The Donald Trump Syndrome
We seem to be surprised at Donald Trump's direct and indirect bad behavior including comments that make it obvious that this person is someone who is a clueless about culture and others who are different from him. The scary part of it all is that this person is running for the highest position in the US, president. For there to be any chance that this man would become our president is one of the most frightening things I could think of and surely others would agree and have expressed their concern including my girls on "The View" this morning. We seem to be surprised yet his behavior and warped opinions are typical of many people in this country. Why then are we so surprised at Donald's behavior?
This country has struggled for centuries with racism, bigotry, prejudice and crude behaviors. Most of us would agree that the face of these bad behaviors looks a lot like Trump. It has been largely about the myth that white men are some how superior or smarter than anyone else in this country. We have even recently witnessed injustice against people of color by the police, even to the extreme degree where a teen Black young man was shot down in the street like an animal. I am uncertain as to what you all think but to me this makes it obvious that we are still in the struggle as people of color and that racism is alive and well. To make matters worse we have a person who is running for president that is a personification of confused bad behavior.
As a person of color I have experienced every indirect racist and ignorant behavior all my life. Although I do not get up every day thinking about it or reliving it I am well aware of the people who seem offended when I speak Spanish to my daughter in a store or who want to make me some other race because in their words "You don't have an accent". Growing up in Ohio I had not yet fully understood the ugly truth about racism but upon our move to Chicago it became clear as water. I was different and there were others who did not necessarily like that. I was smart and there were others who labeled me as "an arrogant Latino". Who did and do I think I am speaking Spanish and expressing who I am? After all according to Trump: "we live in America where we speak English". I still say he should be required to learn Spanish. He may not be aware of the simple fact that the Latino population is huge and will soon outnumber any other race in the US.
We have been sanitizing the issue of race and for those who never experienced it we want to deny it exists. The truth is that there are powerful people like Donald Trump and others who make ignorant and racist commentary that hurt others and that indirectly promotes racism in our country. As people of color we have a lot of work to do. Becoming powerful is in part about monetary success but it is also about making a clear statement that we are not going to go away or simply blend in so that others are more comfortable with us. We must stand up for our rights as people of color who deserve the same respect as others and treatment that is equal to everyone else. We must continue to speak our language and to be who we are and not shy away from our own beautiful customs and morals. Donald Trump may be wealthy but we must not be in fear of him or anyone like him. We must stand up to him and others like him while at the same time understanding and being compassionate and respectful. It does not do any good for us to be like them and to fight back using the same crude behaviors.
If you are a person of color, a disabled person, a woman or LGBT you are a chosen one. It is up to each of us to work at making a change in a world where people like Donald are attempting to scare us or say unloving things. It is an age old strategy where people who live in the darkness want to take others with them. Where they say hurtful things to us so that we consume it and feel bad about ourselves. It is abuse and when we understand abuse we know it comes from self-hate, ignorance and fear.
Stand up and be counted. Be who you are. Refuse to be brought down. Don't cow down or curl up. Love yourself more.
This country has struggled for centuries with racism, bigotry, prejudice and crude behaviors. Most of us would agree that the face of these bad behaviors looks a lot like Trump. It has been largely about the myth that white men are some how superior or smarter than anyone else in this country. We have even recently witnessed injustice against people of color by the police, even to the extreme degree where a teen Black young man was shot down in the street like an animal. I am uncertain as to what you all think but to me this makes it obvious that we are still in the struggle as people of color and that racism is alive and well. To make matters worse we have a person who is running for president that is a personification of confused bad behavior.
As a person of color I have experienced every indirect racist and ignorant behavior all my life. Although I do not get up every day thinking about it or reliving it I am well aware of the people who seem offended when I speak Spanish to my daughter in a store or who want to make me some other race because in their words "You don't have an accent". Growing up in Ohio I had not yet fully understood the ugly truth about racism but upon our move to Chicago it became clear as water. I was different and there were others who did not necessarily like that. I was smart and there were others who labeled me as "an arrogant Latino". Who did and do I think I am speaking Spanish and expressing who I am? After all according to Trump: "we live in America where we speak English". I still say he should be required to learn Spanish. He may not be aware of the simple fact that the Latino population is huge and will soon outnumber any other race in the US.
We have been sanitizing the issue of race and for those who never experienced it we want to deny it exists. The truth is that there are powerful people like Donald Trump and others who make ignorant and racist commentary that hurt others and that indirectly promotes racism in our country. As people of color we have a lot of work to do. Becoming powerful is in part about monetary success but it is also about making a clear statement that we are not going to go away or simply blend in so that others are more comfortable with us. We must stand up for our rights as people of color who deserve the same respect as others and treatment that is equal to everyone else. We must continue to speak our language and to be who we are and not shy away from our own beautiful customs and morals. Donald Trump may be wealthy but we must not be in fear of him or anyone like him. We must stand up to him and others like him while at the same time understanding and being compassionate and respectful. It does not do any good for us to be like them and to fight back using the same crude behaviors.
If you are a person of color, a disabled person, a woman or LGBT you are a chosen one. It is up to each of us to work at making a change in a world where people like Donald are attempting to scare us or say unloving things. It is an age old strategy where people who live in the darkness want to take others with them. Where they say hurtful things to us so that we consume it and feel bad about ourselves. It is abuse and when we understand abuse we know it comes from self-hate, ignorance and fear.
Stand up and be counted. Be who you are. Refuse to be brought down. Don't cow down or curl up. Love yourself more.
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