I don’t know about you, fellow Liberal Americans, but I have had countless Republican friends and relations telling me that I am overreacting to the shock and horror of Donald Trump’s election.
They tell me to “calm down” and to “give him a chance.” I’m supposed to “keep an open mind.”
Well, guess what?
I am not overreacting to the sexism, the racism, the ugly, disgusting underbelly of America that has been exposed by Donald Trump and his campaign of hate.
In fact, since I haven’t yet put myself out there on the street to oppose him and his GOP coconspirators, I have definitely “underreacted” to what is happening.
Here is a story for you. It shows how the election of the world’s most underprepared leader was at least in part a backlash from all of the racists who have been writhing in pain watching Black Americans in the White House.
This story comes from the state of West Virginia, where two officials took to Facebook to express their pleasure at the election outcome.
One woman, whose name is Pamela Taylor, is the director of the Clay County Development Corporation. Her job is paid for out of state and federal funds. Another way to put this would be to say that she’s living off the taxpayers’ dime.
According to WSAZ News, this person posted a status that said this:
“It will be refreshing to have a classy, beautiful, dignified First Lady in the White House. I’m tired of seeing an ape in heels.”
Her good friend, Beverly Whaling just happens to be the Mayor of Clay, W. Virginia. Elected by the taxpayers, who pay her salary, too. She replied to the above with this:
“Made my day, Pam!”
Naturally, there was a huge outcry about this disgusting bit of racism.
Naturally, the post was taken down.
An online petition demanded that both of these bigots be fired. It got almost 2,000 signatures, prompting Ms. Taylor to write an apology.
As if that will undo the damage.
See, here’s the thing that I want my conservative friends and family to understand: When someone acts in a way that encourages people to hate, mock, insult, and demean our fellow American citizens, we can’t “give him a chance.”
There is no “open mind” to be kept here. There is only a recognition of the fact that this country has been trying to move past our worst days to enter a better time. We have been trying to chip away at the inequality and injustice that we know still exists within us.
Donald Trump used every one of our worst instincts to turn us against each other and to embrace the most awful forms of intolerance.
Since his election just one week ago, we’ve seen one example after another of people who feel empowered to express their repressed ugliness. The two women who used those deplorable words about the First Lady of the United States have used Trump’s election to free their inner Klansmen.
We are not overreacting when we say that one way or another, this man and his minions must be stopped.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F7YDb310QI
Featured image by UK Department for International Development. Available through CC BY 2.0 license.
