‘This Election Changed My Mind About America’
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Version 0 of 1. Here are the top 10 comments of the week on our digital platforms, as selected by our readers and the journalists who moderate nearly every comment. 1. This is what unqualified looks like. [Trump] never expected to win and never planned to govern — he just loved the adulation he got from spreading his brand of hate. Now we have a completely unprepared administration trying desperately to do in 7 weeks what it should have been preparing for over the last 18 months. The disaster begins. — Mike K. in Santa Clara, Calif., reacting to an article about strife within Donald J. Trump’s transition team this week. This comment received more than 4,700 reader recommendations. 2. It seems that Billy Bush has been one of the few to be held accountable for his words and participation in the onslaught of racism and misogyny in the campaign and now post-election appointments. All others are ascending to the highest offices in the land. As a teacher I am already seeing the repercussions of having Teflon individuals in high office have no consequences for their bigoted remarks. When a student in my diverse classroom does not understand why it is hurtful to yell “build the wall” in the middle of class I can blame our leaders. The anti-Semitism, racism, misogyny will continue if we do not hold people accountable. — Sarah in Santa Rosa, Calif. 3. Bravo! Someone who understands the threat that Islam poses to the West. Let’s avoid the mistakes of France, Belgium and other countries where the dominating instincts of the world’s most dangerous religion have been allowed to flourish. — Mark in Los Angeles, reacting to an article about President-elect Trump’s choice of Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn as national security adviser. 4. Hey, I find it really ironic that all the groups that think they have a God-given mandate to enforce “tolerance” are so intolerant of controversial views and people that run counter to their own. Maybe the moral and ethical standards of Mr. Bannon are not that repugnant in the end, like Trump who has said some unfortunate things, as has everyone, that he regrets? If political correctness gets pushed to the maximum, business and progress grinds to a halt in fear of legal accusations that become paralyzing. How many lives have to be ruined by such enforced “correctness”? And what about the controversial manipulators on the other side like [George] Soros, who will hold them to account? — Nutmeg in Brookfield, Mass., reacting to an article about Stephen K. Bannon, the former head of Breitbart News, whom President-elect Trump selected as his chief strategist. This comment received more than 100 reader responses. 5. Infrastructure spending, child tax credits, paid maternity leave and dismantling trade agreements....hmm, sounds a bit like some of Bernie’s platform. Slice and dice identity politics are all well and good but, in the end, it is all about the economy. And too many of our fellow citizens are hurting. Wake up, Dems, and return to the party’s FDR roots, or continue to lose. — Ellen Liversidge in San Diego. This comment received more than 390 reader recommendations. 6. This sad news hurts like the loss of a family member. Gwen Ifill’s clarity and moderate tone brought so much to the frantic Washington scene. This is the worst possible moment to lose her special gift for analyzing politics and bringing contending parties together in a civil conversation. — JL in Brooklyn, reacting to an article about the death of Gwen Ifill, the political reporter and PBS “NewsHour” co-anchor, on Monday. This comment received more than 2,200 reader recommendations. 7. I am considering many grad schools in the U.S. for my master course next fall. Before the election, I only looked at the ranking, the alumni’s feedback, the requirements and the fee and campus life. Now, I really have to think about the safety. As an Asian woman, I don’t expect anyone to stop me in the street and tell me to get back to China (which I am not from). So now, although I was so sure about some schools in Texas and Wisconsin, I have to sit down once again, and closely look at the cities, and hope that they are not too red. This election changed my mind about America. — Huyen Phuong Le on The Times’s Facebook page, responding to an article about foreign students questioning whether they should pursue a college education in the United States during the Trump administration. This comment received more than 60 likes. 8. Imagine, for a moment, you are a white male somewhere in America who just lost his job at a factory. Your mortgage is in default, your car is being repossessed, and you wonder whether you’ll be able to find a job, much less one that pays a decent wage. You have no particular animosity towards blacks, gays, women, but you constantly hear the message that as a white, straight male, you are the paragon of privilege and that the hardships in your life are irrelevant or made up. You don’t feel so privileged. Are your struggles and fears really so different from those of the minority groups? It’s easy to see why that person voted for the candidate who acknowledged his fears and against the candidate (and party) who dismissed his concerns because he was not a minority. — Andy in Scottsdale, Ariz., reacting to an Op-Ed essay about whether a focus on identity politics distorted the left’s message during the election. 9. I’m less patient with sexism and talking down and more likely to stand up for others. Gesture-wise, the day after the election, all of the young women in my office dressed in head to toe black. No one coordinated, no one knew that the other women would be dressed similarly, but we all were sending a conscious (sartorial) message of mourning, and it was comforting to see and feel that kind of solidarity. — Katey Laubscher on The Times’s Facebook page, responding to an article about the small gestures in which women found comfort in the days after the election. 10. This is a what locker room talk should be. — Alexa Carey on The Times’s Facebook page, responding to an article about three University of Wisconsin basketball players who have used their status as college athletes to boost political causes. |