With all due respect, this is a late night blog hampered by whiskey and fatigue. I’d rather be watching an episode of Stranger Things or meditating or flat out sleeping right now. I believe I held on to my words too long today to be able to get them out effectively. I can tell you about one thing on my mind: I have a family member who is an avid Trump supporter. Her reasoning is what caught my eye. She’s about Trump because he serves as a reminder that someone like her can be president and can be rich and can keep it real in the office. Nevermind the fact that she’s black, not rich, and not even republican; that she did not come from a wealthy family and in truth had to survive welfare for a time. Nevermind the fact that she pulled herself up from her bootstraps and earned her education. Some of that education is failing her right now, because the longstanding programming of the American culture has taught her to look the other way when things you don’t like come to light. She only sees the good-the relatable stuff. Perhaps most telling is that she still sees herself as having the potential–if not ease–to be a wealthy individual on that level should she decide it is worth the effort to do so.
It isn’t, apparently.
She is comfortable where she is at and finds more use of her time nodding at the Trumpian opulence than really making that effort to create her own. I think I really gained perspective when she admitted that Trump’s behavior shows her how to act in those wealth-based situations. I learned that it isn’t about what the man says, but it is about the clout and swagger he carries that gets people on board.