All aboard! Ride the Trump Train! Everybody loves a train ride, right? Destination? Uncertain. Let’s just say, you better hope they serve beer in hell.
Who is this Trump? Who knows? I am wondering what the children of America think of his words. “Bimbo”… “Fat”… “Pig”… “Disgusting” “Small man”… “Crazy” … “Crooked.” I know that I am getting tired of Trump’s infantile name calling.
Children of even kindergarten age know better. Does he not have a better vocabulary than a six-year-old? Children learn by mimicking the behavior of adults. Teachers, parents, church clergy show children how to conduct themselves in a particular way. Does Donald Trump conduct himself in a proper manner? What children see on television is an angry man shouting, red-faced, “ Knock ‘em out,” “Get’em out of here.” What they see is the crowd behind him pushing, punching, yelling and chanting.
What is that? Our children have to be confused. Children also need to understand what being a citizen of the world means. The city of Rutland is hosting some refugee families from the Middle East. This is an excellent opportunity and learning experience for city students to learn about other cultures. Not if Donald Trump’s fear free-for-all prevails. Trump’s message, “Be afraid,” “Islamic,” “Muslim,” “Terrorist,” “They come here to kill Americans,” “I am going to bomb their countries,” “Bring back torture.”
To be fair, Trump’s hatred doesn’t extend to all foreign leaders. He would give allegiance to a couple of known leaders, whom he believes have been unfairly characterized. “I gotta tell you,” he states. “Putin, it’s never been proven that he has ever misused his power. We are going to get along fine together.” Yes, I can see why. Both men have manly, testosterone-driven solutions to issues, shared personality disorders that would provide a common bond. Can you see it? Putin and Donald sharing an iced bottle of Russian vodka?
Then there is the chubby boy-man dictator of paranoia. Trump is just going to drop in at the North Korean palace and have a talk with him. He will straighten things out. Does The Donald know that most people who “visit” North Korea end up in a hard labor camp for 10 years? Maybe he should call.
Gun issue — American children do not have to be told about gun violence. Trump will make sure there are no gun-free zones. Will students feel safer with pistol-packing principals roaming the hallways? Or will first graders lose sleep at night worrying about shoot-outs in the lunchroom? Trump himself brags about how many guns he owns, so many he doesn’t even know how many he has. There’s a responsible gun owner for you.
So, when it comes down to it, we want our children to feel safe in their world. Do we want an egotistical billionaire playboy to be our representative? At the very least, his belligerent nationalistic attitude will turn the world against us. At the worst, such ignorance will lead us into World War III. American children desperately need role models to look up to. The president needs to be an extraordinary human being, open-minded, informed, calm in manner.
If we thought of Donald Trump as a book title, what would it be? “Bullying and Misogyny for Dummies.”
Talk to your children. Ask them how they feel about this election. Are they confused by this angry, red-faced man with fighting, pushing crowds behind him?
Work to derail The Trump Train. I will tell you, if Trump’s Train pulls into Washington D.C., God be with us!
Mary Jo Dupoise
Brandon