So, since the election, I have heard a rousing cacophony from the right AND the left; one that defends those who voted for and still support Donald Trump.
Understanding where these people are coming from is not on my tasks list seeing as how my daily ritual of being overwhelmed and traumatized keeps me busy. Sorry not sorry.
My basic reason for not wanting to coddle these people? THEY ARE FREAKING ADULTS!
Children can see the preposterous reality of this ultimate reality star-turned "politician." How come literally every group BUT WHITE PEOPLE can see that this man is a lunatic?
Black women, for example, have BEEN struggling. The so-called economic anxieties and uncertainty these pitiful down-trodden white rural voters are experiencing have BEEN a thing for people of color. Especially women who are swarmed by the pervasive systemic oppression of racism and misogyny. Aside from those, I guess, "debatable" (yet not really) social struggles, there are statistical struggles of being paid MUCH less than their white male counterparts.
How did these women still manage to vote for Hillary? 94% of them?
How did Latinos, young people, black men, Asians, etc, all with their own forms of anxiety, that goes beyond that of just the economic variety, understand that Hillary would've been better?
Let's call it like it is: Trump voters LIKED his bigotry. And if they didn't, it certainly wasn't disqualifying. Which is still massively offensive.
But beyond their obvious willingness to ignore egregious things like, banning all Muslims, they chose to believe a known liar. Their entrenched sexism against Hillary Clinton allowed them to hear her say she would bring them into the 21st Century, cut their taxes and raise the minimum wage, keep jobs here, yet they didn't care.
They believed the great white male hope instead.
An overgrown boy who made a living hiring undocumented workers and making his products overseas.
His actual history didn't matter to them because when a white male bigot speaks, they believe unconditionally. Now, many of them will be screwed if Trump's policies last or come into fruition at all (thinking about Obamacare repeal).
And while some may feel sorry, I find it hard to.
This isn't because I don't like these "white rural voters" (even though many of them probably could care less about the centuries-long struggles of women and people of color/indigenous people), but because they should have known better.
Literally everyone around the world thinks Trump is a con artist.
They are adults and should be held accountable.
At the end of the day, whether they knew about his rape allegations (involving a 13 year old and also his ex-wife) or not, they heard how he talked to and about women. They heard that freaking audio of him saying he grabs women by the pussy and can because of his status.
This is horrifying to any normal person. Yet, we aren't in a normal society nor a normal time. These voters only care about themselves.
They think their white male privilege is getting lesser and lesser and they don't like that.
So while they probably wouldn't tolerate a vile person like Trump dating their daughter, they tolerate him as President. Because he has the power to squash on brown people by the millions. And loser domestic abuser John Doe doesn't.
This article by Autumn Alston was posted on Medium on March 30, 2017.
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April 2,2017
Addendum. Frank Rich, of New York magazine, also wrote about how progressives should proceed as we march to the 2018 elections in "No Sympathy for the Hillbilly." He says loudly "Democrats need to stop trying to feel everyone's pain, and hold on to their own anger."
Here is a core paragraph:
"Perhaps it's a smarter idea to just let the GOP own these intractable voters. Liberals looking for a way to empathize with conservatives should endorse the core conservative belief in the importance of personal responsibility. Let Trump's white working-class base take responsibility for its own votes — or in some cases failure to vote — and live with the election's consequences. If, as polls tell us, many voters who vilify Obamacare haven't yet figured out that it's another name for the Affordable Care Act that's benefiting them — or if they do know and still want the Trump alternative — then let them reap the consequences for voting against their own interests. That they will sabotage other needy Americans along with them is unavoidable in any case now — at least until voters stage an intervention in an election to come."
This is a worthwhile read which provides much to think about. Enjoy.
