Buckle your seat belts, ladies and germs.
I haven't written a politically charged post in quite some time, and the one stressed thread in the seam that has kept those opinions in is close to snapping. In order to release some of that pressure, let me just talk about one quick little topic: Standards.
In case the news hasn't hit your social media feed(s), Elizabeth Warren took the DNA test that Trump bribed her to take a couple years ago for $1M towards a charity of her choice if the results came back positive. His words. No, really. Trump said that. It wasn't written. It wasn't some words put into his mouth by a liberal cog whom writes some meaningless blog no one reads. He said it. On camera. Indisputably.
A few things came out of this news: 1. Democrats, Warren supporters, and people who just like the truth looked at the facts and said, "Ha! It's the birther shit all over. Wrong again. Give her charity-of-choice the money, Trump!" 2. Trump FIRST denied ever saying this. Camera shows that not only did he say it, but he also called her racial slurs and condescended the #MeToo movement in the same sentence. 3. Some Republicans called BS. Even if it's not BS, she loses. Trump wins. She played his game. "This is why Democrats lose." 4. Trump admits to the bribe, but he then stipulates he would have to test her personally--himself. No, really, he says that, too. On camera. Indisputably--in order to grant her the $1M. 5. A Cherokee Native American makes a statement saying the DNA test doesn't matter. She's not Native American enough to call herself Native American. 6. Elizabeth Warren's political currency decreases. Trump uses Cherokee's words to tarnish ancestry and, potentially, her career.
That's the basic layout. So why the unrest? Good question.
The problem here isn't that Elizabeth Warren's political currency decreased, but rather why Elizabeth Warren's political currency decreased. Why does racism, misogyny, and, ultimately, trash talk prevail over truth? I don't actually know the answer to the question, but I know it's reality.
To give Republicans credit, they're not wrong. They're not wrong when they say, "This is why Democrats lose." That certainly does seem to be the case. "This" being the constant and undying search for the truth, for facts, for decency. Many democratic politicians care so much about the truth that they do not recognize how "uncool" the truth is nowadays. What it looks like to me is that people--because I'm not so sure it's just Republicans anymore--don't want the truth; they don't want political correctness; they don't even really want to talk about policy--they just want to be entertained. So, by Elizabeth Warren getting the DNA test done "the people" got what they wanted! They got entertained! The aforementioned domino effect from 1 to 6 seems to be what people *really* wanted based on their reactions. So, why doesn't Warren get credited for the entertainment value? That's easy: Trump's the MC and Warren's the heckler.
"Why" identified.
We come full circle. Is this the standard we want our country to be held to? Do we want entertainment value to supersede the values of truth, trust, and loyalty? No. We don't. Even the people that believe that's what they want don't want that. Our country's democracy is at stake if we allow entertainment to rule over truth.
If you want to know why people show their emotions--wearing their hearts on their sleeves--when others belittle them for seeking the truth--that's why. The potential to lose our democracy. The potential for all of the positive change our country has experienced over the last decade being wiped away, because too many people are caught up in the game not to realize how detrimental playing along impacts our society.
We're better than this. Let's keep trying to raise our standards instead of allowing racism and misogyny to win the day.
Hard to believe this still needs to be said in 2018.
- PatInTheHat
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