That Line is Mighty Thin
Joe Biden was elected President of the United States. He is the president-elect. I’m not surprised that Trump is trying to discredit this. Trump is predictable in his do-anything-to-win mentality. But there is something else disturbing about the outcome of this election:
SO MANY PEOPLE voted for Trump.
Over 73 million people voted for Donald Trump. Roughly 5 million people less than those who voted for Joe Biden. And most of us don’t know if there is any middle ground left. A line was drawn in the sand a long time ago.
People who say they’re Centrists or Moderates believe that there are common goals and interests. They’re not wrong for wanting this. But, in order for there to be any common ground, there has to be agreement on basic facts. And we don’t agree on basic facts.
Fake news, alternative facts, infowars. These all apply to the very agencies who accuse others of this. It’s very telling. Like calling people Sheeple. A lot of Conservatives call other people who don’t agree with them Sheeple. But the very fact that they sling these insults in unison…doesn’t that make them Sheeple? People who follow the herd? People who are also sheep = Sheeple? Whatever.
I have to admit, the Right comes up with better slogans than the Left. Triggered Snowflake, Lock Her Up, Cancel Culture. On and on. They shout these loaded buzzwords with no consideration or hesitation. They don’t consider that their side is as guilty of every one of these accusations and they don’t hesitate because there’s this feeling of righteousness that is every bit manufactured as the catch phrases themselves. Honestly, we’ve all become consumers of politics rather than participants of democracy.
Don’t like the result of the election? Turn to people who will lie to tell you what you want to hear. I bet OAN and Newsmax are making bank right now! Fox News has been a beacon of disinformation for years. The one time they decide to tell the truth, their fan base turn their back on them. Just keep telling them what they want to hear. Forget about what’s right or wrong.
Trump said, here’s the line. You’re either with me or against me. There’s no wiggle room when there’s a line. It’s notoriously thin. You can’t stand on it, not even on the tips of your toes. It’s not like horseshoes. You don’t get any points for touching the line. You are either on one side or the other. He is forcing Americans to choose. He knows he can only get people to stand on his side by sleight of hand or outright lying. And then he normalizes his bad behavior and places blame on everyone else.
I’m tired of people making excuses for him and giving him the benefit of the doubt. First of all, he’s the President of the United States. If you need to protect his feelings or interpret what he “really meant” to say, he probably isn’t fit for the job. Second, when given the chance to denounce an obvious evil entity like white supremacy, he doesn’t. It’s not even like he chooses his words carefully. He is given the chance and even the words to use. “Mr. President, will you, right now, say that you denounce white supremacy?” And he responds, “Proud Boys, stand down, stand by.” He gets thrown a softball and he doesn’t even swing.
For too many folks, this is a game. Your team either won or lost. You made buffalo wings and drank Coors Light (or White Claw, to be fair) when you watched the debates. You were pumped for it all day. You bought your team’s swag: the hats, the flags, the t-shirts. Hell, a lot of you even made your own. I’m not above all this behavior. I bought a Warren t-shirt, I cheered when Kamala Harris crushed Mike Pence, and I cried when she gave her victory speech. But we can’t keep going on like this. Or else, the terrorists win.
