch. Honestly, play a game with yourself and look at the difference; I did. Therefore, they’re not only standing for their future president, but their country also. This is important because when voting, some people think about their benefits out of the election rather than the country’s benefits. It just depends on how you look at what they’re saying in the debates.
I think it’s crucial to put aside a president’s personality this year and look at the bonuses in what they’re going to do or what they have already done. If you pay attention to the media, most likely, you think Trump is a terrible person. Have they not found flaws in Biden also? For example, sniffing girls’ hair and acting like a pedophile. A massive problem in the United States right now is child trafficking, and I am honestly scared to have kids. Who am I to say who’s going to handle the problem better? If I’m basing it on the media, I will go with Trump because although he may be a little perverted, he doesn’t sniff hair.
Therefore, we need to put aside the media and focus on the facts. I understand if it’s the person you don’t like, but are your feelings or your country more important? In this comment, I tried my best not to talk about my personal feelings about who I’m voting for because that’s not what I am about. Sometimes I cannot help myself. Although, I may say that the last election was not a mistake because everything happens for a reason; “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
Thanks,
Carlee Pepper
What bugs me, is upon the President’s original announcement to run for president, I already knew what would happen and the problems inherent in this term. It seems the world is mad and sick, America is rampant with disinformation and confusion where everyone is focusing on their own problems. Instantly I saw the rhetoric of a outrageous reality star who I had already researched to great extent earlier in my life. The president before 2016 was known as a sheister and had gone bankrupt several times as well as been involved in many fraudulent deals. I doubt the information that was public access to me back in 8th grade is even available anymore, as this President has rewritten their own history and flooded the net with misinformation and false narratives. Just the level of nonsense that is slung around on the daily is ludacris. How can we expect the world to grow when all the population seems completely willing to delve into insanity based on nothing more than hype and boast. Racism and all that are just another tool/weapon, but what really boggles me is an individual’s willingness to do something horrible just because they are hearing a loud voice or wearing a uniform. Corruption is being exposed something fierce at the moment, and it really kills me how much humans like to prey upon one another. Hopefully over time we can return to a better path and improve as the Human Race. I just feel like theirs a whole lot of bullshit to shovel out of here first. Authority is definitely a power trip and I don’t know what is really going on in this country, but I can hazard a guess it will be a while before citizens are informed of what is up in U.S.A. Whatever is going on, certainly tearing each other apart over stupidity is not a logical answer.
As I voted today, I really realized the division we currently have in our country. It feels like everything that happens in our country today is an enormous debate with harsh criticism. The views on the coronavirus, wearing a mask, when businesses should open back up, the Black Lives Matter movement, the riots, and who should become president have all become topics that cause massive blowouts between two sides. No matter what the issue being discussed is, it does not appear there can be any civil agreement to respect the other side and move on. My father works for a business that operates internationally so he is often in contact with people from other countries. Today, he told me about a conversation he had with someone from another country. The conversation was about that person’s views on our country and the president. He claimed that the president was unprofessional, irrational, and made our country look like a joke. If you heard a description of a person similar to this one, would you really suspect a president, a leader of a country, to be receiving this type of recognition? I do not think that Biden is the best option in the world for president. However, I think comparing him to the other option makes him seem like the only option. I think that often people rely too much on their party affiliation. I have heard so many people say that they do not like our president but they were going to vote for him. This is often due to the fact that they are Republican, and they do not want to choose the other side. I have these views, and I consider myself an independent. One of the main reasons I chose to be an independent was to give equal opportunity to all of my options. I do not want to choose one party and feel limited to only choose candidates affiliated. As I move from these statements, I wanted to talk about racism in the country. Donald Trump spoke out about racism at the presidential debate two weeks ago. When asked about his plans for helping racism in our country, he compared himself to Abraham Lincoln claiming he has done more than any other president, besides Lincoln, to combat racism. I just can not understand how someone who does the complete opposite can say something so false but can feel so overly confident. There are so many issues in our country right now, and I think that it is going to take more than just one person who is elected our country’s president to fix it all.
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I never cared much for politics. With that being said I was never properly educated about them. My parents didn’t explain yet, nor did the school system. I wish they would have so I would be able to form my own opinions from facts and not social media.
It is truly a shame that the education system has so many flaws with properly educating students so that they can go on to be successful in today’s society. Racism often stems from how a child was raised and brought up around in their communities. Maybe if schools were teaching that we all bleed the same and that racism is wrong instead of the fact that it and slavery are a thing of the past, just maybe then a few more people would turn out less cold hearted.
I agree with everything you’ve said. This year was the first time I knew I had to actively care about politics and what’s going on in our country. I know I should’ve been paying attention before, but if there was ever a time to start this past election was the time. I hate trump, I truly do. I tried not to see politics anywhere. I wouldn’t go on certain social medias and things because I didn’t want to see it. Not only politics but just negative things in general. I just don’t care about why Kanye had another breakdown. I try to keep the negativity and fake news out of my life. My parents used to basically have my live in a bubble and I realize that’s not how the real world is. You have to care, speak out, and educate yourself because otherwise you’ll go through life oblivious resulting in hurt.
I watched my first presidential debate this year between Trump and Biden, I was appalled at what I was witnessing. Trump was the most inconsiderate person I had ever seen. He would talk over the moderator and not answer questions directly. His whole goal was to obliterate Biden instead of trying to look out for the people and give them what they want. I remember specifically he was asked to speak to families for one question and he didn’t do that at all. Instead, he took the time to talk down on Biden and talk himself up, but then got mad when he was out of time. It just makes you wanna punch the TV and scream “shut up you stupid idiot!!!!”.
There is racism everywhere because there is hatred everywhere. To get rid to hatred we would have to go back and get Adam and Eve not to eat the stupid apple. Don’t get me wrong though, of course I would do whatever I could to educate people on why what they are saying or how they are acting is racist, and why racism is bad. I just literally do not understand why racism is a thing. It truly does not make sense to me. just because two people have different skin colors they can’t get along? That’s like me saying “Oh you don’t have 20/20 vision? Sorry we can’t get along”. That might be a bit drastic but you get my point. We are all different, every single one of us so it makes no sense as to why everyone can’t just be civil.
What makes even less sense to me is how Christians can support Trump. You can’t preach “love your neighbor as yourself” and then be a racist. Technically, we are all God’s children so you can’t love some and dislike the rest, that’s just not how that works. While it is true that there are people I don’t like, my judgments would NEVER be based on the color of their skin, but on their actions and the kind of person they are inside. Thank you for speaking up about this extremely important topic. If I’m going to be honest(which we know I usually am) you are probably the coolest, most woke professor/teacher I’ve ever had.
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When Donald Trump was running for president, I was in eighth grade so politics were the last thing on my mind to say the least. This was the first election I actually paid attention too for a couple of reasons the first being that it was so easy to make memes out of Donald Trump, I always knew him as a celebrity not a politician and lastly because, if he was elected it would affect many people around me, myself included.
At the beginning of his presidency, I was fearful that as a woman I would lose my rights and my friends of color would be heavily impacted in a negative way based on the character, words and actions of Trump. In addition to that fear, I was very disappointed in my country and of the people close to me that supported him because how could we elect a man that has said such foul things about women (our mothers, our sisters, our grandmothers) and the hurtful and derogatory way he speaks about our friends and loved ones that are people of color. Since I was only 14 these were my only concerns.
Now I am at a point where I’d say I am slightly more educated on politics since I am now eligible to vote and will be more affected by it, I do agree with what you’ve said. At this time however, after many long debates with conservative family members, the “end” of the pandemic, and all that is going on with Ukraine, I can’t say that Trump would be a horrible candidate to deal with these conflicts. I’m also torn because he is a terrible human being (nothing makes my blood boil more than racism) and does not deserve a position of power, in relation to Biden I don’t like him either. With all that has happened these past four years and my uncertainty within politics the one thing I know for sure is that I am sick of old white creepy and problematic men being in charge of this country, it’s outdated and as we’ve seen it is not what’s best for the country not to mention the fact that boomers are not going to live to see the repercussions of their decisions but get to reap all the benefits of those before them. I think my generation (Gen Z) has a good insight on open-mindedness and communication, but a good amount of this generation also have very socialist ideologies and want to eliminate capitalism, I don’t think we should completely remove capitalism from our society but I think it is a flawed system that we need to change. In the end I think it is crucial for the US to come together and realize that these things affect everyone in our country but we can’t only be concerned about how it will affect us individually because it is more beneficial for others so we need to consider how it will negatively impact those around us too.
The title of your blog I think relates to my generation as well because something that has become popular is cancel culture, apparently no one is allowed to make mistakes even if they own up them and have shown that they’ve learned from it. When cancelling celebrities first became popular, it was with good intentions because one of the first victims of this was Trump and well deserved but we took that and ran with it. It soon turned to cancelling anyone and everyone which had a lot of unfortunate outcome. Though we are open minded and accepting I don’t know why we are so quick to judge someone because they messed up, we are all human and no one is perfect so we need to improve this area as well.
As I grew up, politics never were involved in any of my family’s conversations. My parents are democrats, but still remained respectively neutral and would never stir up arguments involving someone’s opinions. However, when Trump was running for president back in 2016, they seemed to switch up on their neutrality. I was never the type to get interested in politics since it was never a topic of debate, but the minute I watched my mom stare at the TV with worrisome eyes made me look into why she was so concerned. As a young girl in my sophomore year of high school, I realized that maybe I should educate myself so I can have the knowledge of what was about to unfold around me.
Again, politics never interested me. I knew a few things here and there from Government during school, but I hated to argue, which is why I never pressed for other’s opinions. When Trump stirred up trouble countless times, I knew for a fact that I couldn’t support a man who couldn’t take women–or anyone for that matter–seriously. The judgement that man held in his mind was detrimental to the country and its people. His way of speaking seemed so entitled, and I knew something was off when my republican grandfather began to despise the man. Although he was a very good businessman, it does not make someone capable of being a leader. He was disrespectful to his competition and the world in general, and I still to this day see trump flags and signs up over a year after he lost the 2020 election.
The terrible events that unfolded in 2020 will forever be remembered. No one is perfect though, but you should be able to realize when you do something wrong and apologize. I honestly do not think that man is capable of reflecting on his decisions, and I think he only focuses on the love he gets from his “followers” and his unfiltered thoughts that turn into words.
I agree with everything you stated, and I hope that someday we can all come together as a nation peacefully. The chances of that are low, but I do feel that I have to hold onto this hope. The hope of these things never happening again, but history does repeat itself. I enjoyed reading this, thank you for sharing your thoughts.