For whatever it’s worth, here’s my two cents on president-elect Donald Trump. If Trump is in fact the sexist racist idiot that the media has portrayed, the anger and protesting would be completely understandable and appropriate! I’m against racism and sexism too! Now let’s say he is only about half of what the media has told us, since we all know there’s at least a hint of bias in the news. In that case, protesting might be overkill, but the Christian conservatives who refused to vote for Trump based on his moral character could be better understood. How can a Christian, in good conscious, endorse such a man? Now let’s say, just hypothetically, that less than half of it’s true, that he’s not really racist, but perhaps a womanizer in similar class of previous presidents we’ve had... Here’s where Christian conservatives might have said “well, I’ll vote for him but I’m not happy about it” and that would be fine. So what about all the millions of people who voted for him and were happy about it? What did they think of him?
I was raised with the “golden rule”- treat others the way you would want to be treated. If I were in the public eye, I would want others to have very strong evidence before accusing me of things akin to Hitler. I would want to be given the benefit of the doubt, and I wouldn’t want to be slandered to make for a better story, get the ratings or help the other candidates look better. Yet the more I read about and watch Trump and his supporters, the more I am inclined to say this is exactly what the mainstream media has done. Have they fooled us? There are certainly those who share negative reports out of genuine concern for public safety, but where are these reports coming from? I was right there with the anti-Trumpers when he first came onto the scene. I was disheartened when he won the primary. But back then I was only getting my news from little recaps and snippets originally created by people who hated him. That is no way to get to know a person, and completely unfair if you ask me. I do not think he is a strongly religious man and he has some skeletons in his closet from years ago (don’t we all?) but what I’ve witnessed is a man highly skilled in business, passionate about fairness, genuinely dedicated to America and also significantly growing in his public speaking ability (he’s not a politician, he’s a businessman after all).
Is he a racist? Every time he has been quoted speaking about immigrants and Mexicans in a derogatory way, the context is ILLEGAL immigrants and usually convicted criminal illegal immigrants such as drug dealers. He wants to protect America from criminals! His wife is an immigrant and he has many supporters who are immigrants! Why is that? Because they understand that there is a legal way to enter another country and an illegal way - and they are sick and tired of following all the rules while criminals get treated as if they have the same rights as they do.
Religious bigot? When he has spoken negatively about Muslims, he was talking about Radical Muslims who really are America-threatening terrorists. There are American Muslims who support him because they understand what he’s saying and they want those Radical Muslims stopped just as much as he does.
Sexist? That’s not media bias, you may say- we have a tape and a list of women who accuse him of terrible things. Well, certainly not to dismiss it, but the recording is 11 years old. A man can change a lot in a decade. Secondly, it was a private conversation, and we all know we have said things we’ve regretted and glad it wasn’t recorded. I’m thinking now of a TED talk by Monica Lewinsky and her story is a powerful one. She was one of the first people ever to be humiliated in front of millions over an old conversation she had with Bill that she didn’t even know was being recorded. (I realize this is a completely different situation, but I’m talking about principle). And finally and more importantly, Trump’s tape contained only words, not actions. Hurtful, terrible words said to impress the other man, as men in power are often tempted to do - but no proof that any sexual abuse actually took place. Trump apologized to his wife and family, and they accepted his apology. If the people closest to him (who are the ones his sin affects most) are able to forgive him and continue to support his candidacy, then I think that says a lot.
I have learned that the Trump company is one of the most diverse companies out there, employing people of just about every color and religion, and a large percentage of women in high positions. And another thing- those deplorable reports of “Trump supporters” getting emboldened to commit racist, hateful crimes since the election have been publicly condemned by Trump.
I would like to share some videos below. If you're interested, watch them with an open mind and consider the simple question: What if Trump is not all those things we have been told to believe? The news has so much power- they can take things out of context, spend hours on one thing that’s bad or controversial, showing the same 30 second footage over and over, meanwhile spending no time at all on the rest of the speech or the good things being done. The way the questions are phrased in an interview can skew our line of thinking. I could go on. Just watch for yourself and decide. If you have the time, watch the entirety of one of Trump's speeches as if you’ve never seen him before and make a personal assessment. Then watch how the national news “recaps” that same speech…. The way I see it, the more Trump is demonized by the media, the easier it will be for him to surpass everyone’s expectations!
Researching all of this has really opened my eyes to the bias I bring when I consume media. It’s easy to yell at the TV when someone with my beliefs is being mocked, but turn a blind eye when the opponents are being hurtfully demonized (or worse: cheer). I’m going to make a conscious effort not to take enjoyment when Obama or the Clintons are at the butt of a joke in a completely unfair, unjust way. It’s time to rise above all the hate and slander, and be known for our love.
Ultimately, my hope is in Jesus and not in Donald Trump or any other man. Honestly, I think that if Trump were a smoother talker and a more God-fearing man, it would be real easy to put my hope in him, but he’s not. He’s flawed. He’s human. And God has a great plan (albeit unknown to us) with him in it. As well, Trump has shown to surround himself with some amazing God-fearing and intelligent people to advise him (not all of them are God-fearing, but I do believe some are). I am predicting that these people behind the scenes will be used especially by God to bring about some God-honoring change in this country. I sincerely hope this doesn’t offend anyone, but rather just sheds some light on another perspective. We all want the country to be a safe place for our children and our children’s children, no matter their skin color, religion or origin. We may have different ideas on how to achieve this, but we all have that goal in mind. Thank you for reading! Comments are welcome as long as they are tempered with understanding and consideration. I probably shouldn't get caught up in much discussion only because I should be focusing on raising my four kids...! But I'm happy to hear what you think, whether you agree or not.
“The Trump that I Know” https://youtu.be/lxaKUo5naoY
“The Real Donald Trump” (10 min) https://youtu.be/zRogXTFtpUc
Trump's Victory Speech https://youtu.be/Qsvy10D5rtc
Post-Election Trump recap, calls for hate crimes to stop https://youtu.be/WDM5EWieJzg
Ivanka Trump interview https://youtu.be/uNlcRS_iSzg
Melania Trump interview https://youtu.be/xw4yICzziF0
Smugness of the Press http://www.cbsnews.com/news/commentary-the-unbearable-smugness-of-the-press-presidential-election-2016/
"Propaganda Exposed" showing how sound bytes can be used to manipulate https://www.facebook.com/Riverent/videos/514814355370955/?hc_location=ufi
"Propaganda Exposed" showing how sound bytes can be used to manipulate https://www.facebook.com/Riverent/videos/514814355370955/?hc_location=ufi
Black woman, post-election https://www.facebook.com/SecularTurksForTrump/videos/1675091029487815/
Muslim liberal for Trump https://youtu.be/RG6rNcsVOaA
