Many people are calling for us to give Trump a chance; to not condemn him for what he said on the campaign trail, and for what he’s done since he won the election: for the Twitter rants and for the nominations he’s made, appointing people who seem both unqualified for the office assigned, and who in many cases have long espoused views in direct contradiction to the roles of the departments they have been proposed to head.
But I, and many others, cannot overlook either his words or his actions. For so many of us it is not about politics, as some have suggested; it is about what his administration brings to our country. The misogyny, the racism, the discrimination of immigrants (Muslims and others), anti-semitic views, and the general bigotry he prescribes to. We are one country, but if we descend into hating people we go against the very principles that our Founding Fathers crafted in our great constitution.
If we don’t take a stand to protect others in our country, we will lose the fundamental precepts that we were founded upon. That is why many of us are resisting Trump, his views and words go against all we believe in. To care about others and to act on that care is vital to what our democracy stands for and what the Founding Fathers dreamed of.
In reality, hate crimes have gone up since the election, synagogues are being threatened,the poor are being disparaged, the disabled are being mocked, immigrants are being threatened (the country was founded by Europeans and they killed the indigenous people which makes us great hypocrites). Immigrants are the richness that has fed America through the centuries. They brought to America their skills, dreams and hard work and are part of the reason America is great.
Yes, I realize that this isn’t what Trump says, but based upon my beliefs and others, America is still great. America gives everyone the ability to dream and work hard and move up in our society. America, because of the influence of many immigrants, is still the place that you can work to make yourself rise above where you were born in the social structure of your country of their birth. America is also the country where others care about your education, health, losses, accomplishments and ability to work for yourself and your family, The desire for our children to become more than what we are is paramount to the American dream.
America is not perfect. Hatred is a great deal of the reason why. For instance, because the Founding Fathers could not come to any type of a decision on slavery, they postponed that decision until a future generation would be able to come to a moral and ethical solution. We ended up freeing the slaves during the Civil War. Has America provided minorities equality and the same opportunities that white people have? No. The racism that stumped The Founding Fathers and that crippled the South for many years is still a problem.
As Americans, we must look at the bigotry, racism, and sexism that dwells within our hearts and souls. We need to be honest with ourselves, face it head on, and overcome the desire to blame others for what is not right in our lives. Black people, Jews, and women are not the reason you find your life lacking. They are not the reason you lost your job or don’t have health insurance, or don’t have the family you always dreamed of. But other caring Americans can help and give you support. Often, others can and would advise you, give you a hand, or just assist in ways you can determine.
America has never been perfect but we have continued to try. We haven’t tried hard enough and there are people whose lives can testify to that. Education, hard work and being honest with ourselves will take us to what we desire. By being responsible for all of our actions we negate the habit to blame others for our losses and disappointments.
America must realize that while we are great, we each need to love our fellow citizens despite their religion, color, gender, education level, and socio-economic place in our society. Only then we can rise together to fulfill our dreams and to make America the best it can possibly be.
idealisticrebel 
Well said!
Thank you so much Carolyn
Reblogged this on Art by Rob Goldstein.
Thank you so much for your support and the reblog. It is nice to meet you. Hugs, Barbara
Absolutely true! Beautifully expressed.
Your praise means a lot. Thank you.
Reblogged this on saywhatumean2say and commented:
Well Said. ~~dru~~
Thank you so much. Also thanks for the reblog. It is much appreciated. Hugs, Barbara
Thank you so much. I appreciate your kindness. Hugs, Barbara
Hi. Interesting to read your post and I hope that you and others keep fighting to be heard. Looking from the United Kingdom across the pond the world has become a very frightening place. Here as well.
— There was a special friendship between America and the UK–what of that now?
— Bullying, racism, sexism and countless other “isms” are now being normalised
— Society is being replaced by “Deals” and “Beautiful things”; government and democracy are being replaced by people who happen to be Smart quick thinking individuals, regardless of their personal values or moral compass
— We seem to be intent on asking our Politicians “What can you do for me”?
— There seems to be less interest in asking Politicans “What can you do for society and community”?
Thank you for your very astute comment. You have a really good grasp on issues here and unfortunately in the UK. I had no idea that you had many of the same problems. They, the professors and pundits, say that the entire world is now trending into a populist world. I fear these new leaders who think only of themselves and who, through their actions, are promoting the idea that everyone is on their own; that we as societies have no responsibility to lend a helping hand to our friends and neighbor; that our local cities and communities no longer are to be important in our lives. They have constructed a dog eat dog world. For us, the “we the people” faction of the equation, we are morally bound to help people and to nurture those who are on the edges of society. It is shocking what “Christian countries” are willing to change in the name of security. We had a large segment of our country who did not vote. There were many who voted because Trump appealed to their inner hatred and promised to release them from having to continue to move themselves forward in life; many disgruntled white males are angry that they lost their jobs and the country and life seemed to be passing them by. They felt no desire to return to school, consider the possibility of new jobs, or get involved in their communities. Consequently, after twenty to thirty years of chosen non-involvement, they are angry and are willing to blame others for their disenchantment. They don’t see themselves as part of the problem; they see only that they are not involved in American life and the dream has passed them by. John F. Kennedy said when he was president: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country.” That philosophy has been thrown into the gutter. I feel it is still an important part of democratic life.
Along comes a hate filled, bigoted, misogynist white male, who is racist and elitist. A man who became a candidate to feed his narcissistic character and need for the limelight. He disparaged women and effectually sexualized them. He fed into the insecurities by bashing minorities, Jews, Muslims, the disabled and women. The idea is that these groups are the reason these disaffected white men are not the happy entitled white man, successful in his life, views, and head of his family. This white male is not responsible for what his life lacks, but these “others” are the reason he is unhappy and out of date. America no longer needs the manual worker, the man who works and comes home, has a few, yells at the TV news and goes to bed. Those days are gone. We are all having to change, to become more realized. Then a hate mongering white man comes along a plugs himself into these narrow and bigoted lives. Then we are left with a selfish, bigoted leader who will do anything necessary to control America and to loudly put down his opponents. He is not playing fair. He doesn’t care about peoples lives. He wants to destroy the media, at least the part that doesn’t agree with him. Because of all this, we protest and we RESIST. Welcome to the new America.
Well said! As an immigrant, I care about my adopted homeland and my fellow citizens who bring joy and hope to my life.
Thank you. It has been a tough time since the election for so many of us. We must take care of each other. xoxo
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I would LOVE your opinion on my latest blog post! ❤ https://goldisfromaliens.com/2017/02/17/we-both-wear-spanx-and-other-things-i-have-in-common-with-donald-trump/
Thanks for stopping by and I did leave you a comment on your blog. I hope we will get to be good friends. Hugs, Barbara
Thanks so much. Appreciate the advice/suport and look forward to more of both… both ways! ❤