I don’t like partisan politics. Can’t stand them. In my eyes, each party represents a different perspective on authoritarian governance. But that is another story for another day. Today it is time to talk about a candidate.
I hate to even write his name on my blog. But here it goes… Donald Trump.
Dear sir,
Please sit your ass down and shut the fuck up.
You are giving white people a bad name. We have worked over the centuries, to do better in how we treat people that aren’t like us. We have tried to improve ourselves and recognize the fallacy of white supremacy. Have we done enough? Not by a long shot. We have made baby steps toward that day of true freedom and justice, but we are still FAR from reaching that goal.
And your antics on the national and international stage of the last year are setting us back in ways that are not only horrific for People of Color who will bear the brunt of your hatefulness, but also embarrassing and shameful for white folks who are actively working to make a change. Too many of our people have stood at the gates of power and reinforced racial hatred. Too many white men have taken the fruits of brown peoples’ labor to catapult themselves into leadership. You, sir, are walking willfully along the path of white supremacy and normalizing it for a huge swath of Americans who may, just may have had a chance to renounce these tainted teachings.
“Making America Great Again,” when uttered from you lips is a call to the “good ol’ days” when white folks had impunity in calling for the burning and killing of black folks. It tells white folks to feel comfortable segregating our nation based on color or creed. Your words are solidifying the belief that white = right.
Undoing oppression is hard work, Mr. Trump. It takes all of us to do it. And your platform of hatred is making it harder.
For your base, it is an excuse to come out of the woodwork and discard the supposed shackles of political correctness. Let me give you a clue about that one. PC is not about avoiding certain words and phrases. IT IS ABOUT EDUCATING YOURSELF ON OPPRESSION. Lot’s of folks don’t quite understand that. And you as a “leader” *cough cough* should understand that FIRST. You, as all of us, are free to say whatever you want to say. But have you actually listened to yourself? Do you UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE SAYING? I suggest while you sit down and shut up, you reflect on your words. Not because you shouldn’t say them, but because you need to understand them.
You are an embarrassment. Because of your marriages? No. Because of your hair? No. I don’t really give a shit about those things. Your personal life is no business of mine.
You are an embarrassment with your utter blindness to what effect your “movement” *cough cough* is having upon this country. Your lack of awareness around what your words mean, is emboldening other white folks to take up the flag of racism. The KKK and Neo-Nazi groups love your platform. David Duke has endorsed you. Doesn’t that give you pause?
But perhaps that is the point. Your complete fragility as a white man has convinced you, despite all the facts, that somehow, men like you are threatened by a changing America. You stand behind patently FALSE STATISTICS about black folks murdering white folks. How can you believe this if you are not already convinced of white peoples’ superiority and willing to use any means to maintain racial power and privilege? Your bold faced lie, and unwillingness to back down from it, puts fear in the hearts of white people who already have a tenuous grasp of what is going on around them.
Sit your ass down, and shut the fuck up.
There are white people in this country who are doing the work of understanding our privilege, learning to listen, dismantling systems and structures of white supremacy. This work is slow and arduous because of lies and beliefs like the ones you stand on. You are putting the work of mutual liberation in jeopardy. You are strengthening the resistance to creating TRUE equity in our country.
Just so you understand; losing privilege is not the same as being oppressed. Maybe that is what you fear, because I can think of no other reason to speak and act the way you do if you are not simply scared shitless of black and brown folks. Stepping down from privilege is how we create justice. Your privilege is built upon someone else’s suffering. You may think that someone is trying to steal from you. No sir. It is not stealing when you return what was stolen.
Sit your ass down, and shut the fuck up.
I am afraid, Mr. Trump. I am afraid of what your followers and supporters may do. I am afraid of the racial conflicts that will ensue should these people begin to literally light black people on fire. I am afraid of the destruction your base could wreak upon our nation as they more and more gain courage from your words. You need to stop.
I don’t care if you run for president or not. But either way, it is time to stop this hateful campaign. It is time to take a moment and educate yourself. Learn something, Mr. Trump. Read some history. Understand the meaning of the words you speak.
This is not just entertainment. Peoples’ lives are at risk. Not from some far away radical group. People in our country are in danger when your followers believe the hate you are spreading. If you TRULY Love America (and honestly, I hope you do), then you will stop this vile rhetoric. If you love America, then it is time to love ALL of America. Not just the ones who look and speak like you. Not just the ones who will tell you what you want to hear. You need to love the ones who are, and have been, suffering under the boot of white supremacy since this country was born.
And the best way to show that love, right here, right now, is for you to sit down and shut up.
Thanks for writing this, so seldom do I find myself so disgusted by another human being, but this man is so fucking clueless and full of hate that I have questioned his human-ness. What human can stand and say he cares about America and then spew so much hatred toward the blood that this America was built on.
Some excellent points here, Silverback Gringo.