Time to Unite?
Was Peter Vancini’s Nov. 24-30, 2016 column “Between the Lines: One Nation Under Trump?” the kick in the pants you needed to get over your Clinton funk or the musings of a dreamer?
Great thoughts on joining together at Thanksgiving instead of discussing political issues — we should be united, we are the United States of America!
— Mike Lamontagne,
Turners Falls
Congratulations on the subject article. Very well stated! You hit the nail on the head. We need to move on in unity. Thank you.
— Constance Marini,
Agawam
Great article in the Advocate this week. Just the kick in the pants I needed to move on. Thanks.
— Kathy Walker,
Springfield
Phil Wilson: [Quoting Vancini’s article:] “Trump should step up and condemn white power movements and condemn bigotry in general, no caveats, no back-handed jabs, no tongue-in-cheek bullshit. It’s in the country’s best interest and it’s in his best interest as president. But — whether he does or doesn’t — it’s the unfortunate responsibility that those who supported him now have, as well. Distance yourselves from those deplorables. You need to step up now and show that you’re not the racist/fascist/homophobes that the media have made you out to be. Condemn the KKK openly and unequivocally. Assure Muslim Americans that they have a place here, too. Let your fellow gay citizens and immigrants know that they’re not under attack. Tell the world that you don’t stand for misogyny. That’s what the other half needs to hear right now.”
[Phil Wilson’s comment:] Peter Vancini must be from some kinder, gentler planet. Asking Trump voters to disavow bigotry is like asking Skittles addicts to condemn high fructose corn syrup. Racism, misogyny, homophobia and religious persecution were the Trump audiences’ major nutrients, the answer to a long nurtured hunger that had been promoted by a generation of right wing media zealots like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. Naive bullshit from a novice journalist will not give people a needed sense of the grave task that confronts those who find themselves suddenly auditioning for a small role in a dystopian nightmare.
