This is not normal. This cannot be normalized. These words have been uttered many times since the election in an attempt to state the platform Trump ran on cannot be one we blithely accept and ingrain into everyday life.
The startling fact that should not be ignored is Trump’s election has galvanized many of his supporters to attack those they dislike. Frequently, the individuals being attacked are minorities and women. The election validated Trump’s supporters’ sexist, racist feelings, and in their minds, now is a great time to share those feelings openly.
In just 10 days after the election, hate crimes that were reported numbered 900. The majority of these attacks occurred in schools. It has now been over a month since the election, and these issues have showed no signs of slowing.
The most disheartening aspect of these reports are their frequency and location. Schools should be places for people to learn and thrive in a safe environment. Now we’ve enabled children and adults to spew hateful bile at people with no cause or justification.
A key component for the continued attacks, anti-immigrant sentiments and other baseless vitriol is the president-elect taken very little substantive action to disavow this behavior and to distance himself from the more radical factions of his base of supporters.
It took a lot of effort for Trump just to disavow the “alt-right” movement, which is essentially cutesy-speak for Neo-Nazism. Our media has pushed this behavior with puff pieces glorifying the style of leaders of the “alt-right,” which is a huge issue for minority Americans. Trump even intends to nominate a man who was deemed too racist to be a judge in the 1980s as attorney general. Disavowed, my ass.
Digital media and, more importantly, the president-elect are all actively failing the United States, and we are allowing it to happen.
These issues show no signs of letting up. The recent “Pizzagate” controversy prompted a Trump supporter to fire a gun in a Washington, D.C., pizza parlor. This was in response to a totally unfounded Reddit investigation into Hillary Clinton and her campaign manager allegedly running a child sex ring. The craziest part is this incredibly idiotic claim has been supported by Trump surrogates.
Therein lies the chief issue with Trump as president-elect. He is more than happy to stir the pot and watch it boil, but when it overflows, he retreats and attempts to maintain his orange, reality-star sheen of detachment. Trump to this date seems to tweet more about Saturday Night Live than about condemning hateful attacks perpetrated in his name. The amount of condemnation tweets equals zero, by the way.
On top of this, he is working to ensure his cabinet is filled with like-minded people. Those “drain the swamp” chants? He responded by installing a ex-Goldman Sachs billionaires. You’re welcome, blue-collar America.
Trump’s utter disregard for logic and the safety of all Americans is on full display and should truly worry us.
Now is not the time for white people who voted Democrat to pat each other on the back. Now is a time to speak up and demand protection for all Americans from our president-elect. This begins with condemning attacks in his name. Media, cut the promotional puff pieces. Seriously.
macwhitt@umail.iu.edu
