Two topics that I steer away from discussing publicly are politics and religion. Reason being because it always ends in a discussion; a discussion I really don’t wish to be a part of, but this time it’s different, in a sense. I’m sure most of you heard and read what transpired last week in regards to a video that surfaced from 2005 in which Donald Trump and Billy Bush exchanged vulgar language in regards to a woman. I’m not going to copy word by word of what was exchanged in that conversation because I refuse to use those words. If you haven’t heard what was said, please feel free to look for it elsewhere on the internet.
I’m not gonna compare things said and done between both Presidential candidates nor am I going to talk about Billy Bush because this post is only about Donald Trump and the words that came out of his mouth. So if you choose to leave a comment on this post, please refrain from comparing the two because that’s not what I’m going to do in this post.
When I started reading about the video surfacing after so many years, I hesitated to listen to it or read about it because I figured it would just be more of the same thing; but I did anyway. I cringed when I started to hear the words that were coming out of his mouth and the way he was saying it. It was disgusting. How is this ok? What surprised me more was the fact that a lot of people were laughing it off. How was this funny? Besides laughing it off, people were excusing it by calling it guy talk and locker room banter. I was still so confused because I found it very offensive. What gives him the right to treat women as a piece of meat?! What gives him the right to grab women as he pleases where he pleases?! What makes him think that because he’s a “celebrity” he can do as he wishes with a woman and that she will allow it?! You’re wrong, Trump (I refuse to call him Mr.). You can’t.
I’m not gonna sit here and pretend these kinds of conversations don’t happen. They do, and we all know they do, but the fact that they happen doesn’t make it right or acceptable. Rape occurs yet that doesn’t make it acceptable or correct. “So how is this acceptable?” Do we realize that this was a then 59 year old viejo that is now a Presidential candidate saying that? It’s disgusting, and the fact that he didn’t even apologize for it makes it even worse. He apologized if anyone was offended. That’s not an apology. That’s a half-assed statement. He also shrugged it off as “locker room banter,” and then proceeded to attack his opponent and her husband by comparing what he says they did to what he said. What are we, 5?! Once again, that doesn’t make it right. The fact that women and men are shrugging this off as a joke or as locker room banter is one of the reasons why sexual assaults and rapes continue to occur because these kinds of statements are what perpetuate a rape culture. Are we aware that this is actual sexual assault?!
What upsets me more is the fact that women themselves are shrugging it off as “that’s what guys do/say” and accept it at that. Men also laugh it off and ask each other, “Who hasn’t said that?” or “As if you’ve never said something like that”. I’m going around reading comments all over social media and asking myself, “Have women really been reduced to that?!” and “When did this become acceptable?!” Also, “Who are these women that are educating their sons to believe this is okay?”
I’m also going through social media looking for men that were offended by the language used and it’s pretty scarce. I find myself with more questions than answers. Are there really no men out there that respect women? Are men just going with the flow and not wanting to publicly say they don’t approve of it? How would they feel if another man referred to their own daughter that way? Would they also shrug it off as guy talk?
Then, when I thought I had heard it all, Scott Baio comes along and defends Trump by saying: “Ladies out there, this is what guys talk about when you’re not around. So if you’re offended by it, grow up. And by the way, this is what you guys talk about over white wine when you have your brunches, so take it easy with your phony outrage. This is the way the world works. It’s not a big thing.” Excuse me?! No, I don’t need to grow up and get over it. This is NOT right. This is NOT okay. Men need to understand that this is not okay and stop doing it, but the more women shrug it off as “guy talk”, and the more men encourage and applaud this kind of behavior as a sign of masculinity, the less chances we have of that ever happening.
I’m not here to talk about his political platform. I’m here to talk about what he said when referring to women. So ask yourself this: Is this someone you would like to represent you as President of the Free World? From what I’ve seen these last few days, the answer many of you have scares me…
I feel like nowadays many find that as “casual” talk and it’s terrifying to know that many (includes men and women) are okay for a man to express themselves about a woman like that… Especially by a viejo his age! I wonder if he would love hear someone express about his hijas that way… It’s like we’ve been forced to be accustomed to this type of behavior and its not ok! Que asco! No need for a man to determine the value of a woman. A woman has waaaaay much more to offer than her sex appeal.
I read an article recently where someone did refer to his daughter in a sexual way ( I want to say it was Howard Stern) while interviewing Trump and when asked if it was ok to refer to her in that manner, Trump said it was fine! He’s gross.
It sickens me each and every time I hear about the things he said, and when people make excuses for what he said. It will never be ok. It will never be acceptable to speak about a woman like that. This is not just “guy talk”, or “locker room talk.” This is the kind of talk from people who have zero respect.
GIRL!!!!! Preach! That’s all. I’m done.