I have recently experienced something I will call the “Trump Effect.” That is the effect Trump has had on the people of this country.
This condition, or affliction, can infect not just his supporters but others as well. It’s easy to acquire; one loses the ability to care what others think, and not in a good way. One also, without even realizing it, turns into an intolerant cry-bully, afraid of anyone or anything that brings change to one’s safe little world.
Ignorance, intolerance and intimidation are key to the Trump Effect, even though those who are afflicted are guided by fear. One also stops listening to anyone else. I find this particularly sad. There are those who want what they want without thinking about the impact it has on others in their community. They use fear to intimidate, threatening (but in a subtle way) that if you take a stand or speak out, well then your family dog may suffer the consequences.
Then there are those terrified by change, openly hostile to anyone who thinks differently and stuck in their ways. Their war cry is “Go back where you came from,” but the truth is, this is where I and many others came from.
As American citizens, it is within our rights to travel the country and choose where we want to live. We may have come to live here from a different state; many of us did.
It’s ridiculous to think that things won’t change. Things change every single day. One’s life and one’s world will be a terrifying place if one is not open to the changing world in which we live.
I admit that I was afflicted with the Trump Effect. It’s easy to go low, lose one’s cool and take a position. Maybe one day we’ll stop flipping out on each other and listen to what each other has to say, regardless of where we came from.
Joanne Graves
Forest Lakes
