From The Mind of Merc - US Election

Sometimes I find my mind wandering over various eclectic topics and occasionally I am inspired to write some of them down. Today, as with the rest of this month,  I was thinking about the US election.

If you voted for Trump then I’m sorry but I just don’t understand your choice.

I’ve no doubt you had your reasons I just hope they weren’t the same as the rest of his supporters.

You may have chosen to support him as an alternative to Hillary or because you’re anti-Democrat but what his biggest fans voted for was the wall to keep out immigrants, the deportation of all non-white people, the right to treat people like slaves and women like objects.

You may not agree with these viewpoints but thanks to you, the man who embodies them is now the man in charge of the ‘Free World’/Commander-In-Chief of the USA.

If you voted for Trump but don’t believe in his policies – you are an enabler.

If you didn’t vote for either candidate – you are a bystander.

And these two types of people can be just as dangerous as the people who commit evil acts because they allow the evil acts to happen.

Don’t be an enabler or a bystander – be a stander, be a fighter. Stand up for equality, fight against discrimination.

The US election was the battle – it was not the war.

To those, like me, who are scared at the changes that are already occurring in American society:

Do not give up

Do not hide away

Do not live in fear

His supporters may be numerous but they are not the majority (they weren’t even the majority of the votes but let’s not go there).

The best way to deal with a threat is to use it to make yourself stronger and that’s what we should do. Band together, stand up for each other, show these discriminatory, uneducated bigots that their behaviour is NOT what makes America great again.

Above all don’t accept the behaviour – report it, stand up against it (within reason – i.e. don’t put yourself at risk), speak out to condemn it.

They may be right-wing that does not make them right. They are in fact little better than terrorists and I would hope that such a thought would shame them into reconsidering their actions (although sadly I doubt it). A terrorist is defined as someone who uses intentionally indiscriminate violence (terror) in order to achieve a political, religious, or ideological aim - can you think of a better word to describe people who accuse, abuse and assault people simply because they have a different skin colour, religion or gender?

And now they are shedding their civilised camouflage to show their true terrorist colours. Well, shame on them! All that does is make them easier to spot, to isolate and to deal with. They should not be fooled into believing that suddenly their unacceptable behaviour is acceptable – it’s not, it never has been and it never will be and the sooner they are educated to understand that the better. Prejudiced violence will not make their country great again.

Some parents are concerned about what this teaches children and what they positively say about the situation.

But the lesson for children from the US election is not ‘If you are a misogynistic, racist, sexist bully then you can become President’ but ‘If you don’t stand up to misogyny, bigotry and racism and don’t use your vote when it matters, this is what happens’ and what must never be allowed to happen again