When I came across this a little while ago I decided to
take a minute and transcribe this, so I could share it
here... Obviously a totally everyday guy...white hair,
goatee, baseball cap...addressing his fellow men...
Really excellent commentary imho...
(Not taking time to proofread so apologies for any
typos...)
***
"Well it's two days after the election, and yesterday I
had a really hard time trying to pinpoint why I don't
think I've ever felt more heartbroken and hopeless than I
do now.. There have been a lot of times in my life when
I've been disappointed, when I've been depressed, when
I've been angry, but I have never felt these things to
the depth that I felt yesterday. But I gave it some
thought, and I think I figured it out.
The reason I'm so heartbroken, destroyed and absolutely
disgusted with the results of this election is that it
invalidates everything I have ever been taught about how
I should live my life, and everything I've tried to teach
my kids. So it's an absolute betrayal to realize at 57
years of age, that when it really comes down to it, over
half of this country really doesn't value the notions of
being kind, being generous, loving your neighbor, being
accepting, having empathy, showing understanding, being
truthful, being ethical in business, being sensible and
level-headed, not being a bully, not being selfish, and
not being a total asshole. And because I've been taught
these things my entire life, its' really easy for me to
see that Donald Trump is a vile and despicable human
being. He exhibits everything that I have been taught to
set my sights against in order to be a good, functioning
member of society.
But now over half our country supports this person, and
believes that he's the one who's going to make America
great. Well, hey, here's a secret: Someone who has worked
so hard at sowing discord is never going to do anything
to unite us. That's his big lie – because he doesn't
benefit from Americans coming together. He and all the
Alex Jones's and Tucker Carlsons out there, they profit
from the rage they're able to manufacture.
So don't tell me, it's okay if we disagree, as if this is
akin to our individual preferences for wine or toilet
paper. This is not a simple disagreement. This is you
telling me that the values I've held dear my entire life
have no meaning, or place in the real world. This is you
telling me I should be shrewdly deceptive, cruel and
intolerant. This is you telling me that the type of
person you really admire and look up to is a rich,
entitled, narcissistic, criminally convicted pussy
grabber. And if you're one of those guys out there who
likes Trump because, well, he says what's on his mind, he
tells it like he sees it, he doesn't have a filter...
Yeah, you know, sometimes you need a filter...
There was a time not that long ago when being an asshole
wasn't cool. If you were a shitty person, and you just
kept a lot of that to yourself, then society was all the
better for it. But now, it's all, Let's Make America
Great – Again. And what I'd like to know is, what
specific time in American history are you talking about?
What year, exactly? Because for a lot of folks, this,
right now, this current time in American history IS the
greatest. And you know that. And for some reason, you
don't like it.. It's like, for some reason...it's like
this crazy idea that giving certain rights to someone
else somehow takes some of yours away. Or, are you just
pissed that you're not special anymore? And so you can
feel special again, you'll be more than happy to drag us
all back 70 years when our Black brothers and sisters had
to drink from separate water fountains...or back when, if
you were non-straight, you had to stay in the closet.
Personally, I'd like to go back to a time when assholes
had to stay in the closet. And don't tell me, “Oh, don't
be stupid, you're getting it all wrong. It's really about
none of that! It's really about the economy!” as if that
excuses the behavior. You're willing to overlook all the
other fascist rhetoric? Because all that's doing is
showing your wives and your daughters...and minorities
and LGBTQ and other marginalized groups...that you're
completely willing to throw them under the bus as long as
you can save five cents a gallon on gasoline. Did your
stock portfolio get a bump yesterday? Well, good for you!
Maybe you can sit offshore on your new boat and watch
this country burn to the ground.
The reality is that as a country, we had the opportunity
to take the high road. To stand for something other than
our basest instincts. To stand for equality and fairness
and the overall good of everyone. But over half of ya'll
kept us from taking it. And the whole world was watching.
And you know who else was watching? Your nonWhite
friends, your non-straight friends, your wives, your
kids. Your daughters.
So to anyone who actually does claim to value those
higher ideals – you know, the ones I mentioned earlier,
the ones we were taught as kids in Sunday School. Yeah,
Christians, remember Sunday School? If you claim to hold
any of those same values but are, at the very same time,
enamored with Trump and perfectly pleased for the
outcome of the election, me and millions like me deserve
a fucking explanation."
-- Matthew Czechowski (@changeagent_69 on TicToc I
think?)
Any men care here care to offer that explanation? (And
please, try not to stumble over each other in your haste
to respond...)
|
|