OH boy, guys, do I have some MAJORLY good stories for you (like those that belong only in soap operas) but not too many of them are appropriate just YET for the www, but I will give you a good one on which to marinate.
If you follow me on Social Media, or know me IRL, you know that I am a pretty staunch dissenter of the Trump “administration” (to which I typically refer to as “the REGIME). And also, if you know me, you know that I am on a constant quest to understand WHY people do what they do (both in my personal and public life). In fact, it sometimes keeps me up at night 😉 So, ever since election night, I have asked at least daily (ok fiiiiiine, maybe hourly) “who ARE these people who voted for him!?!?” I literally just don’t get it. I have hundreds of friends on FB and literally less than 10 are Trump supporters. Mind you, I recognize that birds of a feather flock together, so the idea that the majority of my friends would have similar political views as mine is not foreign or strange. But I still question, “WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE!?” I am going to tell you a story of one of “these people.” I tell this story with the caveat that I am NOT a judgmental person, but that I truly seek to understand why people feel and do what they do! And I am not judging this person, I am just telling a story…that sort of proves a point.
While in Florida, I was enjoying greatly the rooftop pool. Scotty had all three boys in the water and I MIGHT have been luxuriating with a magazine for a moment on the lounge chair. A woman approached me and began to make small talk. She was older than me, and from Bethlehem, PA. She started asking about me and my family and where we live. She asked what I thought was the question “I don’t know WHY you’d live in Philadelphia” to which I casually laughed and answered “because we LOVE it there!” And she corrected me saying, “NO I said I didn’t know WHITE people lived in Philadelphia.” I was befuddled. Did she really just say that? So I asked her, “Did you just say that?!” And she repeated herself. I literally could not believe she would think that, let alone say it. So I explained that yes, white people DO live in Philadelphia but that we are a very diverse and WELCOMING city. She recanted with “Ugh there was that horrible incident a year ago at a parade where a bunch of black men beat up a military man! Can you believe it?!” I answered, “Why yes I can believe it, but I am unwilling to relate it to the color of his skin.” She did not seem thrilled with my response. And certainly did not agree.
Interestingly enough, I had been chatting with a super nice Orthodox Jewish young mother. As we were sitting, this woman swam up to us again, repeating her rhetoric about white people living in Philadelphia and asking the modestly-dressed Jewish woman if “she thinks that she stands out, because she sure does!” The ignorance level was rising quickly. She told us of a woman in the hotel lobby that was wearing a hijab. I had actually had a conversation with this woman earlier in the day in which I attempted to apologize on behalf of “our president” for the mistreatment of Muslims. The woman in the pool continued to tell us, and I quote: “I told that woman that SHE is in AMERICA and that SHE does not need to wear that THING.” Oh boy. Here we go. I kindly explained that wearing a Hijab is HER choice and that she wears it out of respect for both her husband and her religion and that most husbands and wives, regardless of religion, make certain agreements in their marital contracts. But then, it was time. I calmly asked her, “Are you by any chance a Trump supporter?” I wasn’t trying to pigeon hole but I felt I was certainly getting an answer to my aforementioned question of “who voted for HIM?!” I think that what I was really trying to understand was the level of ignorance it would take to make such a decision and I think I was finally getting there…
She, of course, took the opportunity to rave and revere The Donald and ALL of the ways that he will and is already (in her words) “Making America Great Again.” OK, good. You are entitled to your opinion. But the next thing that happened BLEW. MY. MIND.
Because it was the day that Betsy DeVos was to be confirmed, I asked, “Well, what do you think about Betsy DeVos and the fact that I sit here as a mom of three who holds a masters degree in ED policy from the University of Pennsylvania and am more qualified than her?” (insert humble brag). Lady LEGIT said “Who is Betsy DeVos?!” I could NOT believe my ears. THESE are the people. You don’t GET to have an opinion about who is best suited to run our country and serve in its highest office, unless you have a CLUE about what is ACTUALLY going on. In this case, you would need to know who Besty DeVos is.
So, that is the end of my story. I support anyone who has an opinion that they can support with FACTS. REAL facts. Not just ones of the alternative nature. PERIOD.
THE. END.
Ups and Downes 