I prefer apple juice to orange juice, though admittedly I do like them both. However, I hate grapefruit juice. If you love grapefruit juice and prefer it over my favorite juices, or even hate my favorite juices, I’m going to be okay with that.
My favorite color is purple. There’s something calming about it. At a time in my past though, my favorite color was red. I hate pea-green, it reminds me of vomit, boogers or even baby poop. If you love pea green, though, or even like it, I’m going to be okay with that.
I’m pro-choice. I respect your right to personally believe that a life begins at conception and I respect your right hold on to that believe and to decide to give birth even if your pregnancy is unexpected, or a result of rape. I can agree to disagree with those who are pro-life as long as they don’t attack people who have chosen abortion. I do understand the idea behind the belief of pro-life. Once in my very early years I considered myself pro-life, too.
There is one thing, though, that I cannot wrap my mind around : Why anyone would vote for Donald Trump.
I understand not trusting Clinton. She’s corporate owned, she’s a liar, she’s this, she’s that – and most of those opinions are based in fact. But it is OUR fault that the race is between her and Trump. We let it get to that. I understand the concerns people have about a Clinton Presidency.
Can you honestly listen to the unbelievably sexist, racist, bigoted, homophobic garbage that spews out of his 0-shaped mouth and tell me that you would rather have that as your President? Can you look at the face of your mother, your daughter, your friend, or anyone with a vagina or anyone who identifies as female, and say that you’re rooting for the leader of our country who has said, countless times over the years, that woman are worthless if they are not physically attractive according to his beauty standards?
I have twin nine-year-old nieces. They will be turning 14 at the end of the next Presidential election. Right now, while they are heading into their pre-teen years, they are going to learn to be self-conscious. They are going to realize they are being judged for the way their bodies look, they are going to start being interested in boys (or girls) and the thought of having someone as the President of our country who is going to tell my nieces (one who has a body naturally VERY skinny like one of my grandmothers who probably isn’t going to have much in the way of boobs) that she’s unattractive and unworthy if she’s flat-chested makes me sick to my stomach.
If you vote for Donald Trump, do NOT make excuses for yourself. “Yeah I know he’s a bigot but at least he’s honest.” Direct quote I saw from someone on Facebook. I don’t even know how to pick up my jaw and respond to that. What you are really saying is that you have zero respect or value at all for your wife, your daughter, your mother, or even yourself if you are female, gay, bi, pan, asexual, African-American, not rich, or born in any other country besides America. If you’re someone like that, you are not someone I want near myself or anyone I care about. I get that I can’t make anyone change their minds on who to vote for, but I can sure as hell respect myself and those I care about enough to tell you that you if you are making such a hateful statement, you are toxic to me and you need to stay away from me and those I care about. This is not a preference on juices, colors, or even a humanitarian issue. This is a statement to basic respect for woman – really for everyone. If you are voting for Trump, you do not respect me, my friends, your own family and friends, or even yourself and you are putting the safety and autonomy of countless people I care about in actual danger for the next for years.
We could agree to disagree between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, but no, we cannot agree to disagree between Clinton and Trump. One may be stale bread, but the other is a loaded gun in the hands of a toddler.
That is all.
Kell Frillman - Author 