Are We That Blind?

                                Seeing Donald Trump run for president makes it seem as though anyone can run for president. I have yet to see Donald Trump do a speech, and actually tell us how he plans to “Make America Great” as he says. Every time I just happen to catch him on television, he is always insulting someone whether a political figure, veteran, minorities, or even a reporter with a disability. Not to mention the man even claimed to not know about the Ku Klux Klan, after former leader David Duke endorsed him, but that’s a whole different topic. I mean really? who doesn’t know about the Ku Klux Klan? Is this seriously the man that will possibly be our next President of the United States? Are you kidding me? This seriously has to be a bad dream! How can a man that promotes so much hatred, racism, and no agenda to back up his words be so far in getting elected? Are we that blind, or are Donald Trump’s views a reflection of what the average American thinks deep down?

What simply gets old to me is seeing him insult other people, and countries, which according to “The New York Times” he has insulted a total of 258 on Twitter alone. A few of those names include President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, and Bernie Sanders. One thing that simply got old very quick was turning my television channel, and seeing Donald Trump’s attacking words on someone who chose not to support him. It’s very sick to see, and can you imagine someone like that as our President of the United States.   

Donald Trump has insulted military veterans. As a veteran myself; serving 12 years in the military his insults really boil my blood, such as his claim to have sacrificed as much as fallen soldiers. In the interview Donald Trump compared his business success to those who have sacrificed their lives in battle for their country, but that’s not all! How can we not forget insults on John McCain, saying that “He’s not a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured”.  Just imagine what it would be like having Donald Trump as our President of the United States.

For me as an African American male, I don’t feel very comfortable with the possibility of having someone like this as our next President of the United States. From my view this man puts minorities in a whole different category compared to Caucasians, and it stinks! Donald Trump doesn’t even know how to address minorities; so how does he expect to help minorities. All minorities are to Donald Trump, are just votes to get him into office, and he’ll make any promise to get that minority vote.

One thing that really dropped my jaw is when Donald Trump mocked a New York Times reporter that suffers from a chronic condition. That was flat out, not cool, and not very leader like! What’s sad, is that these disrespects are blatant, and viral, but yet there are still many that support Donald Trump, after these antics. All I can really say is that, if this man gets elected as President of the United States, God help us all, because we will need it!

REFERENCES

LEE, J. C., & KEVIN QUEALY, K. (2016, August 22). The 258 People, Places and Things Donald Trump Has Insulted on Twitter: A Complete List - The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/28/upshot/donald-trump-twitter-insults.html?_r=1

Easley, J. (2016, July 30). Donald Trump Insults Vets By Claiming He Sacrifices As Much As Fallen Soldiers. Retrieved from http://www.politicususa.com/2016/07/30/trump-insults-military-claiming-sacrifices-fallen-soldiers.html

Ortiz, E. (2015, July 18). 'He's Not a War Hero': Donald Trump Mocks John McCain's Service - NBC News. Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/hes-not-war-hero-donald-trump-mocks-john-mccains-service-n394391

Kopan, T. (2015, November 29). 10 times Donald Trump insulted groups this fall. Retrieved November 08, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/27/politics/donald-trump-insults-groups-list/index.html

Waldman, P. (2016, August 24). Donald Trump's new plea to minorities: You're pathetic, so vote for me. Retrieved November 08, 2016, from http://theweek.com/articles/644560/donald-trumps-new-plea-minorities-youre-pathetic-vote

Trump mocks reporter with disability - CNN Video. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/11/26/donald-trump-mocks-reporter-with-disability-berman-sot-ac.cnn

Qiu, L. (2016, March 02). Donald Trump's absurd claim that he knows nothing about former KKK leader David Duke. Retrieved August 01, 2016, from http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/mar/02/donald-trump/trumps-absurd-claim-he-knows-nothing-about-former-/

Current mood!

My current mood, as of right now! Im also working on a writing about my love for running; how i went from hating it to loving it.  Hope to finish it by the end of February :)

The Welcoming Mat

The welcoming mat

                Being ignorant, or having no plain clue of the world you are living in only sets yourself up to get used as a doormat in what we call the “Land Of Opportunity”.  Workers like Lupe, or immigrants that are undocumented often suffer, because they have no clue of what to expect upon arriving to the United States.  Many grown adults take jobs that we as citizens of America tend to look down at.  Job’s such as working as fast food restaurant employees, janitors, and sweat shops.  I think that many have no clue, but settle there because life is a lot similar there, than in their own country.  How far can you go in a country with a totally different language other than your own?  Many immigrants have no choice but deal with the consequences of being used as a doormat, because they are undocumented and not protected under United States laws.  They also suffer because they do not speak English, which makes it hard for them to understand.

                Many immigrants come to the United States for various reasons, such as to live in freedom, to practice their own religion freely, to escape poverty or oppression, and to make better lives for themselves and their children.  They come to live the “American Dream”, but have no clue what is at state for them upon arrival.  Taking a look at it our country was built by immigrants, and it goes back to the year of 1500, the great European migration.  Settlers from Europe and Asia came to seek fortune, but many people from Africa, and Caribbean were brought forcibly to America to work as forced laborers.

                Immigrants back then did not act like immigrants today.  They attacked the Native Americans, and although Native Americans could not fight back with guns, they did what they could to defend themselves.  The immigrants in this day in age come here in groups; some with their families, while risking possible turn-a-round or jail-time. The journey to a better life in the United States also risks the possibility of death, and starvation.  Immigrants come here wearing pretty much only the clothes they have on, and do it either by land, or water.  All to live the “American Dream” but not knowing how life would be while pursuing that life. 

                Today in our age, many large companies rely on temporary workers, which many so happen to be undocumented immigrants like Lupe.  These firms often recruit undocumented immigrants because the fear of deportation means immigrants are helpless under U.S. law to fight worker abuse.  Being helpless under U.S. law immigrant workers withstand a lot of abuse, and face additional pressure not to speak out because they can lose their jobs or worse face deportation back to their own country, and face possibly jail time.  This treatment that many immigrants face is no different than from the treatment in their own collectivist society, which hinders them from the same freedoms that we have living in an individualistic society such as the United States, and that is why they come here in the first place.  In “Harmony And The Dream” by David Brooks, he explains the differences between a individualistic society, and a collectivist society.  David states that “The individualistic societies tend to put rights and privacy first.  People in these societies tend to overvalue their own skills and overestimate their own importance to any group effort.” “People in collectivist societies tend to value harmony and duty.  They underestimate their own skills and are more self-effacing when describing their contributions to group efforts.”

                Putting myself in an immigrant’s situation, I feel that it is better off to be ignorant, than knowing too much!  Being ignorant does have risks of harming you in the long run, but it keeps you out of the spotlight.  Ignorant workers are protected, but still have a high risk of being deported back to their own country.  It all stems around what conditions can you tolerate? The tolerance of conditions such as long hours, low pay, and also being looked down at because you do not understand how the system works.  Some employers view immigrants as being dumb, but they are really not.  They just do not understand how the system works, and it takes time.  Anyone would struggle going into a whole new country with totally different system than their own.  Another thing it boils down to is how much you want to live in the “Land Of Opportunity” to make a better life for you and your family.  Knowing too much will not get you any further than someone ignorant.  It just means that your risks of being deported are higher than a person willing to suffer through worker abuse, and if you do not have groups of immigrants that are employed with you than you really have no voice.  Knowing too much also risks chances of you being fired from your job, being labeled as an outcast among your fellow employees or employer, that will further put you in a position of being alone.