It was the day after the recent election. Two signs remained in our yard, advertising our preference for the Harris/Walz ticket. As my wife stepped out to check our mailbox, a new-ish black BMW drove by, and a man dressed in a suit and tie yelled out his window.
“Losers!” was the single word he shouted, followed by a couple of honks. The same driver has done this at least two more times since. We live on a fairly busy road, one that connects to an even busier road full of chain stores and businesses. Does he live in the area? Does he work nearby at the courthouse or an office? We have no idea. And it doesn’t matter, really. What matters is that he knows where we live and what we support.
The fact that he feels bold enough to taunt us as he drives by gives us cause to feel uneasy, to put it mildly. What if he decides that yelling isn’t enough and feels that his thoughts need to be expressed through property damage — or worse, violence?
To be honest, I’m not actually very concerned about either. BMW office guy is a classic cowardly bully, of the same ilk who hide behind private Instagram accounts just so they can say nasty things. What I am more concerned about is that men like him who aren’t as cowardly will become more bold in voicing their dislike for things that “aren’t American” or welcome in “Our Christian Nation.”
A few years ago, Jenni and I were walking into the grocery store wearing masks. This was after the COVID scare had died down, but we wore masks that day because we were getting over chest colds and we didn’t want to cough all over other shoppers. As we crossed the parking lot, and older man saw us, stopped, started shaking his head and mumbled… something. He was clearly referring to our masks, which for some reason got his panties all bunched around his neck. It was very performative and silly. We still talk about it, scratching our heads over how he thought our masks affected him at all — and kicking ourselves for not confronting him in the moment. After all, we were trying to protect his elderly immune system from our illness. I mean, you’re welcome, right?
But it’s not just the obvious mask-wearers or sign-posters that face potential retribution in this new “America” we find ourselves in. The new U.S. administration should have us all nervous. It’s obvious that women, immigrants, and transgender people have cause to be wary of what will happen in the next four years — and beyond, I suppose. Trump explicitly apprised us of his exact intentions, first in his inaugural address, then with the flurry of executive orders that same day. What’s equally concerning is what he didn’t say. Meaning, no one knows who his next target(s) will be. A white heterosexual Christian man may feel like none of this affects him, that he is perfectly safe in his being — and it’s true that there is currently no one safer in America than that man. But what about tomorrow? What whims will Trump indulge next as his cabinet puts little bugs in his ear? All it will take is someone to accuse that “safe” man of being not as Christian as some would like. Or maybe someone finds out that his grandfather was an undocumented immigrant. No one is safe.
There’s an episode of The Twilight Zone called, “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street.” I encourage you to watch it, but for now I’ll give you the closing narration:
“The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices … to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill … and suspicion can destroy … and a thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all of its own—for the children and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is … that these things cannot be confined to The Twilight Zone.”
By now we’ve all heard the words of Right Rev. Mariann Budde when she asked Trump and his administration to have mercy on those in our country who are scared right now. A caring, dignified leader might have expressed appreciation for the words and taken the opportunity to paint his views in a more positive light, at the very least. Instead he insulted her by responding, “Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!” This, at the mere suggestion of being merciful.
Many of the Jan. 6 rioters who have been pardoned didn’t quietly go home and back to their families and jobs. Instead, they have vowed revenge on those who prosecuted them. That reaction represents a growing nastiness in the United States. It started in Trump’s first administration and has only become bolder and stronger since. With his recent win, one would think that his followers would crack open a proverbial beer and chill. Enjoy the win. Instead, they have decided that being nasty is a very fine sport and they are practicing every day. For now, it’s mostly online comments and of course in my case it’s an idiot driving by my house. Sore winner, indeed. The U.S. has become a country of sports fans yelling “In yo face!” at the TV and each other. There is no class or dignity in any of it.
To the person who has been driving past our home and yelling, “Loser” at us, I feel sad for you. I am sad that you grew up with so little self-worth that your only means of expressing outrage at how much you loathe being you is by attempting to belittle others. There is no win you will ever truly feel, for you will forever feel like you’ve lost something. There is no real happiness being you. I also feel sad because you have only strengthened my conviction that the people who voted for Trump are either not very intelligent, or scared out of their wits that they’ll be left behind. Perhaps both. And perhaps that will be their fate when he turns his nasty gaze upon them.
Photo by mwangi gatheca on Unsplash
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