I was at lunch today and couldn’t help seeing the news on the television – when the election results were roughly neck and neck – and started crying. A nearby Black woman looked up, a “what’s wrong?” expression on her face.
“I can’t believe it is this close,” I said. “It shouldn’t be this close.”
It was that moment I noticed that a white woman had overheard and was watching our conversation.
The Black woman cautiously said, “Who did you hope would win?”
“Biden,” I said, “because I’m not a racist and I don’t support racists. I didn’t think this many Americans would voluntarily choose to side with bigots.”
The Black woman visibly relaxed. The white woman visibly tensed.
That was a small solace for me today.
It’s not hard to see all the lies, corruption, bigotry, scandal, misogyny, fraud, rulebreaking, and (for all intents) treason that has besmirched the Trump administration.
It’s not hard to see the selfishness and greed endorsed by Trump. (Several of his associates are in prison, remember?)
It’s really not hard to see the racist bully for what he is. He advertises it.
And yet a whole lot of Americans said “Yeah, we’re okay with all that. We’re okay with the racism and sexism and homophobia and bigotry.”
And that is why I want nothing to do with any of you who voted for Trump in 2020.
This isn’t about being “conservative” politically. There are plenty of good conservative-leaning people out there. This is about standing for decency and caring about other people.
All my life, I’ve thought that the general population was roughly intelligent and decent people.
This year – and this election – shows that I was wrong.
Particularly about the “decent” part.
The fact that some of my loved ones have worried that posting something like this would put me in danger just tells me how wrong I was about the “decent” part.
You know why we vilified Trump so much?
So that we wouldn’t have to face that the problem isn’t him.
So that we wouldn’t have to face that the problem is you.
Yes, I’m going to have to interact with people professionally. It’s impractical (and dumb) to quiz the cashier at the grocery store how they voted. In my professional life, I’ve treated people with swastikas and white power tattoos – and red MAGA hats – with the same skill and professionalism as any other customer/patient.
That won’t change. Professionally and bureaucratically, yes, all people should have the same services and rights, and be treated with the same respect in a professional setting. So yeah, it’s good that Biden has already pointed out he’s going to do the right thing and work for all Americans. That’s the job – or at least it used to be.
But if you voted for Trump in 2020, don’t bother speaking to me outside of a professional context again.
Defriend me. Block me on Twitter. Delete me from your contact list. Do it now.
It’s for the same reason why modern neo-Nazis are in some ways worse. Neo-Nazis saw everything the Nazis did – including the Holocaust – and saw that as a feature.
I somehow didn’t realize until writing this that the same statement goes for “Neo-Confederates”.
You had a choice. And you chose to stand with bigotry and greed.
You saw the victim on the side of the road, and you chose to stick with those who ignored him.
You knew about the children in cages, about the COVID dead, about “grab them by the pussy”, about mocking disabled people, about the dogwhistles to the racists.
You knew how the Trump administration hurt people I know and love. You knew how the Trump administration hurt people you know and love.
And you said, “I want more of that.”
You made your priorities clear.
You are no longer welcome in my house. You no longer have guest-privilege.
You will be named for the golden calf of greed you worship. You will be named for the bigotry you choose to mark you.
Because you chose.
You chose racism. You chose greed. You chose misogyny. You chose hurting the poor and the ill. You chose ignoring the infant lives you claim to care about. You chose a worsening economy. You chose capital over combating climate change.
You chose to not stop to help the person on the road.
Why would you want to be a friend to a person like that?
You will not break bread at my table.
You are no longer welcome in my house.
Do not darken my threshold.
Featured Photo by Dollar Gill on Unsplash
This man has revealed so much ugliness in our fellow Americans. I will never look at some of my friends and neighbors the same way again.