Trump Supporters

I forgive the people who voted for Trump and now admit they made a mistake.

I admire and (sometimes) adore the people who voted for Trump and now actively speak out against him. 

I don't hold their past mistake against them, because I know what it's like to be misled. I know what it's like to go down the wrong path.  I know what it's like to believe in lies and to allow these lies to make us feel special...the waiting for the vindication. 

I don't care how long it took for someone to realize the extreme awfulness of Trump.

I also don't care so much why they crossed over to the Anti-Trump side. Yeah, it's better if something like anti-racism, anti-misogyny, anti-fascism, anti-gaslighting, etc. brought them there.  But if they crossed over for more selfish reasons...like realizing Trump didn't make their own lives better and things have actually gotten worse. Well, my feeling is there's hope that once they're angry at Trump for personal reasons, they'll start looking at the other stuff and come to a realization that Trump's bigotry, narcissism and abuse are horrible things. And then these ex-Trump supporters might join the resistance against awful things like psychological abuse, xenophobia, misogyny, racism, police brutality, tax evasion, downplaying the Coronavirus, fucking up the Coronavirus response, etc. 

What I plan NOT to forgive is the people who continue to speak out in support of Trump up through the election.  This might be in the form of directly saying positive things about Trump or it might be in the form of speaking out against those of us who speak out against Trump.  

There is the awful possibility that, like with the Confederacy, history will forgive and glorify the Trump supporters.

We might end up with epic Oscar-winning portrayals of romances among families of The Proud Boys. 

Schools might end up being named after Mitch McConnell and Herman Caine. 

We might get statues of Trump and Lindsay Graham in our city parks.

Shit.

I really hope that doesn't happen.

So...let's say it doesn't.

Let's say that through the decades, Trump supporting becomes more and more marginalized. 

Let's say America ends up treating Trump, Trump supporters, and Trump's actions in the same way the Germans treat Hitler, Nazis, and the Holocaust.

I can imagine, in that case, there will be people who will try hard to downplay their support of Trump. I can also imagine, that despite openly supporting/defending Trump, they will claim to have ended up voting for Biden.  

To me, that will be too little too late.

Because yeah. Each vote counts....or at least tries to count despite the ridiculous Electoral College method.  

But what also counts is what we say and do that might influence other voters.  

So yeah. I'd be very reluctant to forgive or excuse these people.

I'm thinking, though, that there ARE exceptions. 

Let's say years down the road, a Trump supporter realizes they did wrong. 

It's one thing if they gaslight, downplay, try to change the subject, etc.  Or they fake a change of heart for financial gain or a grab at fame or power.  

But if they truly realize they're mistake....

Maybe they speak out, fight hard from letting this shit happen again...write books and articles about it...and donate most of the proceeds to charity.  

Well...if I can forgive and love Ben Linus despite his participation in mass murder, I can forgive these past Trump supporters as well.  

How would our world change if we knew for sure there was life after death, and it was easy for our dearly-beloved to talk to us via the Internet?   

The Dead are Online, a novel by Dina Roberts