Saturday, November 12, 2016

First Trump: Now You

You scare me.

You there, the one who I thought supported the cause of civil civil liberties for people with disabilities. The one who was horrified at Donald Trump's mocking of the disabled reporter. The one who said 'Who would do something like that?' You said it with sincerity and even furor. And you know the shittiest thing of all? I believed you. I believed you actually cared about how people with disabilities were spoken about, how people with disabilities were portrayed and how people with disabilities deserved respect. More fool I.

I guess that why you scare me so much.

Because I believed you, I taught myself that I can't trust myself or my judgements. I can't identify an ally. I can't identify those that secretly revile me and those like me and who pretend otherwise to advance political agendas from those who truly support me, and people like me. You hurt my sense of trust, of others, and of myself.

Why?

I see your posts. I see you calling Trump all sorts of names. Yeah you, the person who got all teary and all upset when discussing Trump's behaviour and stating that he was a 'bully' and a 'name caller.' Yeah, now you are the one calling names the one using the tactics that repulsed you when 'the Trump' did it.

Worse the words you use are most often about his intelligence. Words that has systematically been used to oppress and to segregate people with intellectual disabilities. Now, though I don't use most commonly used words for people who are supposedly of low intelligence, and I protest only the 'R word' when it's spoken or written, I see the pattern of the comments and the posts ... all equating 'low intelligence' with bigotry and bias and bullying. All suggesting that Trump is a low intelligence kind of guy who deserves no respect.

Now I don't respect Trump because of his behaviour. It's his behaviour alone that disturbs me. I don't care about anything else. I don't care what his intelligence level is, as I've found this to correlate with pretty much nothing. I don't care what his education is, as I've found this to correlate with less than nothing. I don't care about who he is at all ... I care what he says and what he does. I care that he makes racist, sexist, homophobic, disphobic and ableist comments. I care that he sees women as people to be valued, on his scale, and assaulted on his whim. I care about those things.

Why aren't you talking about those things?

Why are you suggesting that his behaviour is a result of a slow mind rather than a heart charred with hatred and prejudice ... isn't that the issue?

So next time you are going to call him a name, think about it. Don't bully the bully.

So next time you are going to focus on his intelligence, think about it. Don't classify some. Instead comment on his behaviour.

So next time you pretend offence at disphobic, ableist, language and behaviour, look deep in your heart and if you find that, beyond puffed up outrage, you actually do care. Let that change you.

4 comments:

ABEhrhardt said...

I agree.

I didn't want Trump.

I didn't vote for him.

But he has called out the hidden hate in not only his supporters - but his opponents.

I won't do this. I get out of any conversations where this happens. I will not demonize him (he does that fine just by himself).

And I won't let him bring me down to that hatred level where it is somehow though okay to use his tactics against him. Because it isn't okay when HE does it, and it isn't okay when ANYBODY does it.

The people I stopped following or unfriended during the process were the ones who were using a hate I didn't even know they had against Mrs. Clinton; now I seem to have to watch those who would do it to him.

It is NEVER okay to hate - and it never accomplishes anything positive.

Even if we can point to him and say, "He taught us." Nothing says I have to follow a terrible example.

Unknown said...

Well said. Unfortunately this situation has brought out the hidden worst in a lot of people. Bullying the bully makes you no better than him.

Unknown said...

you have often reflected for us the ways that we speak out of bias that we may not realize we are holding.....i know i have learned much about my own behavior from reading your blog for several years.....
how to create dialogue, or at least openings in the mind/heart to reflect on what we are saying and doing......has always been the challenge....now more than ever, keep writing and teaching!! You help all of us.
Clairesmum

Belinda said...

Yes, "Be the change you want to see." Amen and great points.