For the past few days Donald Trump has told his crowds that President Obama and Hillary Clinton were the founders of Isis. He made this statement strongly and often. When given opportunities to reel it in he didn’t. So today via Twitter he declares his statements as “sarcasm”. It’s the media’s fault for taking him seriously. Let’s say this is true and that’s stretching the definition of truth. It is sarcasm. Would a serious candidate actually do this? He got his message out to his people and they will take his statement to heart especially when he employed the president’s middle name to his statement. He got the impact he was looking for and for him that is a win.
The campaign trail has to be one of the most uncivil places on earth. Politicians question each other’s patriotism, faith, business acumen and overall competence. All this is done loudly and on camera. No insult is too low and no innuendo is too desperate. One is left to wonder how did we get here?
Politicians are not the only ones guilty of uncivil conversation. Is their conversation outrageous or does it actually reflect how we talk to each other. Check out social media and you will see people are not governed by conventional rules of good taste everything posted on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram is subject to comment from readers and the comments tend to be brutal. When did we decide that manners was no longer relevant in our society?
We have become accustomed to course dialogue in every facet of life. Look at reality television. Women are pitted against each other. There is nothing to vile to articulate. The worse the behavior the better the ratings. Fighting is encouraged on the airwaves, and that same bold behavior is being seen on the streets and in our schools. Teachers were once respected by parents now face aggressive parents who come to the school prepared to verbally and sometimes physically assault the teachers. We see people more likely to record a fight than stop a fight, and when that fight gets uploaded to YouTube thousands and sometime millions happily watch the replay. What does that say about us? We decry violence but we watch it for entertainment. Are we a nation of hypocrites? Have we simply lost our way? Have we become tolerant of the language? Is this our new normal? Is the low road now the road to victory or are we ready to start speaking to each other in a respectful manner.
Michelle Fields filed a complaint against Donald Trump’s campaign manager. The prosecution has declined to prosecute, but Mika Brezenski who declares herself an advocate for women took direct personal aim at the victim. We saw the tape and the takedown from what we saw it did not look that bad, but we were not the one on the receiving end of the assault. Mika needs to take a seat. Michelle Fields must not be a member of the Mika tribe because if she were Mika would have more emphathy and less snark.
Lesley Stahl appearing on Morning Joe engaged in the most ridiculous conversations with the host. She seemingly questioned if Clinton was warm and cozy like grandmothers are supposed to be. Stahl must be stuck in some kind of time warp because here in the present grandmothers have plenty of love, but they also have more things to do besides make cookies and hot chocolate. Sure they still do that, but they also work outside the home. It is bad enough for men to try to make women fit into some kind of convenient box, but it is another level of awful to see women parrot this kind of antiquated drivel. Stahl a 60 Minures correspondent for years should know better and keep her comments confined to politics, and not Clinton’s grandparent skills.
Not feeling the racial humor. Saw this on Twitter but it did not make it to the news. Imagine if Donald Trump said it. Clinton and De Blasio need to dial it back. They think they have a black pass but they don’t have a right to make this joke and more people need to say it. Share your thoughts.
It is amusing to see Joe and Mika play tough guy with Florida Governor Rick Scott, but when Donald Trump does his call ins they simply nod in affirmation. Watch the clip and share your thoughts.