Dear nycartist:

Because your political posts on Facebook were not directed at your friends, the friends who felt offended by your posts had the option to not read those posts or to not go on your Facebook page at all.

Lots of people experience your frustration when discussing politics on Facebook. Personally I don’t do Facebook and this here is my only social media participation.

Perhaps because I was inspired by your thread, I had my first face to face conversation with a strong Trump supporter at the local taproom yesterday afternoon. I asked him questions just so to get information, to understand his thinking. I didn’t get angry and I didn’t argue with him. I’ve liked this person, this Trump supporter for a long time, even though I now hate his support of Trump. I have no doubt that I can’t change his mind, no doubt at all. He really believes that Trump will be better for the economy. I mentioned to him that Trump lacks self discipline, tweeting and saying whatever comes to his mind, that he is not a good person, uncaring for the health of his own supporters during his rallies, and that I am afraid that he is proceeding toward dictatorship. Following the conversation, a few people joined the table and he told them: this is the first time I had a conversation about politics that didn’t involve arguing.

I believe that the reason Trump became who he is, and the reason so many people support his aggression,  is that aggression is way too common everywhere, starting at homes. Lots of children having suffered aggression, be it physical, emotional, verbal.. identify with the aggressor, looking up to him/ her. Fast forward, Trump looks up to aggressive world dictators, and is submissive to them. And he is aggressive to everyone else. But before he admired aggression, and before he proceeded to be aggressive, he suffered aggression.

Here is an example of aggression Trump is still encountering: people making fun of his hair and the color of his face, as well as him walking too slowly down that ramp, etc. We should all be careful to not make fun of people because of the way they look, the way they walk.. none of that. Aggression begets aggression. I watched liberal comedians and others making fun of Trump for the way he looks and walks- that’s aggression, that’s promoting the Problem.

My dream is that he will not be re-elected and that he will move out of any and all position of power over the country and the world, and that we will look back at his presidency as a nightmare that has passed.

anita