I know we’re all tired of this election cycle, and I’m sure some of you – who may not share my opinions – would appreciate not having to scroll past my political jokes every couple of days.
I’ve never been one to consciously push my views onto other people. I try to be very cognizant of that. And to be honest, I always hesitate whether to share *any* socio-political thoughts here on Facebook.
That said, I’ve been far less reserved since Donald Trump won the Republican nomination. He terrifies me for a litany of reasons, but I’m not going to address all of those here.
As I’m sure many of you are now aware, a video containing a disgusting conversation between Trump and a news anchor has recently surfaced, wherein Trump talks about a failed attempt to seduce a married woman into sleeping with him (at a time where he’d just married his third wife).
He goes on to talk about how, because he’s wealthy and famous, women will just let him do anything he wants, such as grab at their genitalia.
Some of Trump’s supporters are saying this is just “guy talk” or “boys being boys.” Some are saying the video holds no clout because it’s 10 years old. Some are saying these are just words and they don’t hurt anyone.
Well, I have a problem with that. That’s not “guy talk” or “boys being boys.” I don’t know who these people hang out with, but this is not the kind of thing *anyone* in my circle of friends has ever said. Not when we were stupid teenagers, not as adults, not in jest, not in casual conversation. NOT EVER.
And it’s not because we’ve shown restraint. It’s because decent human beings don’t think that way.
Words have consequences, and in this case, they outline a man’s behavior. They detail his actions. A married man boasted about his attempts to convince a married woman to sleep with him.
In a written response, Donald Trump said, “This was locker-room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago.”
He was 60 years old when he said this. He was bragging about it. He was trying to impress another man in “a private conversation.”
And as if his public persona isn’t bad enough, this shows exactly what kind of person Donald Trump is when he thinks no one else is listening. Not only are his *words* damaging to women, they also describe his predatory actions, nature and behavior towards women.
I have a mother, a sister, nieces, aunts, a grandmother and many good friends who are women. Someday, I hope to have a wife and a daughter, and I will not keep quiet when a man who views them as objects of sexual triumph is at the precipice of being elected to the highest office in the world.
Additionally, I also hope to have a son one day, and I will not support anyone who demonstrates and/or propagates this obnoxious, disgusting and antiquated notion that women are objects for men to own and do with as they see fit.
averagejosh 