An Open Letter to My Friends Who Support Donald Trump

An Open Letter to My Friends Who Support Donald Trump

Jeremy Nix is a Citizen Journalist who writes for the The Huffington Post. I recently came across a blog post from him that I thought many of you would like to read. I need to make it clear that this article does not reflect the views of Educate Inspire Change but nonetheless I think it is well written and feel that many of you – both Trump supports and haters will be able to take something useful from.


Follow Jeremy Nix on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thejeremynix

I’m cool with you removing me from your friends list if you don’t like this post. You can even disown me if you like. But Donald Trump isn’t a good person, nor would he be a good president. I can understand a difference in politics. I can understand if you don’t like a government run by Democrats. I can understand if you don’t like certain ideologies, like Socialism. But I can’t understand why you would support someone as hateful, sexist, racist and ignorant as Donald Trump.

How do you support him so blindly? Ask yourself, are you a racist, sexist, hateful and ignorant person as well? I hear his supporters saying they like him because he tells the truth, because he’s so rich he can say whatever he feels like with no apologies. Just because Trump is saying these things doesn’t suddenly make them right. It’s not okay to discriminate against an entire religion based on a small percentage of its followers who have become terrorists by twisting the words of the religion to fit their crazy ideals. It’s not okay to marginalize an entire race of people, saying things like all the Mexicans are lazy, that they are all stealing our jobs and bringing drugs into our country.

White people also have bad apples. So does every race of people. We’re all human. Some humans are really bad people. Some are really good. And it doesn’t matter what color they are, it makes no difference whatsoever. Trump says he is just telling the truth. But whose truth? There are lazy people in every race and there are dangerous violent people in every race and every religion. Kicking all Muslims out of the country is not the answer, nor is it the acceptable behavior of a person in an extremely powerful position, like the President of the United States.

The Japanese Internment camps were wrong, Segregation was wrong, Slavery was wrong. We fought wars amongst ourselves to rise above racism and hatred. In WWII more than 60 million people died worldwide. Why? Because of twisted people who were whipping up the population into a frenzy and making ridiculous statements, killing innocent people simply because of their race or religion. The United States lost more than 400,000 lives fighting in that war, against the same ideas that Trump is pushing. The idea that certain religions are more dangerous than others and the idea that people should be judged based on the color of their skin rather than the content of their character.

“They always say it’s so important to make your voice heard, to get out and vote. But I’m not sure if it’s ever been more important than now.”

We’re still healing from the damage inflicted by the Civil War, WWI, WWII, Vietnam, Iraq and the War on Terror. And it isn’t just ISIS or Al-Qaeda. It’s our own people in this country killing their fellow countrymen over differences of opinion, like whether or not you believe abortion is okay or what kind of political ideology you support. And then there are just the plainly insane people who finally snap and go on shooting rampages for no discernible reason at all. They just went mad.


The kind of leadership Trump is displaying is irresponsible and dangerous. His virulent ideas are seeping into the brains of his supporters. Supporters who think it’s okay to say things like “light the mother@!$%#er on fire” while a protester is being dragged out of one of his rallies. Maybe the protester was wrong to be where he was at the time, but no matter what he did, there was no reason to set him on fire. In fact, there is NEVER a reason to set anyone on fire. Unless it’s because they are dead and they wish to be cremated.

Trump’s supporters are angry, and anger is infectious. I can tell you as a non-supporter of Trump I am just as angry. We need the kind of leader that seeks to bring us together, not tear us apart. Why do we have to fight against helping each other, against common sense, against a united Nation? The American Dream is a nightmare and we are feeding it, making it worse every day. Trump is a bully, a loud mouth, ignorant, sexist, racist, disgusting example of how horrible humans can potentially be.

He is the crazy person at your dinner table who won’t stop running his mouth. The only reason he is allowed to carry on with his ugly hateful rhetoric is because you have too much respect for Grandma to get into a fist fight in her home. He’s the guy you have to endure until he leaves, all the while hating every minute that you have to occupy the same space. Lucky for us, this isn’t Grandma’s house, so feel free to punch him in the mouth in the form of getting out and making your vote count.

They always say it’s so important to make your voice heard, to get out and vote. But I’m not sure if it’s ever been more important than now. Differences of political ideals are one thing, I can agree to disagree on many matters across a wide array of topics, but racism isn’t one of them, neither is hate, neither is the belittling of women or the judgment of others based on their appearance or their disability, or their sexual preference.

By supporting Trump do you think things will go back to the way they were? Back when gay people had to hide in fear, back when people of any other color than white had to worry about getting lynched, back when it was okay to openly hate? Do you think empowered women will suddenly quit their jobs and go back to the kitchen ? Because electing Trump won’t make any of that come true. We’re past that as a nation, or at least I thought we were.

“I can agree to disagree on many matters across a wide array of topics, but racism isn’t one of them, neither is hate, neither is the belittling of women…”

If you’re not a racist, bigoted, misogynistic jerk, then voting for Trump simply because you don’t like Democrats is wrong. If you are one of his supporters and you’re just a racist and you don’t care who knows it then vote for him, but know that the good people of America will not stand for it and he will never win a fair election. And please consider pursuing an education and work on your empathy toward your fellow human beings. Whatever led you to believe that racism is okay can be unlearned if you open your mind. I’m sorry that you were raised to believe that you deserve better treatment than the rest of the people on the planet that have different views than yours, worship different gods than you and have skin that isn’t white.

To all the people, of all the races and religions that Donald Trump stands against, to all the women that don’t meet his standards of beauty, to all the good Muslims, and Christians, Mormons and Catholics and Jewish, Italians, Irish and Asians, to the African-Americans and Native Americans, to anyone who has ever been persecuted, belittled, made to feel inferior or bullied based on ignorance like the kind that Trump is spewing, please, I implore you to get out and vote against him. Don’t let the progress of this great nation be halted. We’ve come too far.

In this country we FIGHT and DIE for freedom, for Truth and Justice. We fight for what’s right. And what Trump is doing and saying isn’t right. Some have attributed the following statement to Abraham Lincoln*:

“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and cause me to tremble for safety of my country; corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in High Places will follow, and the Money Power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the People, until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands, and the Republic destroyed.”

And he couldn’t be more right. Trump IS the one percent, he IS working on your prejudices, and he WILL destroy the Republic if he is elected, make no doubt about it.

If you don’t believe me, just look at the level of crazy coming out of his own mouth:

“[I am] calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on” — Donald Trump. That’s religious discrimination.


“An ‘extremely credible source’ has called my office and told me that Barack Obama’s birth certificate is a fraud” — Donald Trump. That’s an outright lie.

“Arianna Huffington is unattractive, both inside and out. I fully understand why her former husband left her for a man – he made a good decision.” — Donald Trump. This is sexism, and just plain rude.

“You know, it really doesn’t matter what the media write as long as you’ve got a young, and beautiful, piece of @!$%#.” – Donald Trump. This is misogyny at its finest.

“I will build a great wall — and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me — and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.” – Donald Trump. The words of an arrogant hate monger.

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending the best. They’re not sending you, they’re sending people that have lots of problems and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists… And some, I assume, are good people.” — Donald Trump. Racist.

“Our great African-American President hasn’t exactly had a positive impact on the thugs who are so happily and openly destroying Baltimore.” — Donald Trump. Racist.

“If I were running ‘The View’, I’d fire Rosie O’Donnell. I mean, I’d look at her right in that fat, ugly face of hers, I’d say ‘Rosie, you’re fired.” — Donald Trump. The words of an @!$%#.

“The beauty of me is that I’m very rich.” – Donald Trump. So Vain.

“It’s freezing and snowing in New York – we need global warming!” – Donald Trump. Ignorant.

“My fingers are long and beautiful, as, it has been well documented, are various other parts of my body.” – Donald Trump. Gross.

“I think the only difference between me and the other candidates is that I’m more honest and my women are beautiful.” – Donald Trump. Sexist. As if women are possessions rather than people. And also a lie. A lie about how honest he is.

How can you support this man?




*I am aware of the fact that snopes.com claims the Lincoln Capitalism Prophecy quote is false. It’s a quote that has been going around for more than a hundred years. The quote has also been attributed to a letter that Lincoln supposedly wrote to Col. William F. Elkins in 1864. Scholars have cited The Lincoln Encyclopedia: The Spoken and Written Words of A. Lincoln Arranged for Ready Reference by Archer H. Shaw. Snopes still claims the letter referred to in this encyclopedia is a fraud, forged by Emanuel Hertz in his book Abraham Lincoln: A New Portrait. So in the interest of full disclosure, these may or may not have been Lincoln’s words. Whether they were written by Hertz or Lincoln, they were still written and they still pertain to the point I was trying to make. Income inequality is a serious issue in this country, and Donald Trump is working on the prejudices of the people.

nicko wrote:
What a prick you are wolfie you "shout you gob off in every post"

Why do you insist on  calling posters who disagree with you stupid insulting names?   you come across as a little boy who gets a thrill answering back the adults.   I think you should grow up a bit. you come across as a typical "Keyboard Warrior" !    Now have a go at me, and prove it !!

Original Quill wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:
You need to pay attention as well. Wolfman started on me, as he often does - along with him banging on about other members all the time. Do you expect them not to reply?

We're getting off-topic.  This isn't about Wolf.  

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

Original Quill wrote:
We're getting off-topic.  This isn't about Wolf.  

Nicko entered this thread to attack me...
And possibly Andy and sassy if the chance arose, as well..

In his addled state, nicko then attacked eddie instead.

Ragg's subsequently parachuted in to rescue nicko, attempting to deflect the blame back onto me..

You, Tommy, Ragg's,  Nems and company, and the late and unlamented Stormee, are far-and-away the worse offenders of such 'arse licking' back slapping on here

veya wrote:
Now the 2 of you STOP being trouble makers.

Lord Independent Thoughts wrote:

veya wrote:
Now the 2 of you STOP being trouble makers.

Eh?

I've been called a racist on this site... yet I'm not white, or against your white folk.  Yep... keep calling my minority skin racist. That's gonna help you.  

All this time, you lefties thought I was white.  And that's because you're not down for the cause... your're down for the politics.  AND THAT'S why Trump won.  You Dems talk too much and do too little.

Lord Independent Thoughts wrote:I knew you would, Ben.  
Isn't it nice to be reunited?

Only thing is... I've grown to become independent and think for myself.  Have you?

Lord Independent Thoughts wrote:Old days and good times.
Ben and I have known each other for a long time.

Lord Independent Thoughts wrote:Hahaha!

Not a chance.
The older you get, the wiser you become.  
BTW, you'll hear that sentence in another thread. Perhaps the one you put a pie graph in?  

Both parties suck. Once you come to that realization, it becomes easier to take each one with a bit of humor and stride.

You know my personal ID.  Send me a friend request.  Although we don't agree, we can still be friends.

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

nicko wrote:
What a prick you are wolfie you "shout you gob off in every post"

Why do you insist on  calling posters who disagree with you stupid insulting names?   you come across as a little boy who gets a thrill answering back the adults.   I think you should grow up a bit. you come across as a typical "Keyboard Warrior" !    Now have a go at me, and prove it !!

.
       You and Tommy are the classic "keyboard warriors",  nicko..

NOT me,  not Quill,  not veya,  not Ben..


Right there above, your using the kind of stupid insults that you constantly accuse others of.

You really should have your doctor check you med's, as you are becoming increasingly irrational by the day.


I don't use silly or wrong labels on people --  I simply 'call it as I see it'..

You make fascist, bullying or plain wrong-headed statements --  your opponents are allowed to call you out over that..

Tommy and Stormee and others have often made racist and xenophobic rants  on here--  and I simply called them what they are..    Nothing childish about that.

You, Ragg's, Nems or Syl cheer them on --  that makes you their "boosters and enablers"  --  no matter which way you try and spin your bullshit afterwards..


You want me to "take you on..",  you pathetic addled-brained fool  --  just show me where I have actually LIED about something you have written on here ?

You can whinge and moan and keep on shouting your bulldust, nicko  --    but how about backing up your idiotic fascist rants,with some genuine proof  !

Your tag-team can label me a "liar" as often as they like --  but they still haven't managed to back their own fallacious claims with any genuine evidence..        

Ben Reilly wrote:Come on, now, stop taking him so literally. Are right-wingers really that stupid, they can't see what's really being expressed when someone says something they find superficially offensive?

Ben wrote:
...you're still doing the same old stuff that I'm sure amuses the hell out of you but it doesn't exactly endear you to others. What's it called again? Elitism.

Ben wrote:
... don't know if you even care whether people think you're a prick ... but hey. There it is.

nicko wrote:If he was brave enough to say what he says on here face to face, he'd be eating Hospital food for a while !
He's just a coward with a big gob !!

Ben Reilly wrote:

Lord Independent Thoughts wrote:Old days and good times.
Ben and I have known each other for a long time.

Hey, I can actually sorta kinda get behind that. Back in the bad ol' Bush years, righties and lefties still talked to one another ... some times, on rare occasions at least. I think maybe we used to at least pretend to respect one another? Or maybe I've had too much to drink since then and I'm romanticizing it.

I'll tell you this -- I'd much rather have Bush back in the White House than this asshat who sneers at the Constitution and American way of life. Bush wouldn't call anyone a fake judge or declare the press the "enemy of the American people,You realize that paints a target on reporters' backs, right? Not to the reasonable person, but to the nutjobs.

Let's get past the mudslinging and memes and be human, whattayasay? I bet we can find some middle ground at times.

nicko wrote:If he was brave enough to say what he says on here face to face, he'd be eating Hospital food for a while !
He's just a coward with a big gob !!

nicko wrote:Day in and day out",    you are a lying wanker of the first order, Wolfie

Your imagination is a source of wonder,

You bring nothing to this Forum but insults and put downs,
You are the forum clown mate, time you realised it.

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

nicko wrote:Day in and day out",    you are a lying wanker of the first order, Wolfie

Your imagination is a source of wonder,

You bring nothing to this Forum but insults and put downs,
You are the forum clown mate, time you realised it.

You are getting pathetic,  flicko...

You have been abusing me nearly every day on here for the past few weeks...
And why ?  Because I call out some of your friends for their racist, xenophobic and fascist rants..

And when it's not me, it's Quill, veya, Andy or sassy copping your ire.


You call me a wanker and a joke, simply because you don't like me standing up to your incessant bullying and fanciful lies..    You may have Tommy, dyknose, Ragg's and company agreeing with your arrogant lies (it was Horatio awarded me the "forum clown" title last year --  but it's time,you realised you twats only number 6 or 7 people on here --  not the whole forum..) -- but you clowns are a minority and  really don't matter in the big picture --  having you fascist pigs lying about your opponents on here is becoming just another 'badge of honour' these days.

When you are shown up for the whining little 'girly_man'*  that you are,  you start throwing puerile abuse at me, or veya, or Quill, or even  Ben --  that are in truth more befitting to you and your bulling cohorts.


You really must get those meds checked there, matey --  you're becoming more and more demented with each visit onto here..

And it's also well past time you stopped claiming to speak for the whole forum, you arrogant fuckbrain  --  you're only one voice on here, same as the rest of us...

*  Thank the Governator (Big Arnie) for that tag..

Angry Andy wrote:Stick with it Wolfie. There appears to be be a vacuum as team leader for the rw'ers on here since Sorrmee was dismissed.
There are a bit rudderless, unlike the more centrist and left leaning on here who.sre team players.
I expect there will continue  to be abuse until a new rw pecking order is established.
NIT seems to be the frontrunner, but he will run out of debate when Trump is ousted.
Sit back, chill out with a glass of wine and watch the fun.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Angry Andy wrote:Stick with it Wolfie. There appears to be be a vacuum as team leader for the rw'ers on here since Sorrmee was dismissed.
There are a bit rudderless, unlike the more centrist and left leaning on here who.sre team players.
I expect there will continue  to be abuse until a new rw pecking order is established.
NIT seems to be the frontrunner, but he will run out of debate when Trump is ousted.
Sit back, chill out with a glass of wine and watch the fun.

You mean they can't think for themselves, and they feel the need to stick together and suck up to each other?

Original Quill wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

You mean they can't think for themselves, and they feel the need to stick together and suck up to each other?

You don't understand.  You are thinking in conflict metaphors.  Progressives think in cooperation metaphors.  'Team player' means problem-solving for the whole; only self-interested RW'ers think in selfish, individualist terms.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

You don't understand.  You are thinking in conflict metaphors.  Progressives think in cooperation metaphors.  'Team player' means problem-solving for the whole; only self-interested RW'ers think in selfish, individualist terms.

You mean they need a leader because they're useless by themselves?

Original Quill wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

You mean they need a leader because they're useless by themselves?

I think Andy has the idea.  He never spoke of a need for leaders in the ranks of LW'rs; he spoke of the RW needing a leader.

RW'rs tend to be much more hierarchical, if not downright authoritarian in their thinking.  

Angry Andy wrote:Left wingers think in terms of TEAM.

Right wingers always thinks of themselves first  - I.
There is no I in Team.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

I think Andy has the idea.  He never spoke of a need for leaders in the ranks of LW'rs; he spoke of the RW needing a leader.

RW'rs tend to be much more hierarchical, if not downright authoritarian in their thinking.  

Oh, I thought you said they thought in individualist terms - as if that was a bad thing. Therefore, it's the lefties who need a leader.

Original Quill wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

Oh, I thought you said they thought in individualist terms - as if that was a bad thing. Therefore, it's the lefties who need a leader.

We seem to be in theory-mode today.  That's a good thing.

Social systems built upon individualism can only, inevitably shrink down to self-serving motives.  What else is there to champion?  That's why modern democracy goes hand-in-hand with Smithsonian free-market systems.

It isn't until awareness of the social instincts of humans are considered that other kinds of systems are considered.  That's why socialism is an advancement upon democracy.  Socialism, like 3-dimensional chess, is an advanced way of conceiving our existence.  

It's unfortunate that the Cold War biases stymied our ability to progress in social theory, particularly here in America.

Trump, for example, is a return to insular, parochial and nationalistic kinds of thinking.

eddie wrote:It's just incredibly silly to judge someone entirely on their political leanings.

Original Quill wrote:

eddie wrote:It's just incredibly silly to judge someone entirely on their political leanings.

Why on earth would you say that?  Political framing is one of the most fundamental formative things that occurs in one's life.  Politics is an outgrowth of family life, and its formation takes place at the level of learning a language or interactive behavior.

Read Geo. Lakoff, Moral Politics.  Politics is shaped by the kind of childhood you had.  Strict father or nurturant mother.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Original Quill wrote:


We seem to be in theory-mode today.  That's a good thing.

Social systems built upon individualism can only, inevitably shrink down to self-serving motives.  What else is there to champion?  That's why modern democracy goes hand-in-hand with Smithsonian free-market systems.

It isn't until awareness of the social instincts of humans are considered that other kinds of systems are considered.  That's why socialism is an advancement upon democracy.  Socialism, like 3-dimensional chess, is an advanced way of conceiving our existence.  

It's unfortunate that the Cold War biases stymied our ability to progress in social theory, particularly here in America.

Trump, for example, is a return to insular, parochial and nationalistic kinds of thinking.

Pretending that lefties aren't self-serving is laughable. Of course they are. They don't give a toss any more than anyone else. If they weren't forced to pay taxes, they wouldn't pay any.

eddie wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Why on earth would you say that?  Political framing is one of the most fundamental formative things that occurs in one's life.  Politics is an outgrowth of family life, and its formation takes place at the level of learning a language or interactive behavior.

Read Geo. Lakoff, Moral Politics.  Politics is shaped by the kind of childhood you had.  Strict father or nurturant mother.

What will happen to you when you one day sit down at a bar and get chatting to a really nice guy, someone you have heaps in common with and who makes you laugh the night away, only to find he voted for a RW candidate?  
And before you say you wouldn't have anything in common with him so that would never happen, I'm betting it's happened to you loads of times without you even knowing.

Original Quill wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

Pretending that lefties aren't self-serving is laughable. Of course they are. They don't give a toss any more than anyone else. If they weren't forced to pay taxes, they wouldn't pay any.

You sound more like you are trying to convince yourself, than anyone else.  In fact, we are far more social than we are individual.  A cat is individual, and hardly cares about any moral tone to relationships; a dog is social, and look at the difference.  Even selfishness ('I am rich') is born of eliciting a reaction from others.  Society is the human platform.

Look at all the social programs that come out of LW politics.  Healthcare.  Food and education.  Roads, bridges, airports, police protection...all derived from a sense of our social nature.  Hell, even defense--formation of armies--is fundamentally born of our social existence.  All of these things require a sense of we are living together.

What you are doing is looking through the prism of your own ideology.  You think because you--with your conservative thinking--value the lonely shekel, that of course everyone else does too.  Liberals don't.  Socialist don't.  In fact, in reality you don't, despite your ideologically motivated perception.

Original Quill wrote:

eddie wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Why on earth would you say that?  Political framing is one of the most fundamental formative things that occurs in one's life.  Politics is an outgrowth of family life, and its formation takes place at the level of learning a language or interactive behavior.

Read Geo. Lakoff, Moral Politics.  Politics is shaped by the kind of childhood you had.  Strict father or nurturant mother.

What will happen to you when you one day sit down at a bar and get chatting to a really nice guy, someone you have heaps in common with and who makes you laugh the night away, only to find he voted for a RW candidate?  
And before you say you wouldn't have anything in common with him so that would never happen, I'm betting it's happened to you loads of times without you even knowing.

I would admit it is anomalous.  I enjoy theory and philosophy, so naturally my conversation with him would eventually drift off onto political ideas.  I would be horrified if he turned out to have Nazi ideas...probably close off the conversation quickly.  Politics is so fundamental that I would be uncomfortable with him.

It's kinda the same way when I realized that Americans in Iraq were raping young girls, torturing other human beings, kidnapping, murdering children, etc.  Same feeling I had with Viet Nam.I was ashamed to be an American.  It's that fundamental.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

You sound more like you are trying to convince yourself, than anyone else.  In fact, we are far more social than we are individual.  A cat is individual, and hardly cares about any moral tone to relationships; a dog is social, and look at the difference.  Even selfishness ('I am rich') is born of eliciting a reaction from others.  Society is the human platform.

Look at all the social programs that come out of LW politics.  Healthcare.  Food and education.  Roads, bridges, airports, police protection...all derived from a sense of our social nature.  Hell, even defense--formation of armies--is fundamentally born of our social existence.  All of these things require a sense of we are living together.

What you are doing is looking through the prism of your own ideology.  You think because you--with your conservative thinking--value the lonely shekel, that of course everyone else does too.  Liberals don't.  Socialist don't.  In fact, in reality you don't, despite your ideologically motivated perception.

A dog is more likely to attack another dog or a human than a cat is. A cat might run away if it feels threatened, but a dog might take your hand off if it feels threatened.

Even conservatives are in favour of roads, healthcare, food, and education you know. Lefties are not more "virtuous" than anyone else - they want things which benefit themselves.