I don't care who you voted for but Trump is President! But this... this is what bothers me so badly.....I keep seeing people post on how they are terrified, or scared? Well.. what are you scared of exactly? War? Because that's been happening. School shootings? Because that's been happening. Pipeline? That's been happening. Terrorism? Definitely alive and well. Going broke due to health insurance? Mm yes. Corruption throughout the system? Already there. Police officers being murdered? Yep, that's been happening. Bullying? Check. Loss of jobs? We've got that on lock. A tanking economy. Yep. Being discriminated against for your religion, political views, sexual orientation, race? That's been going on too. Rape, murder, violence, riots.. all going on and has been.
So tell me, what are you scared of that is not already happening basically everywhere? This isn't a Trump problem, this is a people problem. We all need to reevaluate our own selves. Maybe America (and the world) is a little too scared and a little too easily offended.
Quit being scared, crying around, offended by everything.... step up and do your part as an American, no, as a human being. Treat others with respect, help and encourage one another, raise your kids right, tell the truth, be a contributing member of society. Make sure your hands are clean, that's your job. Burning the American flag?Get out of here with that, how about you do your job to make it a better place.
But right now, all I see is hate. It's disturbing, 🙁 and the ones with the most hate are being exactly what they claim to be against. Copy and paste if you agree....this is common sense.Sometimes I can keep my mouth shut, and sometimes I just cannot. This time, I responded. I made myself think about it long and hard before I said anything. I don't believe that responding in anger helps anything, and I don't believe that it's productive just to yell at people or to resort to any type of finger pointing or name calling, which seems to happen pretty often on the internet. And I know that I am unlikely to change this woman's position at all. But at the same time, sometimes silence feels too much like a normalizing acceptance just to avoid a conflict or a difficult discussion. I am done with that. Bring on the difficult discussion. After sleeping on it, here is what I replied to her post:
I am afraid of coal ash and mining waste dumping putting heavy metals into my drinking water now that the clean water regulations have been removed. I am afraid of government interference in decisions I make about my own body. I am afraid of, not just war, but nuclear war, which looms closer every time we jeopardize our relationships with both our allies and our enemies with careless commentary. I am afraid that my nieces and nephews with undocumented parents will lose those parents because of an ICE raid. I am afraid of the air quality in my city returning to what it was in the seventies because clean air regulations are being systematically removed. I am afraid for my transgender friends getting hurt because they are forced to go into a bathroom where they are instantly targeted because they look different. I am afraid of a mentally ill person walking into my child’s school and shooting him because that mentally ill person can go buy a gun without a background check and carry it in his pocket without a concealed carry permit. I am afraid for my Hispanic and Iranian friends who travel outside the country for their jobs and now must fear that they will not be able to come home to their families. I am afraid that my niece will lose her asthma and general health care, which is through the ACA. I am afraid for my friends at the EPA who stand in danger of losing their jobs and being forced to abandon their research that is helping to protect our environment because of the looming cut of 3000 persons from that organization. I am afraid for my Muslim friends and the increased prejudices and often violent threats that they are facing every day.
I am afraid of many things. To say that these fears are unfounded because there has always been government corruption and violence is naïve at best. Any progress that has been made in the last 50 years to protect or improve any of these situations is being systematically dismantled.
I am not crying about these things, nor am I offended by everything, nor am I filled with or spouting hate. I am teaching my children to be kind, honest people in the face of them watching/listening to a President who is neither of those things. I am not burning flags. I believe that our society is capable if becoming better. And I will continue to protest the decisions being made that I feel threaten not just me and my own family, but the overall well-being of our society, as is my Constitutional right. I am grateful to live in a country where I can voice dissent without fear of imprisonment.
But no, I do not embrace this current administration or the policies they have so far introduced. And yes, I am involved—I am well-read and well-informed, and I am participating in what I believe to be right at a local, state, and federal level. I am open-minded and willing to discuss opposing opinions. I believe that what is missing, and perhaps has been missing for a long time, is an open discourse between differing opinions, which is why I am writing this response to your post. I appreciate you posting your opinion; this is mine.
I am sad to say that she never responded nor acknowledged my reply at all. We are not close friends, but we share many mutual relatives, and I was hoping that she would talk to me. I would love to understand more about why she feels the way she does. But I guess all you can do is try.
No comments:
Post a Comment