Why do we refer to Trump worshippers as stupid?

THIS WAS ON A FRIEND’S PAGE: An anguished question from a Trump supporter: ‘Why do liberals think Trump supporters are stupid?’

THE SERIOUS ANSWER: Here’s what the majority of anti-Trump voters honestly feel about Trump supporters en masse:

That when you saw a man who had owned a fraudulent University, intent on scamming poor people, you thought "Fine." (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2018/04/10/trump-university-settlement-judge-finalized/502387002/)
That when you saw a man who had made it his business practice to stiff his creditors, you said, "Okay." (https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-hotel-paid-millions-in-fines-for-unpaid-work)
That when you heard him proudly brag about his own history of sexual abuse, you said, "No problem." (https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/list-trumps-accusers-allegations-sexual-misconduct/story?id=51956410)
That when he made up stories about seeing Muslim-Americans in the thousands cheering the destruction of the World Trade Center, you said, "Not an issue." (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/11/22/donald-trumps-outrageous-claim-that-thousands-of-new-jersey-muslims-celebrated-the-911-attacks/)
That when you saw him brag that he could shoot a man on Fifth Avenue and you wouldn't care, you exclaimed, "He sure knows me." (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/10/23/president-donald-trump-could-shoot-someone-without-prosecution/4073405002/)
That when you heard him relating a story of an elderly guest of his country club, an 80-year old man, who fell off a stage and hit his head, to Trump replied: “‘Oh my God, that’s disgusting,’ and I turned away. I couldn’t—you know, he was right in front of me, and I turned away. I didn’t want to touch him. He was bleeding all over the place. And I felt terrible, because it was a beautiful white marble floor, and now it had changed color. Became very red.” You said, "That's cool!" (https://www.gq.com/story/donald-trump-howard-stern-story)
That when you saw him mock the disabled, you thought it was the funniest thing you ever saw. (https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/donald-trump-criticized-after-he-appears-mock-reporter-serge-kovaleski-n470016)
That when you heard him brag that he doesn't read books, you said, "Well, who has time?" (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/01/americas-first-post-text-president/549794/)
That when the Central Park Five were compensated as innocent men convicted of a crime they didn't commit, and he angrily said that they should still be in prison, you said, "That makes sense." (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/06/19/what-trump-has-said-central-park-five/1501321001/)
That when you heard him tell his supporters to beat up protesters and that he would hire attorneys, you thought, "Yes!" (https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-trump-campaign-protests-20160313-story.html)
That when you heard him tell one rally to confiscate a man's coat before throwing him out into the freezing cold, you said, "What a great guy!" (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/donald-trump-orders-protesters-coat-is-confiscated-and-he-is-sent-into-the-cold-a6802756.html)
That you have watched the parade of neo-Nazis and white supremacists with whom he curries favor, while refusing to condemn outright Nazis, and you have said, "Thumbs up!" (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/08/why-cant-trump-just-condemn-nazis/567320/)
That you hear him unable to talk to foreign dignitaries without insulting their countries and demanding that they praise his electoral win, you said, "That's the way I want my President to be." (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-insult-foreign-countries-leaders_n_59dd2769e4b0b26332e76d57)
That you have watched him remove expertise from all layers of government in favor of people who make money off of eliminating protections in the industries they're supposed to be regulating and you have said, "What a genius!" (https://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/12/29/138-trump-policy-changes-2017-000603)
That you have heard him continue to profit from his businesses, in part by leveraging his position as President, to the point of overcharging the Secret Service for space in the properties he owns, and you have said, "That's smart!" (https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2018-03-05/how-is-donald-trump-profiting-from-the-presidency-let-us-count-the-ways)
That you have heard him say that it was difficult to help Puerto Rico because it was in the middle of water and you have said, "That makes sense." (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/09/26/the-very-big-ocean-between-here-and-puerto-rico-is-not-a-perfect-excuse-for-a-lack-of-aid/)
That you have seen him start fights with every country from Canada to New Zealand while praising Russia and quote, "falling in love" with the dictator of North Korea, and you have said, "That's statesmanship!" (https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/02/politics/donald-trump-dictators-kim-jong-un-vladimir-putin/index.html)
That Trump separated children from their families and put them in cages, managed to lose track of 1500 kids, has opened a tent city incarceration camp in the desert in Texas - he explains that they’re just “animals” - and you say, “Well, OK then.” (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/more-5-400-children-split-border-according-new-count-n1071791)
That you have witnessed all the thousand and one other manifestations of corruption and low moral character and outright animalistic rudeness and contempt for you, the working American voter, and you still show up grinning and wearing your MAGA hats and threatening to beat up anybody who says otherwise. (https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/democracy/reports/2018/06/04/451570/confronting-cost-trumps-corruption-american-families/)

What you don't get, Trump supporters, is that our succumbing to frustration and shaking our heads, thinking of you as stupid, may very well be wrong and unhelpful, but it's also...hear me...charitable.

Because if you're NOT stupid, we must turn to other explanations, and most of them are less flattering.

- Adam-Troy Castro

(To all who agree with its content, I ask that you PLEASE SHARE IT on your own post, and ENCOURAGE OTHERS to do the same.)

Will this offend some? Sure...but consider this. Trump has shit on the Constitution with the talk of a Muslim ban during the 2016 campaign, with his daily attacks on the free press, insulted POWs, and made a mockery of everyone who lost his/her life fighting to stop Hitler, the man whose rise to power that Trump modeled his campaign after. Siding with him offends those of us who value the oath we swore to defend the Constitution.

So if this offends you, I'll tell you one of the things that we get told...SUCK IT UP! And that's one of the nicer things we get told.

5 things I think

1. This will be the 1^st time in 3 years I’ll watch the Super Bowl live. After the Cheatriots won in 2017, I told myself I’d never watch again if the Cheatriots are playing. Watching them get away with BS calls and the way the announcers suck them off got disgusting as well as an affront to the game. I did watch the halftime show the following season but didn’t watch the game until the following week because the Cheatriots lost. Haven’t watched a minute of last year’s game.
2. When did it become a bad thing to get a compliment? Some female members of the media seem to hate compliments whether it be about their looks or whatever else. Now, in some cases, yes…some “compliments” have a misogynistic undertone to them if a viewer only notices their looks. My favorite reporter, Erica Brecher, got a rather misogynistic comment early on in her Buffalo career….some guy complaining about her glasses. As I told her, the only person whose opinion really matters on her looks is her…and, to an extent, her fiancé (now husband) but I did tell her I thought she was cute with or without the glasses. Now, she’s not my favorite because I think she’s cute…she’s great at her job…gives stories the appropriate feel no matter if they’re light-hearted or heavy-hitting. She’s also got an engaging personality, loves cats, and is a Penn State alum. Her looks are #5 on the list of things I like about her…and sometimes, I’ve seen her look more amazing than cute. More often than not, I think most viewers can notice looks as well as the job being done. To be fair though, when a new face comes on the newscast, it’s human nature to notice that person’s appearance right off the bat. If that’s all a person notices then, well…then that’s not a positive thing. There’s a number of very attractive women on Buffalo TV and I realize I’m only speaking for myself, but I rarely compliment them on their looks unless I’m complimenting them on the job they’ve done as well. But even then, some see the comment on their looks and just ignore everything else being said.
3. It’s time for the GOP to go the way of the dodo. It’s not unheard of for a political party to die off, either…the Whigs, the Federalists, the Free Soil Party, the Democratic-Republican Party. Friday, the Senators in the GOP chose to make the impeachment trial a total cover-up by blocking witnesses and documents that would further incriminate Trump as having committed impeachable acts in violation of the Constitution. These Senators all swore oaths to uphold that Constitution but they put their own political careers first. Senators like McConnell and Graham should follow Trump to prison when all is said and done.
4. It’s past time for the 2-party system to go away. Too often, people assume your party and your political leanings based on how you view Trump. There are Republicans who saw him for what he is and Democrats who were taken in by the career con artist. It’s ignorant to say the least and it says that there are people unwilling to think for themselves, to look past party lines into who the candidates actually are. I’ll admit that at one time, I was kind of guilty of that. I voted Republican every time through 2000. Until I moved to NYS in 1999, I was a registered Republican and didn’t pay much attention to politics. A lot of people are like that and quite honestly, uninformed voters are more dangerous than people who don’t vote at all. So many people automatically believe anything their party spreads without thinking about how it sounds.
5. Abortion…I think the very idea of it is disgusting…but it’s also disgusting to let the government tell anyone what they can do with their body….and let’s be honest, until the fetus is viable, it’s a part of the mother. The whole thing is kind of misogynistic to be honest. The majority of people wanting to ban abortion can’t have them anyway. I think they’d have a different tune if the idea was posed to force men to get vasectomies until the time comes that they and their partner decide to have a child. Overturning Roe V Wade won’t stop them from happening…but it’ll make them more dangerous. Education is the best way to curb abortion. Oh, and to those who think supporting Trump is the Pro-life way (pro-birth is the proper term), you’ve been conned. He’s on the anti-abortion bandwagon for votes...nothing else. There have been reports that he wanted Tiffany aborted. And considering his proclivity for cheating on his wives and not using protection, odds are there are more than a few abortions that happened because of him. BTW, I have to wonder how awkward that must be between Ivanka and Tiffany….Trump lusts for Ivanka but wanted Tiffany aborted

Sunday thoughts and misogynistic comments towards reporters

Let me just start this off by saying yes, I'm a guy and I like seeing beautiful women. Also, when I see a new female reporter on TV, her looks are the 1st thing I notice...it's human nature. However, it takes a pretty shallow person to focus on looks alone. Buffalo has plenty of very attractive female reporters, including a few former beauty pageant winners but for me, the way they do their jobs is what's most important to me. Personality is a big factor as well. I don't care how attractive a person is...if they have a rotten personality, they could do their report in a bikini and I wouldn't tune in.
The reason I bring this up is because I caught some tweets this morning from Jenna Harner, an attractive sports reporter from WIVB whose enthusiasm for her job shines through in her reports. Apparently, one of her colleagues got an email from a viewer telling she needs to change her hairstyle. There is NO instance in which that's remotely acceptable. A few years back, Erica Brecher got an email from some guy complaining about her glasses. Now personally, I think she's attractive with or without glasses but the only person who needs to be satisfied with the way she looks is herself and, to an extent, her then-fiance now-husband Andrew. Now, there's a reporter who used to work in Buffalo who's changed her hairstyle since leaving and, to be honest, I think her past hairstyle was a lot better look for her, even though she's still a beauty. I still follow her on social media because, in addition to her beauty, she's great at her job and has a great personality. You know what I've said to her about her hairstyle? NOT A DAMN THING...because it's none of my business and it wouldn't be even if she were still in Buffalo. She's been happy with it and presumably her husband has been happy with it as well. No one else needs to have any input on how she looks. It's one thing to pay a beautiful woman a compliment but insulting a woman's looks is never acceptable.
For me, my favorite female reporters are the ones who can cover a light-hearted story that makes you feel good but can also convey the gravity of a tough story to make you aware of how important it is. Erica Brecher and Angela Christoforos are both great with that. When it comes to sports reporting, some guys sadly don't give females the respect they deserve. Melissa Stark and Suzy Kolber are a pair of national names who are great at their jobs while still turning heads. Locally, I loved Lauren Brill before she left for Cleveland because she treated every interview with the same importance, which can mean a lot to a person. I remember when the Bills had training camp in Fredonia and I went regularly and got autographs in my media guide. In 1996, while waiting for players to come by, I witnessed a fan hold out some trading cards for a 6th round pick to sign. When the player told him that he wasn't on those cards, the fan just dismissed him and left. That player looked a little hurt by that but he brightened up when he came to me and I had my media guide opened to his page to sign. It may seem such a small thing to treat people well but it can mean the world to some people...something that Brill understands.
Physical beauty is great for a reporter to have but their looks aren't usually what they have their jobs for and they shouldn't be insulted if something in their looks doesn't please you.

Sunday thoughts---the Wall and Trump’s shutdown

Let me start by saying the very idea of Trump’s wall is STUPID…it’s not about border security….it’s a monument to Trump’s ego and maybe a financial boon to his allies (where’s he planning on getting the steel? His own buildings aren’t built with American steel.)…nothing more.

For one thing, most illegal immigration is a case where people come here legally and overstay their visas so why is Trump focused on the border to Mexico? It’s twofold…it’s well-known that Trump is a racist and to be fair, Mexico has a lot of crime. When that “caravan” was coming that Trump talked about before the election (afterwards, not so much), there were people wondering why they didn’t just seek asylum in Mexico. Why would refugees fleeing a crime-ridden country seek asylum in another crime-ridden country? I swear, if people had to prove they had common sense before posting on social media, the world of social media would be a lot smaller.

Another issue…the length of the border itself. The border between the US and Mexico is 1933 miles…counting natural barriers like the Rio Grande and the Colorado River. There’s a lot of border space that Trump is ignoring along Canada (5525 miles),the coastlines, and the shorelines of the Great Lakes.

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS21729.pdf

He claims he wants to stop criminals from coming but what’s to stop criminals from going around the walls….or under or over as they’ve done for years with the current barriers? Not a damn thing! The only people his wall would stop are the poor who are coming here to seek asylum…which is legal. If Trump were really concerned with securing the borders, he’d construct a wall all around the United States but wait…that’s just by land or sea. Most illegal immigrants arrive by air…guess we need a dome. Sounds stupid, right? Just like the wall. There are already barriers in place and yes, some could be improved upon…but in no way, shape, or form, should natural barriers be interfered with in any way.

That brings up another point…the effect on the environment. There are wildlife refuges right where Trump wants to put some of his wall. Humans share this planet with other life forms and we’ve already driven some species to extinction. Our planet has a very delicate eco-system and every species has a part to play in it…though what houseflies and mosquitoes contribute is beyond me. We need to protect our planet. The movie Independence Day featured aliens who visited worlds to plunder their natural resources and essentially kill the planet. Who needs aliens when we’re doing that on our own? We need to protect our wildlife and environment because despite what the orange idiot says, climate change is very real. The movie 2012 looked at what we could be looking at if we don’t clean up our act. Truthfully, the movie did go to extremes…we aren’t looking at an ice age like that anytime soon but our polar ice caps are melting and ocean levels are rising while the habitats of some animals are disappearing. We’re not past the point of no return yet but it’s not far off if we don’t work on cleaning up our acts.

https://www.vox.com/2018/3/28/17152644/trump-border-wall-texas-environment-refuge-butterflies

Back to the shutdown. It’s been going on for over 2 weeks. Some people are out of work because of it. Some are stuck working with no pay. Neither of those situations is acceptable to anyone with a soul. The Democrats have come up with plans to reopen the government and fix those situations. Republicans have been in favor of these same plans…but Mitch McConnell, whose love for blind obstructionist tactics is well documented, refuses to let anything happen unless his fuhrer is ok with it. When did Congress stop being about checks and balances and go to being a rubber stamp on whatever the President wants? Trump is about as evil a politician as we’ve ever had but let’s face it, enablers like McConnell are complicit when they refuse to do the jobs they were elected to do…not to block an agenda or to serve an agenda, but to serve the American public to do what’s right for the nation.

Looking ahead to 2019-a resolution re: social media When they go low, we go high…words to live by

Social media can be a wonderful thing…can easily keep in touch with lots of people at once and not just people you personally know. With me, I’ve connected with old friends from before social media, people from tailgating, and a lot of people through my work with the Jills and Bandettes. And that’s just Facebook. I’ve lost track of all the people of celebrity status like actors and actresses and pro athletes that I not only follow but follow me back on Twitter and/or Instagram.

Unfortunately, there’s a negative to social media as well…and I’m not talking about the addiction that some people have to it that keeps them from paying attention to the world around them. While you can easily connect and converse with people you want to, you can also get sucked into connecting and conversing with the dregs of society as well….the bigots and the ignorant hateful people. The last few years, with a career con artist and renowned bigoted moron in the White House, those types of people have come out of the woodwork, no longer hiding in the shadows and under sheets like they used to. Scary thing is, with social media, you find out that you know many of those people...it’s an eye opener to find out that the people you thought were great people have some ugly bigoted skeletons in their closets.

Anyway, I’ve become a lot more politically aware the last few years and have weighed in on social media…unfortunately, many of those dregs like to “weigh in” as well…but since they don’t have facts on their side, they generally just hurl insults. Now, while I’m generally bringing facts to the table, I confess I’ve hurled plenty of insults back in addition.

So for my New Year’s resolution, I’m curbing the insults as much as possible. Some will slip out, I know but I’m going to try to follow the mantra of 2018’s most admired woman, Michelle Obama. “When they go low, we go high.” Instead of hurling insults right back, when I’m tempted to, I’ll simply block them. They’re not worth the time to insult.

For example, over the weekend, I paid a compliment to a friend on a photo she posted on Instagram. Then yesterday, some clown with a private account made some stupid and stalkerish comments towards me after that compliment. Rather than point out his obvious issues, I simply blocked him. People whose only goal on social media is to be scumbags are likely just as bad away from social media and they aren’t exactly getting a heavenly reward when all is said and done.

2018 my year in review

2018 has been a big year with some a couple of major changes for me, both of which I wondered if they’d ever happen.

First, after 22 years, I dropped my Bills season tickets…a decision I didn’t make lightly and has been coming for a few years to be honest. Since 2012, going to games has gotten to be less enjoyable for me each year. In 2006, when my season ticket partner bailed on me halfway through the 1^st game, I started sitting alone. For the 1^st 6 years of that, it wasn’t an issue…between people I knew around me and my work with the Jills, I kept busy. In 2012, it got a little less enjoyable and in 2014, it got even less so.

The tailgating was a different story…it stayed fun a little longer but the last few years, all the effort put in with all the prep work on Saturday, getting there early on Sunday to try to save spots for people that take for granted that you can save spots forever, cooking food that started going to waste, trying to get everything put away so we can get into the game on time, and all the clean up the next day…it started taking its toll. Add into that the increased costs between tickets, parking, and gas as well as all the drive time, it just wasn’t worth it to me to continue more than a few games a season. Maybe one day I’ll get them again…though if the Bills move downtown where tailgating will be compromised, the odds will be against it.

Secondly, I bought a house…it’s nothing spectacular but it’s mine and unlike the way my apartment had started falling apart after my original landlord passed, it’s nice. I still have a lot of work I want to do with it but I’m happy when I get home…and not just because I’m getting home to my boys. Speaking of whom, they have their own room though they don’t spend much time there in the winter…the only heating duct upstairs is in the spare bedroom and they like to sleep on or near that lately lol. Beyond that, it’s so nice being able to take my laundry to the basement instead of a Laundromat and having my own driveway is incredible. When I got home from Erie this past Friday, the car has remained parked instead of having to move it at 10am every day. Hell, today was the 1^st day I even went to the car since Friday! There’s a bunch of stuff I want to do next year with it…get the gutters cleaned and guarded and filling the side yard so I can get it planted being the top ones. Right now, it’s all roots through much of the side yard so I’m figuring if I can get an inch or 2 deep of dirt in there, I can plant grass and make it worthwhile.

2018 movies---the year in review and the year ahead

It started off with Black Panther on Feb 16…outstanding from beginning to end and in all honesty, probably deserves a few Academy Awards

Avengers Infinity War was next up on May 4 and it really lived up to the hype

Solo on May 25 filled in some gaps from before A New Hope and while I thought it was better than The Last Jedi, it didn’t live up to the franchise

Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom DID live up to the franchise and I eagerly await the next film in the franchise

Ant-Man and The Wasp built on the success of the 1^st movie very well, I thought…and the tie-in with Infinity War was well done, I thought.

Sharknado 6 wrapped up the series nicely and I’m going to be disappointed not seeing Fin, April, and Nova kicking ass next summer. The scenes with the young Nova, played by Cassie Scerbo’s niece were incredible. I do wish more of the Shepard family had had bigger roles to play in the movie. They could’ve made the movie to fit in a 3-hour block instead of a 2-hour block and it would’ve felt less rushed. Now I just want to find the box set…with deleted scenes…not in a Blu Ray format. So far, I’ve only seen Blu-Ray available and I’m not buying a new machine for 1 set of discs.

Aquaman was the final film I saw in the theater and out of the DCEU films, the only one I would say was better was Wonder Woman and even then, by a small margin…easily blows away Justice League, Man of Steel, and Batman vs Superman. There was a little continuity issue seeing as how this was set after Justice League but it was a great flick, IMO…the cinematography might have even been better than Black Panther’s.

I saw a few others on TV that I passed on in the theaters…Rampage was great…Jumanji surprised me somewhat…lacked the gravitas of the original but The Rock and Kevin Hart together is a great pair…Game Night was funny…Deadpool 2 was funny but far inferior to the original...Blockers was pretty funny--Kathryn Newton is going to be big someday, mark my words

Looking ahead to 2019

March 8 Captain Marvel…I’m not incredibly familiar with the character other than the fact that in the comics, Rogue took her powers before going straight and joining the X-Men but it’s going to be a big movie in the Marvel Universe

April 5 Shazam…this one is kind of iffy…looks more campy and goofy than most superhero films but if it’s tied in with the DCEU, I may have to go see it

April 26 Avengers Endgame…obviously a must-see especially after what happened in Infinity War

June 7 Dark Phoenix…definitely seeing this X-Men movie but am hoping it’s better than Apocolypse. While I enjoyed Apocolypse overall, it had severe flaws…Magneto, Storm, and Psylocke as Horsemen? Hopefully Marvel gets the X-Men back soon and they can do some justice to the characters.

June 14 Men In Black International. No way can Hemsworth and Thompson replace Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, but they had great chemistry in Thor Ragnarok and this movie does fit into the MiB continuity

July 5 Spider-Man Far From Home…The 1^st movie in the next phase of Marvel movies. I enjoyed the 1^st one but it definitely had its flaws…still not a fan of Spidey being so close to Stark…he should stand on his own…and Zendaya’s character just doesn’t seem right. Plus, Flash Thompson was never an academic whiz in the comics.

August 2 New Mutants…delayed from 2018 and to be honest, I may end up skipping it. When it was first announced, it looked like an X-Men tie-in but it doesn’t seem to be much of one and it’s more in the horror genre than a superhero film

October 4 Joker…looks to be an origin story for the Clown Prince of Crime…I’ll have to wait for trailers and more info before I look into seeing it

December 20 Star Wars Episode IX…hopefully it’s more like The Force Awakens or Rogue One than like The Last Jedi or Solo. I’m sure some love everything Star Wars no matter what, even Jar Jar Binks, but the original trilogy was a masterpiece and a lot of what’s released since then just doesn’t measure up. Out of the 7 films in the series released since Return Of The Jedi, Rogue One was the best, IMO

There’s a few more I wanna see but nothing that grabs me enough for the theater…The Upside with Kevin Hart, Godzilla King Of The Monsters, Jumanji 2, and Masters Of The Universe