Why Trump?

I’m as guilty as anyone for looking up Donald Trump memes and reading all the stupid, ugly and downright offensive things that come flying out of his mouth. He’s nothing more than a racist, a misogynistic loud mouth with no respect for anyone other than himself. He is the definition of offensive. So why is he the front-runner for the Republican slot?
If you’re looking for reasons not to vote for Trump, the only question is where to start. It’s no secret that Donald Trump refused to do a Republican debate because he didn’t “like” Megyn Kelly. He was quoted throwing some serious shade her way on Fox because she was asking some tough questions. You might remember his comment in that Fox interview where he referred to “blood coming out of her whatever.” Long story short, he threw a fit because he didn’t like her and didn’t want to be asked questions by her. Real mature, Mr. Trump.
Another point of shock was when Sarah Palin publicly announced her support of Trump for president in a, “Let’s kick ISIS’s ass!” kind of mentality. How can a woman support a man who has been quoted calling women “slobs,” “fat pigs” and “disgusting animals?” Being a woman, I cannot fathom voting for someone who is willing to say those kinds of things about women, or anyone else for that matter.
Donald Trump said, “My father gave me a small loan of a million dollars….” Um, SMALL? OK, Mr. Trump, we get it. You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth and you think that since you are rich and extremely successful that you can degrade anyone who doesn’t live up to your mold of the “American.” Again and again, I ask myself the same question: why is he still the front-runner for the Republican slot for president? And why is he getting away with all the derogatory things he is saying towards the Hispanics, Muslims and women in this country? He must be doing something wrong, don’t you think? Or is it something that he’s doing right?
I may have the answer. As a society we conditioned to thrive off of the most controversial and ugly things. Things like injustice, race, terrorism and inequality are gobbled up very quickly, and pretty soon we are smacking our lips for more. Related to this concept, think about the kinds of things Mr. Trump stands for. Despite my disdain for Mr. Trump, I really have to hand it to him: he’s a smart fellow. He is going right for society’s jugular to maximize his popularity. It’s elementary, really. No one really likes Trump, but they want to see what he’s going to do next so they can talk about him behind his back. Society needs someone to demonize. If we didn’t have that, our society won’t have anything to talk about. Trump is exploiting just that.
Despite my obvious disgust for Donald Trump and as much as I refuse to defend him, I can’t help my perpetual need to find the good in people. I am ashamed I feel so much negativity for another human being. As a social work major, I am conditioned to respect all human life, no matter how heinous a person seems to be. I believe people are the way they are for a reason. Yes, I do think Donald Trump has very barbaric ideologies, but that doesn’t mean I can ignore the basic tenets of what I believe in order to hate him. He is still a person, and if he were a person in need, it would be my duty to help him. I need to stop and think: is my mentality toward Mr. Trump any better than the hate and prejudice he is spreading? Is hate versus hate really going to solve anything?
Mr. Trump should not be allowed to get away with his exploitation of controversy and human emotions to win the election. However, hating him or talking about him in the same derogatory and offensive manner will only perpetuate his goals. The right thing to do is ignore his comments and prevent him from getting a place in our government where he will further exploit us. Ignore him and don’t give in to his disgusting tactics anymore.
Gabrielle Hawkins is a second-year majoring in social work.