World’s worst person at least gets conversation going
By Cazzy Lewchuk, Opinions Editor
I’ve been writing about Donald Trump for a year now. It was around a year ago that he was no longer just the rich reality star, he was someone seriously considered as a presidential candidate. The idea was outrageous, terrifying, and even a little hilarious. It was only a year ago I wrote a Facebook rant detailing why electoral results would mean that Trump would not receive a party nomination. Sometimes, things just don’t go how you’d expect.
One year can make a big difference. Today, things are basically the worst-case scenario, and it seems to only be getting more disturbing. Seriously, I pray that no nuclear bombs get launched before this article gets published. One of the most incompetent people alive is doing unbelievable damage to his country and the wider world.
Among all of Trump’s disgusting and unprofessional behaviours, the one that really stands out was his confession to committing sexual assault. He was caught bragging on a 2006 tape about how being a celebrity around women meant “you can do anything … [even] grab her by the pussy.” Although he claimed he was joking, over a dozen women confirmed he really did grope them like the disgusting pig he is. Shockingly, millions of Americans voted for him anyway because they didn’t believe or simply didn’t care about his victims. I think sex offenders (Trump has been accused of full-on rape by multiple people) are some of the lowest of the low in society, and it’s a struggle to say that a sexual predator becoming the president is good in any way. But this infamous confession served as a reminder to society that powerful people can and do abuse others. Rape culture and the excused behaviour of people who prey on those who hold less power than them is not discussed nearly enough in society. The first step towards discouraging and eliminating the practice is to talk about it. Many who had never thought about it before now hopefully think: “Wait a minute, grabbing women by their genitals without their consent is wrong. Why does the president get away with it? How many other people get away with it?”
Trump’s political ideology has spread worldwide, with far-right/nationalist candidates and parties attempting to gain mainstream power in Canada and Europe. There is always going to be a group of people who supports these ideas, which is horrible, but exposing the dangers and problems of this ideology can only begin by recognizing that they exist in the first place. Proposing a ban on Muslims is a human-rights abuse, but it did cause many of us to take a look and say “Why do so many people support banning Muslims?” It allows us to become more understanding and critical of Islamophobia and the challenges Muslims—particularly refugees—face in Western society. It opens a discussion of xenophobia, the value immigrants have to society, and open vs. secure borders in a globalized world.
Many people cannot and will not support what Trump stands for, and to suggest that his presence does more good than bad is just plain wrong. Until this man is impeached, things are probably going to get a lot worse before they begin getting any better. However, sometimes we need a push in the wrong direction to eventually put us in the right one. The Donald’s regime is the opposite of progressive. Perhaps it is through learning from his actions that the world will ultimately learn what is wrong.
