It’s hard to find inside myself the ability to respect Donald Trump. I respect the office he has now won, but not him although I will be respectful. There are many reasons why I don’t find it easy to respect him, some of which I can only explain by saying that he just gives me a bad feeling, that’s all. But others are a bit more clear-cut then that.
- He promotes racism
- He actively taunts other countries to try to attack us
- He lies about things easily checked
- He promotes violence towards those who are different
- He mocks the disabled
- He generalizes in his opinions of groups of people and then uses those generations to set policy.
- He has no respect for women. He’s even admitted this. I’d go as far as to say he is misogynistic.
- He has little respect for anyone outside himself, including his own children.
- He promotes hatred towards immigrants and minorities.
- He is incredibly easy to taunt into a reaction, and does not seem to have a diplomatic bone in his body.
Now in the end, he’s still going to be president. However I ask people to deal with the Trump problem (and yes, it is a problem) by getting involved. Make sure you vote in your local elections even when its not a presidential election year. Contact your representatives both locally and nationally. Keep an active participation in your government. Hold Donald Trump to higher standards and demand he meets them as they are the bare minimum of being President.
If you see people using Trump’s election as validation of their hateful behavior, stand up against it. Show your fellow Americans that you see them, and don’t stand for what is happening to them. Don’t share racist/ablest jokes on Facebook. When someone decides that Trump’s so-called “locker room” talk is acceptable, tell them it is not.
Don’t let the Trump Problem become something that stands for us as a Nation. Show that despite Trump being President, we aren’t going to stand for that kind of behavior in our citizens. We are better than that. This is America, and we should treat people better then Donald Trump treats people.
There are already instances of violence attributed to people using Trump’s win as an excuse. Clearly they see Trump’s win as some sort of nod that their behavior is socially acceptable now. Make sure they know it isn’t. I don’t blame Trump for these actions, but his behavior makes these people feel their behavior is acceptable. They see it as vaildation. They see it as someone saying “Yeah, you are right, that is how you treat someone!”
Don’t become part of the Trump Problem.
Sokorra Lewis 