A slice of Trump country [View all]

[Orrex]

Last week we attended a demolition derby at the local county fair. My older son is something of a connoseur, and we've gone every year since he was about four. We recognize that this is Trump country, and this sort of event is not generally expected to be a bastion of liberal thinking. You basically have to accept it as the price of admission.

This year's derby, however, went above and beyond.

The first event was a "Power Wheels" matchup between kids ages 4 - 9. Before the start, the announcer asked how many drivers are girls. I vainly hoped that he'd praise them for their interest in an overwhelmingly male-dominated sport, but of course I was wrong. "Now, you girls have an advantage, because God gave you the gift of reckless driving." He proclaimed this to preschoolers, in front of a laughing crowd of more than 1,000.

Got it? Even an in event when you're supposed to hit other cars, girls are lousy drivers. That's a goddamn laugh riot!

The announcer then displayed the event's trophy, to be awarded to the winner, before declaring "We live in the age of participation trophies, so everyone gets a medal." Either mock the prize or award it, you stupid fuck! Why would you denigrate these kids who were foolish enough to think they were taking part in a fun event?

Next to the teen event, with unlicensed drivers aged 13-16. One of the seven competitors was doing quite well, until the announcer realized that she had pigtails visible under her helmet. "She's a girl!" the announcer crowed. "Like I said, they have a God-given gift for mayhem!" Got it? She was skilled when he thought she was a boy, but as a girl she could only be comically destructive, because God. Hardy har har!

Throughout the several events he praised the male drivers for their aggressiveness and their abandon, while the one or two female drivers were mocked for their inherently poor driving ability.

He also made numerous jokes about his ex-wife (she's a loser, she's a slut, she can't drive, etc) and his mother-in-law (she's fat, etc.)

Again, this isn't wholly surprising, given the demographic, economic, and election history of this Trump-voting, Confederate-flag-toting PA county, but I've seldom seen it so publicly and so shamelessly showcased.


As with many similar displays locally, we use this as a teaching opportunity for our boys, aged 10 & 13. To their credit, they are much more politically conscious than I was at their ages, so they understand why this kind of behavior is so abhorrent and how far we have to go as a society.