Had an encounter with a small group of Trumpers, and am left utterly flabbergasted! [View all]

[markpkessinger]

Had an exchange a little earlier with some Trump supporters about Trump's "shithole " comment that has left me utterly flabbergasted.

First, they think liberals and the media are outraged that Trump said a "bad word." I tried to point out that it was the complete context in which he said it, as well as the REST of what he said, that made it an issue.

Then they asserted that Trump's comment was no different from the kinds of shit people say in social media posts all the time. That may well be true, and that liberals were being "hypocritical" if they objected to Trump's comment but had themselves ever posted a comment about the appearance, dress, or other aspects of any member of the Trump family and Trump administration. (Wait . . . what?!)

Then they insisted that Trump wasn't talking about immigrants from those "shithole" countries, but was instead merely commenting on-how terrible those places were to live. Uh, no, sorry. IKt was in the context of a discussion about fro.m which countries we should allow immigrants to enter the U.S. Trump said he didn't want more immigrants from the countries he identified as "shithole" countries, (which happen to all be countries whose populations are predominantly black or brown and instead wanted more immigrants from countries like Norway, which happens to be,like, the whitest country on the planet.

it gets better. . .

Still another of these folks claimed that it was a "double standard" that professional athletes to be permitted to kneel during the national anthem when playing games outside the U.S. while Trump comes in for heavy criticism for calling other countries "shithole." (Where to even begin with that?!)

And then, as I could have predicted, one of them said that sometimes people just need to "face reality" and "tell it like it is." And anyway, this person continued, Trump was just saying what everybody was thinking.ell, maybe in Trumpland that's how everybody thinks. And anyway, I'm sorry, but simply making an ignorant comment, and making it in the crasses, crudest, most offensive way possible is NOT "telling it like it is." It is merely grossly unprofessional and boorish. And sorry to break it to you, Trump supporters, but your bigotries are a reality only in your own twisted souls!

But none of this really surprised me, nor should it have. What really left me gobsmacked was the realization that the folks I was talking to seemed to have absolutely no concept of why it isn't generally a good idea for someone in a high position of leadership -- especially when he is the chief executive of the most powerful nation on earth --to flap his gums in the style of the neighborhood loudmouth who hangs out at the corner bar night after night. They apparently had absolutely no understanding of the kind of damage that sort of careless diarrhea of the mouth can do to international relations, to trade relations, as well as to the U.S.'s standing in the eyes of most of the civilized world.

I guess I had been under the mistaken notion that any reasonably compos mentis adult, irrespective of political leanings, would recognize, almost instinctively, why past U.S. presidents, as well as leaders in high positions both in government and in the private sector, have been and are generally so careful about measuring the words they use in public statements, and also in high profile meetings which are sure to get press coverage. And I just assumed that reasons why that is so important were self-evident, and why we hold leaders to a different, and higher, standard.

All I can say is that if, as a country, we have completely lost any concept of a discourse that is more refined and elevated than that of a belligerent drunk at the local bar, then we are in a crisis that is much, much deeper than any of us has yet realized.