** This one was harder than I ever thought it could be. Seriously, how hard could it be to talk about someone who has captivated the world? Someone who has created such strong feelings in people, that they are even willing to physically harm each other in order to get their point across. But maybe because this is such a sticky and hard subject to navigate that boiling him down to a few bullet points is nearly impossible.
REMEMBER: THIS IS MY OPINION - IF YOU DO NOT AGREE, THAT'S FINE. BUT I THINK YOU SHOULD KEEP READING AND THEN MAKE SURE TO COMMENT
But I said I was going to try so here goes..........
Donald Trump -
Unless you're living under a rock you know who he is. That also means you know what kind of polarizing effect he has on, not only this country but the world.
His effect can be felt everywhere, but I'm going to focus on who he means to us, how we see him and why underestimating him and relegating him to the "harmless" pile, is dangerous.
We all know who he is, he's been everywhere for as long as most of us can remember. He has been featured in movies, rap songs, TV shows and of course the world stage.
This man was never meant to win. I will always believe that he truly thought he had no chance and because of this, he entered into the Presidential race with no fucks to give. He did what he does best, he talked a good game read the crowd and responded accordingly. He is a man who knows how to take the temperature of a room, zero in on what makes his crowd tick and use that knowledge to his advantage. But with all of that said, we still refuse to see him for who he and who his supporters truly are. It is because of this, that if we do not open our eyes we will be doomed to repeat the past few years.
He's Smarter Than He is Given Credit For -
We love to talk about how stupid he is, and believe me he's no Mensa member but we do ourselves a disservice every time we declare that he's stupid and choose to look no further. Part of the miscalculation that those who oppose him make is that they refuse to see the genius behind the man. There is a long list of world leaders who have brought pure destruction even though they are not or were not Rhode Scholars. Instead, we gloss over is the fact that even though they may not be what we consider traditionally intelligent, they are and were smart enough to suck people into their vision of the future.
People have a hard time seeing intellect outside of a narrowly designed scope. We forget that classic intelligence is not the only marker. Street smarts and the ability to con someone shows a level of intelligence that most "smart" people do not have. When you remove the rules of society from your code of ethics you open up a whole new avenue for yourself.
Donald Trump by definition if not by action is a grifter, a con artist - The dictionary defines a grifter and a con artist as:
grift·er
/ˈɡriftər/
noun INFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN
a person who engages in petty or small-scale swindling.
"I saw him as a grifter who preys upon people"
con art·ist
noun INFORMAL
a person who cheats or tricks others by persuading them to believe something that is not true.
"the debonair con artist lives by scamming rich women"
He like most megalomaniacs is not a traditional intellectual. Instead he and those like him were most often; were viewed as the "common man". And the one thing they had going for them was that they were smart enough to see the forest for the trees.
So instead of being caught up in things that they could not change; intelligence, money, station in life. They were able to tap into what their target audience wanted and they used it to their advantage.
He not only has the uncanny ability to see what those in front of him want and also the ability to read the social and political climate. There's no denying that the popular consensus is that; he never thought he was going to be elected. But once he did, got past the shock of the situation and acclimated himself, he decided that he was going to ride the horse until the wheels fell off.
How Is He A Con Artist? -
We have been so angry, so scared for so long that most of his supporters and let's be honest, even his detractors let his lies go from the beginning without question. We were fascinated by his rhetoric that we we bought a ticket the "Donald Show", wanting to see how far it would take us.
Here's an example of his ability to get us to believe his lies. This is just one among many......
The very first lie was when he ran on the Republican ticket. We had an opportunity to call him out for the grifter he was right then, but we did what we all do best; we were mesmerized by his shtick.
He has changed his party affiliation so many times, that anyone who believes he's a true dyed in the wool Republican is fooling themselves. If he has proven anything it's that he has no loyalties.
Political positions of Donald Trump
Trump registered as a Republican in Manhattan in 1987 and since that time has changed his party affiliation five times. In 1999, Trump changed his party affiliation to the Independence Party of New York. In August 2001, Trump changed his party affiliation to Democratic. In September 2009, Trump changed his party affiliation back to the Republican Party. In December 2011, Trump changed to "no party affiliation" (independent). In April 2012, Trump again returned to the Republican Party.[24]
In a 2004 interview, Trump told CNN's Wolf Blitzer: "In many cases, I probably identify more as Democrat," explaining: "It just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats than the Republicans. Now, it shouldn't be that way. But if you go back, I mean it just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats [...] But certainly we had some very good economies under Democrats, as well as Republicans. But we've had some pretty bad disaster under the Republicans."[25]
In a July 2015 interview, Trump said that he has a broad range of political positions and that "I identify with some things as a Democrat."[24]
Joshua Gillin, Bush says Trump was a Democrat longer than a Republican 'in the last decade', PolitiFact (August 24, 2015)
.^ Chris Moody, Trump in '04: 'I probably identify more as Democrat', CNN (July 21, 2015).
(Racism) He Didn't Create The Situation We're In - He Highlighted It -
You would be delusional to think that racism in this country has subsided or even come to a slow crawl. Just because it morphs from one form to another doesn't mean it ever went away. Some of us had become so complacent simply because blatant racism seemed to be on the decline. But don't worry it's always been there.
The problem is, perception. When people tend to think of racism they think of the blatant in your face version. You know like Permit Patty or this individual below.
But what had happened is during the Obama years we began to feel like things had started to turn a corner. Obama introduced legislation to combat the ever-present racism in this country. In response, a lot of blatant racists went underground. They came to realize that the in your face kind wasn't going to do so well under his administration.
Now here we are:
As Hate Crimes Climb for Third Straight Year, Democrats Prepare Hearings
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Yes, he has helped to stoke the fires of the in your face racism but getting rid of him will not get rid of his influence. He has poured gasoline on an already smoldering fire. Once he is long gone those who believe his lies and rhetoric will only be further spurned to action. Many of his followers see him as Messiah of sorts and if and when he is impeached many will only identify it as the persecution of an everyday man. A man who had the guts to stand up and speak up for those who couldn't.
Sounds crazy? Well, these are the times we are living in and if we keep trying to play by the same old set of polite rules we will only further this countries destruction.
His Followers Worship Him -
You don't have to look very far before you find an unbridled Trump supporter. More often than you realize people you would never suspect voted for him and keep supporting him.
Perfect example of how far people who love him are willing to go:
Trump: "I Could Stand In the Middle Of Fifth Avenue And Shoot Somebody And I Wouldn't Lose Any Voters"
"You know what else they say about my people? The polls, they say I have the most loyal people. Did you ever see that? Where I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters, okay? It’s like incredible," Trump said.
Let's be honest, it's true.
We may not want it to be true, but the time for wishing is over. He has done what we liberals refused or failed to do. He found those who felt oppressed, ignored, left behind and heard what they truly wanted.
I mean he really listened, regardless of whether he truly cared didn't matter. He was willing to hear them and in doing so tapped into a wealth of anger, fear,, and disenfranchisement. He used all of this to fuel his campaign and he has been relying upon it to keep him in office ever since.
If someone came to you at your lowest and offered you a way out, would you follow, follow blindly or would you question his motivations? For most people who feel as if they're drowning, saying no to the only lifeline you see insight isn't an option.
You might think I'm being too kind, or excusing bigots but I'm not. It's time that we stop plugging the dam with labels hoping it will hold.
It doesn't matter if Bob down the street is a racist, that's another fight for another day. What only matters is that as long as Bob is left to his own devices he's going to go out and find others like him. They will then have like-minded discussions with no opposition; because we have completely written them off, they will grow in strength and conviction. Then the next time we see Bob will be when Bob is ready for battle.
DO NOT WEAPONIZE HATE!
We don't have the luxury to ignore those who love Trump anymore. If we did, then the table below would never have happened. If you think that the margin was small, think again.
Makeup of Clinton and Trump voters by 2012 presidential vote, based on the 2016 ANES
***I can't say this enough. The time to ignore those who love him is over unless you want him in office in 2020 keep burying your head in the sand. The time to listen is now. We live in a country with people who hate us simply because of how we look, how we pray, who we pray to, what our last name is, the food we eat...... this list could go on and on. But the bottom line is, we live in this country with these people. And unless we plan on leaving we need to find a way to combat the hate, for good. ***
But we also live in a country with people who feel lost and alone. They voted for a man that many felt were repugnant but was the only person who would listen to them. They ignored their own warning bells for the chance to be listened to. Some of them have realized that they got more than they bargained for but many more are sticking to their guns.
And as long as we continue to push him off as this doddering old grandpa who is just screaming into the void, then we will continue to go down the path that we started ourselves on.
They bought into a false dream, a fake promise, a golden calf of a man
In 1988,the Group Living Colour released the below song , little did they know how prophetic this song really was.
Living Colour
Cult of Personality
Look in my eyes, what do you see?
The cult of personality
I know your anger, I know your dreams
I've been everything you want to be
I'm the cult of personality
Like Mussolini and Kennedy
I'm the cult of personality
The cult of personality
The cult of personality
Neon lights, a Nobel Prize
Then a mirror speaks, the reflection lies
You don't have to follow me
Only you can set me free
I sell the things you need to be
I'm the smiling face on your T.V.
I'm the cult of personality
I exploit you still you love me
I tell you one and one makes three
I'm the cult of personality
Like Joseph Stalin and Gandhi
I'm the cult of personality
The cult of personality
The cult of personality
Neon lights a Nobel Prize
A leader speaks, that leader dies
You don't have to follow me
Only you can set you free
You gave me fortune
You gave me fame
You gave me power in your own god's name
I'm every person you need to be
Oh, I'm the cult of personality
I'm the cult of, I'm the cult of, I'm the cult of, I'm the cult of
I'm the cult of, I'm the cult of, I'm the cult of, I'm the cult of personality
This country held up a mirror to itself and who we saw was; Donald Trump. Whether we love him or we hate him he is us. He is the worst parts of what this country has become.