How do we reconcile that after 400 years of struggle to end racism, there has not been an end to the ignorance of so many? Ignorance comes in many forms, but willful ignorance is at the top of the list. On racism, sometimes people just don't know how to weigh out the good from the bad. Many just ride the tide to wherever it takes them.
Ignorance and racism together have played a pervasive part in the lives of many Republicans and others who have chosen former President Donald Trump as their future leader. Many White people know nothing about Black people other than what they have learned around their dinner tables. Hence, the ignorance of which I speak.
For them, there has been no race interaction whatsoever. Many are so uninformed and ignorant that they do not want to know or even give a hoot about change. As for Trump, there is nothing new about who he is: a man so far away from reality that it makes you wonder about the sanity of the people who are standing with him.
There are no reasonable-minded people familiar with Trump who do not realize that there is no God in Trump’s life. It’s almost as if he considers himself the Almighty God, a redeemer coming to save the world, protecting the privilege of all the White people in the world. When you see Black and other people of color support him, it makes you wonder how much they have shed their own ignorance.
As a candidate for the highest office in the world, Trump should make most Christian and upright citizens hesitate. He is, first and foremost, a man of disintegrity. He lies as fast as he opens his mouth. We saw millions of people die from COVID-19 during his presidency simply because of his supposed superiority and false knowledge. He suggested we use bleach for the cure.
He has been accused and convicted of many crimes, and is awaiting trial for possibly more guilty verdicts. Trump helped plan the January 6 uprising and kept official classified documents in his home. He totally disrespects women and says that “you have to treat ‘em like shit.” He has also been found liable for sexual abuse. In January 2017, Trump signed the first version of the Muslim ban. He mocks the disabled and pretends he does not know better. He does not respect the military, peddles xenophobia and racism, and socializes with White Supremacists. Civil servants have been fired for speaking out against Trump's major violations.
Trump refused to divest from his international business empire and turned over control of his company to his adult son. The experts contend the biggest issue was a massive conflict of interest. Yet he was allowed to do it.
Trump was the first billionaire to acquire a presidency. There were many other options in life for him. According to his own words, he did not really want to become the president of the United States. Barack Obama opened the proverbial door at a White House Correspondents dinner, and Trump walked right in—not to help the American people, but to get even because Obama made fun of him on that fateful night in 2011. Since that time, Trump has tried everything possible to destroy anything Obama put in place for the common good.
Trump feels he has free range to do anything he wants to do, no matter the consequences. Getting even and never forgetting is his motto. He realizes he must watch his back constantly because there are many people who do not like him. His wife did not attend his trial, and his son barely showed up. I understand the plight of Melania, the wife who has a cheat and liar for a spouse.
Trump thrives on the illusion of a perfect empire, with him as the ruler. It is proven that his choices are perfect specimens—an illusion of himself. People mean nothing to Trump. They are just pawns in his game of life, to be tossed aside when they are no longer useful to him.
He has aged beyond his years, yet he continues to hate and berate people at every chance he gets. He is consumed by greed and treasures, money, and his fancy Mar-A-Lago retreat house, all of which can be taken away from him at the drop of a hat.
Voting a disillusioned, racist, mentally dysfunctional, and godless man into office seems highly improbable for an intelligent Christian people. However, ignorance and racism are a hard-fought battle. In the end, God is the power, the truth, and the light. No man rules above God. Trump’s day of reckoning is coming, all in God’s due time. May Trump be ready for the lessons of life.
Dorothy Dempsey is a senior citizen who loves to write. She thanks God for allowing her to share this gift through published articles in The St. Louis American, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Belleville News, St. Louis Catholic Review, and in various books.He is, first and foremost, a man of disintegrity; He lies as fast as he opens his mouth.
