I’m an optimist. I like to look for the wisdom and benefit of all situations. So… what follows is my opinion, my optimistic hope, of what Donald Trump is doing for our country that will be of benefit.
First, I need to state that Donald Trump is a liar. Donald Trump is a racist. Donald Trump is a classist. Donald Trump is a misogynist. This is not conspiracy theory, this is not opinion, I have seen and heard actual text, audio, and video of the (real) Donald Trump espousing these views. So… Donald Trump is a liar, racist, classist, and misogynist (among other ‘ists’). I need to state this plainly and clearly, we all know the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes.
Now the positive. In my view, what he has done for this country is remove the neutral. No one can any longer assume a neutral stance on any issues of importance. If you are not speaking out against racism, then you are speaking for it… there is no neutral ground. If you are not actively standing with social justice for women, LGBTQ persons, indigenous rights, low economic status persons, immigrants… then you are actively standing against those people and their basic human rights. There is no neutral ground. If you are already doing something… either for or against, great… if you are not, please take this message to heart.
The person occupying our highest office is overtly making selfishness, divisiveness, predatory behavior, vindictiveness, classism, ‘otherness’ in the form of racism, xenophobia, ableism, religious intolerance, wealth-ism… a clear, overt, operational, and central part of the narrative of our society. Although we most certainly have been deeply damaging to others as we have grown as a country, America’s greatest and most noble narrative has included ideals enshrined through Emma Lazarus’ poem, The Colossus, on the Statue of Liberty… “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” The Colossus also says that (the United States) as a global beacon… “glows world-wide welcome…” Indeed, the United States, through diplomacy and connection, has been striving for our highest ideals of, social justice, tolerance, openness, creativity, innovation, a true worldview to heal the planet beyond petty nationalism and intolerance. While our military has, as it’s mandate, been standing against the forces in this world that oppose human rights, freedom, and autonomy.
Trumps mission has now made the distinction clear; we are either the beacon of welcome and defense against ignorance… or we are building walls made of bricks of fear attempting to keep others out but in effect are the walls of a prison that trap us inside at the expense of our true freedom and worth as a nation. There are no other choices. The wisdom of Donald Trump is that he is now outing embedded, institutional, systemic aspects of each instance where we do not meet the ideals upon which the country is founded (equality, justice, fair representation, freedom, truth). He is boldly claiming fraternity with, and perpetuation of, our collective shadow transgressions against fellow humans. A good thing on balance to make the covert overt. However, it is now the duty of each person to choose… to choose for or against… you cannot not choose. To not choose is to agree with the Donald Trump narrative of intolerance, fear, and division.
If you agree with Donald Trump, then please, sit back and relax, good job, your work is done. If you do not agree with Donald Trump, the questions now become; ‘How will you stand against? What will you do’. What concrete actions will you take? What movement will you join? What conversations will you have? What connections will you make? Every person in this country is now unable to not choose... What will you do?