A different point of view

[klwilliams]

So I've been trying to understand why the Trump supporters are, well, Trump supporters. My uncle Joe lives in Louisiana. He's a Vietnam vet who believes firmly in the ideals of the '40s and '50s. What I gather from that is that he believes in serving his country and protecting women and children, among other things. He's basically a nice guy,

Comments

[coth]

I'm not going to follow the links - I'm feeling too fragile right now.

I have a relative who believes that Romanians come to this country and kill the swans on the rivers to eat. Last month that same person explained to me in detail how a specific person had behaved well, with competence and honesty, and later in the conversation went on to say that all members of that person's ethnic group are lazy, dishonest and corrupt and have no right to live in this country. Sometimes I challenge. Sometimes I despair. I wish I had answers.

[loupnoir]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35231046

Groups of bored young men find trouble.

I had no idea you had been raped. I am so sorry that you had to endure that.

[klwilliams]

I'm so sorry for your friend.

[mrissa]

A few things jump out at me about the WaPo article

[klwilliams]

I agree that much more needs to be done to police all sorts of sexual assault at all levels. The Stanford swimmer/rapist brought that conversation to the forefront out here, at least for a while, but the issue needs work to change men's behaviors. Kind of like how having a designated driver became an accepted part of going out drinking, there needs to be some sort of concerted effort at large.

[mevennen]

First of all, I'm sorry to hear about your experience.

There have been a few incidents in Europe, widely reported in the mainstream media. They've been appalling, but we read about assaults from military personnel and footballers, e.g., in the US and shudder, and I know people (including myself) who are increasingly reluctant to visit the US because of gun massacres. You could mention this to your relative: I'd rather be raped than shot dead.

I've lived and worked in 3 Islamic countries, and nothing whatsoever happened to me: Kazakhstan was safe enough to hitch with strange men on a regular basis. I've had comments in Turkey, and been routinely groped in Egypt in a mild way (irritating but not traumatic). I've been physically assaulted and seriously threatened by Englishmen in England: the worst that's happened has been here in my own country by my own countrymen.

[klwilliams]

I think you're more at risk of sexual violence than gun violence here in the US, though both are reasonably low in the area where I live. That doesn't mean that an angry white man with a gun won't pop up shooting here tomorrow, though.