Donald Trump is the perfect President for the United States of America, a country I am deeply ashamed of, and one that for the most part seems to deserve no better.
I have spent the last week of my life mourning bigly, drinking bigly, dreaming bigly, and making plans bigly, folks. I no longer have the strength to be the loud New York voice of reason and equality screaming out to the deaf angry ignorant ears of the confederacy. I have fought my heart out for nearly a decade here and it is time to pass on the baton. Luckily I have seen the future in the beautiful voices of young black America. They will never give up. They will not be silenced.
As I speak to my black friends, my Jewish friends (who still have a shred of humanity in them), my Muslim friends, my Hispanic friends, my immigrant friends, my female friends, I wonder to myself… How in the holy pho could this happen? How did it happen here? This is supposed to be America, land of the free and home of the brave (though we know that phrase has always applied mostly to affluent white christian males). This is not Nazi Germany, right? But, after a week of reflection I have come to an inconvenient and unpleasant conclusion…
Donald Trump is the only logical and proper representative of these <never truly> United States of America, even as his rise signals for many of us, the death of our nation. May she rest in pieces like the tattered flags left on many a bloodied battlefield.
The great veils of ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy’ have been lifted and the infection that has been festering underneath them this whole time is too grotesque and awful to look at. But I ask all Americans to look at it anyway. And never look away again. Take a deep breath and approach slowly, with a steady gate and with eyes wide open. Understand that complacency and blissful ignorance brought us to this place we stand and to this sobering moment in time. We took certain things for granted: that the civil war was over, that slavery had ended, and that all Americans have access to freedom and equality. However, this was all a great lie and brutal betrayal of our national trust.
Fueled by racism, bigotry, sexism and white nationalism, capitalism and greed have been taken to their most gruesome & horrifying end (by design of course). That is Donald Trump. Stepping on everyone in your path and destroying people's lives on your way to the top of society to grab infinite, unfettered and unchecked power. That is Donald Trump. Raping and pillaging, both in the literal and figurative sense, to fulfill your ‘god given potential’. That is Donald Trump. Corruption, racism, classism, sexism, antisemitism, homophobia, islamaphobia, and xenophobia of all kinds. That is America, and THAT is Donald J Trump.
Capitalism and entrepreneurship in and of themselves are great. They stimulate the economy, inspire innovation and invention, advance science and healthcare, they make a life in the arts possible, and they bring about social change and progress, etc… But take them to their darkest inevitable place, and that's where you will find America today; the land of the free (while having less freedoms than many other countries and incarcerating more than all, including the institutionalized imprisonment of so many black men, our new slavery); and the home of the brave (couldn't possibly be less true right now as the fear and ignorance of so many Americans brought them secretly to pull the lever for a fascist president and his Nazi sympathizing white supremacist cabinet); America is the land of the have everythings and the have nothings. And yet somewhere, hiding in the middle, are the people like me and you, who grew up being fed a steady diet of a lie that was known as 'the American dream'. While this dream exists for affluent and privileged whites, it is systematically denied to everyone else.
America has always belonged to and been governed by rich powerful white men who want to control everyone else who doesn't look, think, or pray like they do. Our founders of course wanted none of this, but to the original point, they themselves were free, white, landowning men. They wrote the rules which set in motion what could have been a beautiful experiment. However, I ask America today to look in the mirror. If you keep your eyes open, and are honest with yourselves, what you will see is Godzilla. A terrible toxic monster born out of years and years of a failed experiment. And right behind those eyes, sitting at the controls of that mechanical beast, is Donald Trump. He is wearing a gold-plated crown, sitting on the throne, and dare I suggest, he sits exactly where he belongs. Don't think so? Ask Vladimir Putin, James Comey, and other foreign and domestic players who had a heavy and corrupt hand manipulating uneducated whites to place him in power.
There was another option of course, but after decades of abusing her, you decided to pass on electing a lifelong public servant. A fighter for children and women, a former First Lady, a Senator from New York, and a globally respected Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was too good for America. Many of us Americans are. We fight the good fight year after year, we help each other, we build communities, we give to those who have nothing, and we bring hope to those who have none. You America, you rejected all logic, reason, and compassion, and instead embraced lies, conspiracies, racism, and egomaniacal serial rapists… you elected the worst human being America had to offer. Hats off to you America, you know what shoe fit.
Growing up in and around New York City, I was led to believe that someone's religion, skin color, or socioeconomic status did not dictate their station or potential in life. However, this was a lie like so many others I was told about our country. The United States of America could have been a great place; a land of opportunity for all; a place where we educate our young people and provide healthcare for all of our citizens. But instead, this country became a shameful place. And now, with the veils of democracy and freedom finally and completely lifted, America has been exposed for all to see. Everyone around the world now knows who she is and what she stands for. America is a selfish place filled with hateful people who care nothing for anyone but themselves; they care only for what's right for THEM, THEIR religious views, and THEIR families, without regard for others who don't share their beliefs or look like them. They apparently have no compassion for others. Am I painting with a broad strokes? Fuck yes I am… But America, fuck yeah!
Donald Trump's America is the one you have been fighting for since 1776. And I'd like to share with you just a few short examples of what has become of America since you decided to support this monster. I work with kids in the Nashville Metro school system. There are daily incidents of Muslim children being attacked verbally and physically (Hume-Fogg, Vanderbilt undergrad, others), of immigrant children being threatened by students and teachers alike to be turned in to immigration and returned to their country of origin. (Oh the irony involved there Murica!) The black children I work with feel more disenfranchised than they ever have, yet their voices WILL be heard. I know of several girls and women who have been sexually assaulted while their attackers scream things like "I am just grabbing a pussy!! USA!! USA!!" And sadly, I know many Jews, both teachers and students, who have endured antisemitic attacks the likes of which haven't been seen for decades. And that's just within the last month.
THIS is finally AMERIKA, unfiltered. THIS is finally the real world. And THIS is just the beginning. If you have any hope left, cling tightly to it. If you have a moral compass, may it guide your path. If you believe in a god, pray to him or her for strength. If you have a soul, reach out to blacks, gays, women, Muslims, hispanic people, refugees and immigrants. Open your minds, your hearts, your doors, and your homes to them. Talk to them. See what they need and how you might be able to help them. To my white heterosexual male friends: please don't assume they automatically see you as part of the oppression. They can tell the difference. They need your love, compassion, and support at this moment more than ever. Take a stand. Reach out. Be an ally.
If you have a fight left in you, fight like hell for this place. Fight until your voice is merely a gasp for air. Fight until all of your blood has spilled onto those streets our ancestors paved and that the oppressors now walk on with comfort and safety. Fight until you can fight no longer. Fight as if your life depends on it. Because frankly, it does.
I have spent the last week of my life mourning bigly, drinking bigly, dreaming bigly, and making plans bigly, folks. I no longer have the strength to be the loud New York voice of reason and equality screaming out to the deaf angry ignorant ears of the confederacy. I have fought my heart out for nearly a decade here and it is time to pass on the baton. Luckily I have seen the future in the beautiful voices of young black America. They will never give up. They will not be silenced.
As I speak to my black friends, my Jewish friends (who still have a shred of humanity in them), my Muslim friends, my Hispanic friends, my immigrant friends, my female friends, I wonder to myself… How in the holy pho could this happen? How did it happen here? This is supposed to be America, land of the free and home of the brave (though we know that phrase has always applied mostly to affluent white christian males). This is not Nazi Germany, right? But, after a week of reflection I have come to an inconvenient and unpleasant conclusion…
Donald Trump is the only logical and proper representative of these <never truly> United States of America, even as his rise signals for many of us, the death of our nation. May she rest in pieces like the tattered flags left on many a bloodied battlefield.
The great veils of ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy’ have been lifted and the infection that has been festering underneath them this whole time is too grotesque and awful to look at. But I ask all Americans to look at it anyway. And never look away again. Take a deep breath and approach slowly, with a steady gate and with eyes wide open. Understand that complacency and blissful ignorance brought us to this place we stand and to this sobering moment in time. We took certain things for granted: that the civil war was over, that slavery had ended, and that all Americans have access to freedom and equality. However, this was all a great lie and brutal betrayal of our national trust.
Fueled by racism, bigotry, sexism and white nationalism, capitalism and greed have been taken to their most gruesome & horrifying end (by design of course). That is Donald Trump. Stepping on everyone in your path and destroying people's lives on your way to the top of society to grab infinite, unfettered and unchecked power. That is Donald Trump. Raping and pillaging, both in the literal and figurative sense, to fulfill your ‘god given potential’. That is Donald Trump. Corruption, racism, classism, sexism, antisemitism, homophobia, islamaphobia, and xenophobia of all kinds. That is America, and THAT is Donald J Trump.
Capitalism and entrepreneurship in and of themselves are great. They stimulate the economy, inspire innovation and invention, advance science and healthcare, they make a life in the arts possible, and they bring about social change and progress, etc… But take them to their darkest inevitable place, and that's where you will find America today; the land of the free (while having less freedoms than many other countries and incarcerating more than all, including the institutionalized imprisonment of so many black men, our new slavery); and the home of the brave (couldn't possibly be less true right now as the fear and ignorance of so many Americans brought them secretly to pull the lever for a fascist president and his Nazi sympathizing white supremacist cabinet); America is the land of the have everythings and the have nothings. And yet somewhere, hiding in the middle, are the people like me and you, who grew up being fed a steady diet of a lie that was known as 'the American dream'. While this dream exists for affluent and privileged whites, it is systematically denied to everyone else.
America has always belonged to and been governed by rich powerful white men who want to control everyone else who doesn't look, think, or pray like they do. Our founders of course wanted none of this, but to the original point, they themselves were free, white, landowning men. They wrote the rules which set in motion what could have been a beautiful experiment. However, I ask America today to look in the mirror. If you keep your eyes open, and are honest with yourselves, what you will see is Godzilla. A terrible toxic monster born out of years and years of a failed experiment. And right behind those eyes, sitting at the controls of that mechanical beast, is Donald Trump. He is wearing a gold-plated crown, sitting on the throne, and dare I suggest, he sits exactly where he belongs. Don't think so? Ask Vladimir Putin, James Comey, and other foreign and domestic players who had a heavy and corrupt hand manipulating uneducated whites to place him in power.
There was another option of course, but after decades of abusing her, you decided to pass on electing a lifelong public servant. A fighter for children and women, a former First Lady, a Senator from New York, and a globally respected Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was too good for America. Many of us Americans are. We fight the good fight year after year, we help each other, we build communities, we give to those who have nothing, and we bring hope to those who have none. You America, you rejected all logic, reason, and compassion, and instead embraced lies, conspiracies, racism, and egomaniacal serial rapists… you elected the worst human being America had to offer. Hats off to you America, you know what shoe fit.
Growing up in and around New York City, I was led to believe that someone's religion, skin color, or socioeconomic status did not dictate their station or potential in life. However, this was a lie like so many others I was told about our country. The United States of America could have been a great place; a land of opportunity for all; a place where we educate our young people and provide healthcare for all of our citizens. But instead, this country became a shameful place. And now, with the veils of democracy and freedom finally and completely lifted, America has been exposed for all to see. Everyone around the world now knows who she is and what she stands for. America is a selfish place filled with hateful people who care nothing for anyone but themselves; they care only for what's right for THEM, THEIR religious views, and THEIR families, without regard for others who don't share their beliefs or look like them. They apparently have no compassion for others. Am I painting with a broad strokes? Fuck yes I am… But America, fuck yeah!
Donald Trump's America is the one you have been fighting for since 1776. And I'd like to share with you just a few short examples of what has become of America since you decided to support this monster. I work with kids in the Nashville Metro school system. There are daily incidents of Muslim children being attacked verbally and physically (Hume-Fogg, Vanderbilt undergrad, others), of immigrant children being threatened by students and teachers alike to be turned in to immigration and returned to their country of origin. (Oh the irony involved there Murica!) The black children I work with feel more disenfranchised than they ever have, yet their voices WILL be heard. I know of several girls and women who have been sexually assaulted while their attackers scream things like "I am just grabbing a pussy!! USA!! USA!!" And sadly, I know many Jews, both teachers and students, who have endured antisemitic attacks the likes of which haven't been seen for decades. And that's just within the last month.
THIS is finally AMERIKA, unfiltered. THIS is finally the real world. And THIS is just the beginning. If you have any hope left, cling tightly to it. If you have a moral compass, may it guide your path. If you believe in a god, pray to him or her for strength. If you have a soul, reach out to blacks, gays, women, Muslims, hispanic people, refugees and immigrants. Open your minds, your hearts, your doors, and your homes to them. Talk to them. See what they need and how you might be able to help them. To my white heterosexual male friends: please don't assume they automatically see you as part of the oppression. They can tell the difference. They need your love, compassion, and support at this moment more than ever. Take a stand. Reach out. Be an ally.
If you have a fight left in you, fight like hell for this place. Fight until your voice is merely a gasp for air. Fight until all of your blood has spilled onto those streets our ancestors paved and that the oppressors now walk on with comfort and safety. Fight until you can fight no longer. Fight as if your life depends on it. Because frankly, it does.
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