A Matter of Character
https://www.elkgrovenews.net/2017/07/a-matter-of-character.html
By Dan Schmitt | July 5, 2017 |
“Daddy said: ‘All children must look after their own upbringing.’
Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final
forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.”
Anne Frank
1929-1945
I don’t have cable TV, so I can’t say
I’ve ever watched “Morning Joe” on MSNBC.
I’ve been reading a lot about it lately though. Apparently, co-host Joe Scarborough and Mika
Brzezinski said some unflattering things about the Trump Administration, and
the president responded with a Twitter tirade disparaging Mika Brzezinski’s
physical appearance.
This is not the first
time Donald Trump has directed mean-spirited, hurtful comments at women who had
the audacity to challenge him (think Roseanne Barr, Megyn Kelly, Carly
Fiorina). Misogyny is part of our
president’s character. Anyone with at
least a half-ounce of decency would find Trump’s banal, boorish, bullying
behavior appalling. It’s unacceptable
for our president to act in such a manner.
Hell, it’s unacceptable for an inebriated oaf sitting in a local bar to
act that way.
Many Trump
supporters justify his immature behavior saying things like “It’s just Trump
being Trump!” Well, they got a
point. Donald Trump is 71 years old, and
the expression “You can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear” probably applies
to him. Or maybe the more appropriate
maxim is “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” For me personally, I find people’s acceptance
of Trump’s chronically childish behavior at least as troubling as the behavior
itself.
Deputy press
secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, justified Trump’s disparaging comments
towards Mika Brzezinski by saying, “This is a President who fights fire with
fire.”
Really! Brzezinski made a comment about the fake Time
Magazine with Trump on the cover at one of his golf courses, and Trump goes off
with a personal attack on her face! Ya
gotta give it to Sanders; she’s standing by her boss. That shows some character! I wonder if Sanders would respond differently
if Trump called her an ugly pig or said her face was ugly?
I also wonder
about all the men and women who continue to support Trump despite his
childishly bullying behavior. My middle
school students, having a penchant for curiosity, often asked me “what if”
questions. So, let me personalize our
president’s behavior and ask a couple what if questions myself. To the Trump supporting males out there, “What
if he said some awfully hurtful things about your wife or your mother or your daughter?” Would you be good with that? To the Trump
supporting women out there, “What if he said some disparaging things about your
physical appearance?” Would you be OK
with that? Remember, we’re talking about
the guy who is the most powerful, most influential person on earth. We’re talking about the guy who is supposed
to be the consummate role model for our children. We’re talking about CHARACTER!
Two final questions on the character issue: “How
is it that a Jewish girl barely in her teens, hiding from the Nazis in a small
annex with her family, deathly afraid that she and her family would be taken
away at any moment so insightfully understand character development while
Donald Trump, our 71 year-old president and a guy who grew up in affluence and
privilege, remain so woefully clueless?
Does he really deserve anyone’s support?”
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