If being a “libtard” is wrong, I don’t want to be right…

This morning, I came across an interesting discussion posted by a guy I’ve known since about the fourth grade. My friend is a black man who, like me, grew up in rural Gloucester County. He no longer lives there now, but is still friendly with a lot of folks from Gloucester, many of whom are dyed in the wool conservatives who seem convinced that Donald Trump is a great American and the best president we’ve ever had. Naturally, if you’ve been reading this blog for long, you know I wholeheartedly disagree. It’s not just because he’s a Republican, either. It’s because he’s just a vile person, in my view. I have a lot of reasons for feeling the way I do. Here’s a list.

• His obvious disdain for non-whites, especially those at the southern border of the United States.

• His admiration for dictators and totalitarian rulers like Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin.

• His disrespect of women… as evidenced by his unabashed bragging about grabbing them by the pussy, raping his first wife, Ivana, and disgusting comments he made about wanting to “date” the late Princess Diana and even his older daughter, Ivanka. He’s made misogynistic comments as he’s attacked women’s reproductive freedoms.

• His disregard for poor people and relentless attacks on social safety nets. He lacks compassion, and doesn’t care what happens to people who are struggling… especially if they come from what he regards as a “shithole country”.

• His complete ignorance of a vast array of topics and unwillingness to learn.

• His incompetence regarding how the government is run, which has resulted in a revolving door of his staff and a complete lack of stability in the government.

• His complete lack of civility and grace when dealing with leaders of other countries or even hosting people at the White House, which he once referred to as a “real dump”.

• His totally unrealistic and narcissistic view of himself… seriously, just days ago, he tweeted a picture of his head on Sylvester Stallone’s body from Rocky. I only wish he’d try to run up and down the stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Maybe he’d finally have a coronary.
• His history as a “draft dodger” with bone spurs, as he criticized he late military hero Senator John McCain for being a prisoner of war during the Vietnam era.

I could certainly go on with this list, but breakfast is cooking and I need to get to the point of this post. I’m hungry, and the grits are smelling good today!

Anyway, my old friend from Gloucester posted that he was very surprised that someone on his friends list recently posted that they felt that racial tensions are at an all time low since Trump became president. My friend was obviously surprised by that statement, as were a number of our mutual friends and acquaintances who chimed in on the thread. But then a couple of obvious Trump fans joined in. I won’t go into what they posted because it was mostly apologetics and insistence that “lefties” are relentlessly turning everyone against Donald Trump, whom they claim isn’t a racist and has actually made things better for black people and everyone else.

Uh huh… I’ve found that most people who cheer Trump only focus on whether or not they have more money. They don’t seem to see the big picture, and realize that a president’s success isn’t just about having a few extra bucks to spend.

But then, one guy who seemed determined to cheer for Trump posted this gem of a comment:

Actually, his prison reform has helped the black community more than any other, but let’s not even bring that up. This is the problem with the left. For the last 3yrs, they have done absolutely nothing for this country and have solely focused on getting him out of office. In fact, the impeachment talks began just months after he took office. Despite the positive things he has done for this country, not one single libtard can give him one ounce of credit. America is getting tired of all the “we got him now” moments, move on!

Wow. When a person posts the term “libtard” in a thread about defending Trump as a non-racist, I stop listening. If you feel comfortable in publicly referring to people with different politics as any incarnation of the word “retard” used as an insult, I can only imagine what you say among friends behind closed doors. My guess is that this person has other charming names for women, non-whites, poor people, or anyone else who doesn’t fit with his narrow world view. Moreover, he speaks for all Americans instead of just himself. Obviously, he doesn’t get the big picture, either.

Personally, I believe that the best thing a person can do to rid themselves of xenophobia and racist leanings is to travel. Unfortunately, a lot of Americans lack a passport. Some can’t afford one, and some are simply convinced that the world has nothing to offer them. So they sit in their bubbles assuming that they know how the whole world works, and anyone who doesn’t see things the way they do must simply be “retarded”. What a shame, and how embarrassing for those people!

I used to be pretty conservative myself, until I got out and saw more of the world. I now think our only hope for survival is cooperation, understanding, and kindness. It really is a pity when a person has to resort to insulting an entire group of people simply because they have a different viewpoint.

Anyway, breakfast is ready, and Bill and I have to go to Landstuhl today so he can get scoped tomorrow. I’m sure I’ll add more as things get even shittier today. Stay tuned.