Ben, so sorry to read about this. It was a despicable comment and symptomatic of the hatred Trump inspires. Please know the vast majority of your readers are with you. Hope your son makes a speedy recovery.
It’s reprehensible that anyone would go that low about an innocent sick child. You can’t learn empathy for others when your self-hatred is your primary problem. I hate trump for unleashing this ugliness on an undeserving nation!
And when this is all over and Trump loses (because we simply *must* beat him, there is no other acceptable outcome) his supporters will slink away like Nazis after the war, denying they ever supported him.
The gaslighting will be abundant. “No, I never had a Trump 2024 yard sign.” “I never said I was voting for him.” “Maga hat? I’ve never worn one.” or the ever popular “They tricked me. I thought they were not what they said they were.” and so on and we must not fall for it.
People like Justin P. **are** responsible for their vile postings and do not get to escape responsibility for choosing to post them.
Damn, that is some horrible shit. I think you’re spot on in the how & why this is even acceptable. I live in an area where folks of the MAGA persuasion constitute a decent percentage of my neighbors and friends/family. I’m always surprised how quickly any conversation around politics descends into name-calling and primitive bullying. No discussion, Kamala is immediately branded a ho and Walz is ‘Tampon Tim’. My pushback is dismissed since I have ‘trump derangement syndrome’ said with a laugh. TFG has turned them all into dimwitted schoolyard bullies and honestly, I think a lot of them relish it. They’ve checked their brains out and simply parrot whatever nastiness they’re told to say as a way to preserve their bubble.
Wow, I am so sorry this happened to you and your son too. There is no excuse for that kind of comment about your son. In fact, I will venture a person who thought to even post the comment is a danger to others. Unlike you, I cannot find sympathy any longer for the, sorry, stupid people who continue to support Trump, Vance, or any of the other hateful Maga people, over everything else.
“We have seen this kind of rhetoric throughout history and it always ends up in violence. Fascistic movements are built on the hatred of others, and at some point that hatred is unleashed into the real world.”
I’m sorry to hear about your son, and I wish him a speedy recovery. And agreed, the hateful rhetoric only leads to violence; and it already has (J6th), and several synagogue and Mosque bombings and shootings, as well as a plethora of death threats, Swatting and other violent acts against innocent civilians, election workers, journalists and even politicians.
Sadly, and considered par for the course, is how MAGA inflames the rhetoric and then tries to blame the violence on democrats. This is getting tiring, yet it has also become effective for MAGA.
With social media, and so many media outlets reporting the news, I’m not buying the ignorance bull shit anymore. You’d have to literally live in Ted Kaczynski’s remote log cabin to be sheltered from what’s happening in the world; especially in the world of politics.
For those people who support Trump, they are making a choice! They are choosing either apathy or hate. If these people who support Trump based on the notion that they refuse to believe he’s a racist, bigot or misogynist, who will turn our democracy into authoritarian kakistocracy; it’s because they choose not to see it, or believe it. Otherwise, the only other option is APATHY; and they just don’t give a damn!
So pick your poison with these people, but I refuse to call them easily manipulated shills; all adults know better, they just choose not to! IMHO!…:)
You’re a better human being than I am. That person doesn’t deserve to live on this earth. Because, unfortunately, he will reproduce and influence the next generation to hate as he does.
I am so, so sorry that you were the target of such vile filth. I felt sick reading it. Sadly, frighteningly, that is the legacy 45 will leave behind. Even if he loses and if we get through a Harris inauguration without bloodshed, people have taken his verbal atrocities as permission to be this way, and I don't know how we'll ever get back the idea that being a decent human being matters. You're a better man than I am to be able to look for forgivable causation behind this.
I’m so hoping that the guy who said this gets a big dose of karma for being such a pathetic excuse for a human being. Best wishes and a speedy recovery to your son.
I am sorry that you had to experience such hate. It is disheartening to know that fellow Americans are filled with such bile and hatred. Sending positive thoughts your way and prayers for your child’s quick recovery.
Ben, I’m horrified to read what someone wrote to you about your poor son who I hope is recovering nicely now, but as you indicated in your piece, this unfit, unhinged candidate for office has unleashed a torrent of hate ever since he came on the political scene! It is beyond time that we turn the page on his racist, xenophobic, homophobic, misogynistic world view this November!
No one should have received such a hateful message like you did when it concerns an innocent 6-year-old!
Ben, so sorry to read about this. It was a despicable comment and symptomatic of the hatred Trump inspires. Please know the vast majority of your readers are with you. Hope your son makes a speedy recovery.
It’s reprehensible that anyone would go that low about an innocent sick child. You can’t learn empathy for others when your self-hatred is your primary problem. I hate trump for unleashing this ugliness on an undeserving nation!
Justin is responsible for his own comment, though.
Indeed he is.
And when this is all over and Trump loses (because we simply *must* beat him, there is no other acceptable outcome) his supporters will slink away like Nazis after the war, denying they ever supported him.
The gaslighting will be abundant. “No, I never had a Trump 2024 yard sign.” “I never said I was voting for him.” “Maga hat? I’ve never worn one.” or the ever popular “They tricked me. I thought they were not what they said they were.” and so on and we must not fall for it.
People like Justin P. **are** responsible for their vile postings and do not get to escape responsibility for choosing to post them.
May your son be totally recovered and blessed with good health and happiness with your family always
Damn, that is some horrible shit. I think you’re spot on in the how & why this is even acceptable. I live in an area where folks of the MAGA persuasion constitute a decent percentage of my neighbors and friends/family. I’m always surprised how quickly any conversation around politics descends into name-calling and primitive bullying. No discussion, Kamala is immediately branded a ho and Walz is ‘Tampon Tim’. My pushback is dismissed since I have ‘trump derangement syndrome’ said with a laugh. TFG has turned them all into dimwitted schoolyard bullies and honestly, I think a lot of them relish it. They’ve checked their brains out and simply parrot whatever nastiness they’re told to say as a way to preserve their bubble.
“They’ve checked their brains out and simply parrot whatever nastiness they’re told to say”
Yes, that’s how cults work.
I think you must live in my neighborhood.
Wow, I am so sorry this happened to you and your son too. There is no excuse for that kind of comment about your son. In fact, I will venture a person who thought to even post the comment is a danger to others. Unlike you, I cannot find sympathy any longer for the, sorry, stupid people who continue to support Trump, Vance, or any of the other hateful Maga people, over everything else.
It's charitable of you to create a backstory for a vile comment like that, to attribute his hate to suffering. You're a good dude.
Why would someone leave a comment like that is a question I think about a lot. To some extent I think our world makes people mean, and I wrote about that here: https://open.substack.com/pub/armchairpundit/p/why-is-everyone-so-mean
But because I also wonder if some people might just be bad, I wrote a companion piece: https://open.substack.com/pub/armchairpundit/p/on-bad-people
“We have seen this kind of rhetoric throughout history and it always ends up in violence. Fascistic movements are built on the hatred of others, and at some point that hatred is unleashed into the real world.”
I’m sorry to hear about your son, and I wish him a speedy recovery. And agreed, the hateful rhetoric only leads to violence; and it already has (J6th), and several synagogue and Mosque bombings and shootings, as well as a plethora of death threats, Swatting and other violent acts against innocent civilians, election workers, journalists and even politicians.
Sadly, and considered par for the course, is how MAGA inflames the rhetoric and then tries to blame the violence on democrats. This is getting tiring, yet it has also become effective for MAGA.
With social media, and so many media outlets reporting the news, I’m not buying the ignorance bull shit anymore. You’d have to literally live in Ted Kaczynski’s remote log cabin to be sheltered from what’s happening in the world; especially in the world of politics.
For those people who support Trump, they are making a choice! They are choosing either apathy or hate. If these people who support Trump based on the notion that they refuse to believe he’s a racist, bigot or misogynist, who will turn our democracy into authoritarian kakistocracy; it’s because they choose not to see it, or believe it. Otherwise, the only other option is APATHY; and they just don’t give a damn!
So pick your poison with these people, but I refuse to call them easily manipulated shills; all adults know better, they just choose not to! IMHO!…:)
You’re a better human being than I am. That person doesn’t deserve to live on this earth. Because, unfortunately, he will reproduce and influence the next generation to hate as he does.
My guess is anything he reproduces will see him for the peice of garbage he is.
I’m sorry you are receiving such hateful messages.
I am so, so sorry that you were the target of such vile filth. I felt sick reading it. Sadly, frighteningly, that is the legacy 45 will leave behind. Even if he loses and if we get through a Harris inauguration without bloodshed, people have taken his verbal atrocities as permission to be this way, and I don't know how we'll ever get back the idea that being a decent human being matters. You're a better man than I am to be able to look for forgivable causation behind this.
I’m so hoping that the guy who said this gets a big dose of karma for being such a pathetic excuse for a human being. Best wishes and a speedy recovery to your son.
Jesus Christ… I’m sorry. I too am so fucking sick of the toxicity this guy has brought to our politics.
I am sorry that you had to experience such hate. It is disheartening to know that fellow Americans are filled with such bile and hatred. Sending positive thoughts your way and prayers for your child’s quick recovery.
I’m very sorry. I hope your son is recovering. I’m impressed by your empathy for the writer.
Can’t fathom this, except it’s basically anonymous, which has emboldened too many.
Ben, I’m horrified to read what someone wrote to you about your poor son who I hope is recovering nicely now, but as you indicated in your piece, this unfit, unhinged candidate for office has unleashed a torrent of hate ever since he came on the political scene! It is beyond time that we turn the page on his racist, xenophobic, homophobic, misogynistic world view this November!
No one should have received such a hateful message like you did when it concerns an innocent 6-year-old!
Or in any case.