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As I write this at 1 a.m. on Wednesday, November 6th, it’s been made clear that racism, hatred, bigotry, greed, ignorance and misogyny has stolen what remains of America’s hardened, idiot heart. While Trump’s victory is hard to fathom, what’s even more difficult to comprehend are the millions of people who happily welcome his agenda of hatred and corruption.
Fascism, racial prejudice, denying women bodily autonomy and ignoring the climate crisis have triumphed. Shaking the pennies out of the pockets of the 99% to enrich the 1% wins. Letting hostile foreign entities run unchecked over the world wins.
Donald Trump is a man marked by hostility, fraudulence, misogyny, and astonishing moral failures — a sickening fact on its own. What’s even more appalling is that hundreds of millions of Americans want this country to be molded in his disturbing image.
This election not only reveals how deeply hate and ignorance run in America, but also the contempt some hold for women.
In school, we learned that in the 1400s, women were burned at the stake as “witches” by those blinded by ignorance and hatred. It seemed a shocking, barbaric act. Now, as the left faces the second defeat of a female presidential candidate, I realize there’s only a thin veil of civility separating us from that same brutality. Without resistance, such horrors could find their place again in today’s world.
The people who voted for Trump are like those who set innocents aflame centuries ago: ignorant, hateful, misogynistic, and violent. While medical, scientific, and technological knowledge has advanced by leaps since the 1400s, our capacity for hatred remains undiminished.
