AN EDITED VERSION OF THIS POST IS SCHEDULED TO APPEAR IN LETTERS TO THE EDITOR IN THE RECORD, A BERGEN COUNTY NEWSPAPER
What Mr. Trump does with his bigotry, his hatreds, his vitriol, his invectice, his diatribes is to give sanctuary to the worst instincts, the anger, the distortions of those whose prejudices and ugliness seek confirmation. His is the warm embrace, the succor that makes them comfortable in giving voice, in giving life to their malevolence.
If the President of the United States, the President of the United States says they are not wrong to feel rage against immigrants, if he tells them that Mexicans and Muslims are an existential threat to this nation, then ipso facto this will be a land more prone to violent attacks, to tragedy piled upon tragedy.
Mr. Trump's words do not exist in a vacuum, studied and then discarded. They attach to the heart and soul of those who believe in him. They become part of the listener as much as they are of the speaker. And their acts are an extension of what Mr. Trump has invoked.
So the old adage about sticks and stones is a falsehood. For Mr. Trump's comments do give cover to cruelty, do incite hostilities, do cause damage far more real and permanent than bruised feelings. Words, especially those of Mr. Trump, are far too often the catalyst for grave, irreparable harm.
5 comments:
BRILLIANT! LOIS
A wise essay. ND
The fault is not just the idiot in the White House. Over several administrations, both Republican and Democrat, our government (and the public at large) have looked the other way concerning the drastic exodus of jobs. No President has had the political courage to demand a joint government / corporate initiative to keep jobs here, The balance sheets of Wall Street were too rosey for anyone to bother. Our inaction has radicalized those that no longer believe in government, and sewn the seeds of economic hatred and resentment. --RE
Great piece!
FK
You have an intelligent following. I think the response from RE, whoever that is, puts a finger right on the larger truth. As during the Industrial Revolution, when it was most acute, progress brought rapid change, and change made winners and, in cruel numbers, losers. It is all of our losers today -- the millions who suffered through the era of downsizing in the 70's and 80's and the vast numbers who saw their jobs callously shipped overseas that stoke the fires of malcontent. America has been asleep for too long. Trump has it all wrong. But he is waking people up. Hopefully they will rub their eyes and see more clearly than he.
Sorry, but there is a lot of Pete Seeger in me.
Hope all is well. Oh, if you are game, please convey to RE my nod of appreciation.
GB
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