An Open Letter to Trump Supporters and Anyone Willing to Listen

To whom it may concern,

First of all, let's get the formalities off the table. Hello. My name is Dalton. I'm a liberal (thought I should just go ahead and rip that Bandaid off). I want to talk, not as an opponent, but as a fellow American. I had a different narrative opening this letter, but as I continued to write I was forced to change it. I would love to have a passionate, yet informed, discussion, but sometimes that's not always possible. So I would like to just point out a few things that have happened in recent news and then ask a few questions.

At a press briefing on Thursday, April 24th, President Trump said the following after a discussion of what measures are being taken to slow down the spread of Coronavirus: "I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute, one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning? Because you see it gets inside the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that.” Now, let me be totally clear: if you inject disinfectants, such as Lysol or Clorox or the like, you will die. There's no discussion about it. This implication made by the man who is supposed to be our leader is dangerous and idiotic. The narrative that his followers are brainwashed and part of his MAGA cult becomes more apparent when you go online and see people justifying this statement and his actions. Now, he's done some insane things, but I thought, like many others, that this would finally be the straw that broke the camel's back. This would be what wakes everyone up. He states whatever he wants, throwing out crazy questions and statements treating them as facts. He is the president and he is treating briefings that are supposed to ease the collective conscience of America as if they are a YouTube comment section. So why follow him? Why do you continue to justify the insanity? He claims, with juvenille reasoning, that he knows everything about this and that, all the while trying to silence the trained professionals that are trying to save lives. You can still be a patriotic American while disagreeing with the president.

Now let's talk about those of you that agree with and are mimicking those in the photo above. I've seen some of the most horrendous signs and statements come out of these protests. "Sacrifice the Weak", "Social Distancing=Communism", and "Spread Facts Not Fear" to name a few. Most, if not all, of the signs I've seen are either completely disregarding human life over wanting to get a haircut or are completely ignorant and misinformed. I think it's safe to say nobody on this side understands the concept of socialism or communism. Also, not to be petty, but grammar seems to be an obstacle as well. Nobody is spreading fear except you and the president. You have used Facebook memes as a way to justify your actions, accusing news outlets of spreading a false narrative. Claiming that it's a hoax all the while disregarding and disrespecting the facts presented to you by doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals. It seems to me, and anyone with eyes and ears, that the only ones spreading fear instead of facts are you and Mr. "Stable Genius". Now, keep in mind, I am not criticizing your right to protest. Everyone has the constitutional right to free speech, but you have a moral responsibility to accept the consequences of spreading a false narrative. You have the constitutional right to bare arms, but you have a moral responsibility to accept the consequences of inciting fear for your own selfish gain. Again, while I would never want to take your right of free speech away, you also need to step back and accept that you so-called "patriots" doing this are the same ones who tore Colin Kaepernick to pieces for peacefully protesting what he, as well as a majority of Americans, deemed a real issue and topic of discussion. If anything, that man is more patriotic than anyone standing in that photo. The sheer ignorance to double-standards I see from you Trump supporters makes me sick. For example, while Joe Biden was my last choice and I don't agree with his interactions with women and how uneasy he makes them feel, using that as a means to tear down his campaign while ignoring the mounds of evidence and proven cases stacked against your president is disgusting. So again, I must ask, why continue to follow him? He doesn't care about you. He doesn't care about me. He only cares for himself. That is not a president. That is a toddler in a suit.

In closing, I want everyone to listen, the protesters specifically. There's a quote from one of my favorite films that sums up the narrative we should be pushing. The narrative that was started that I hoped would have continued from the beginning. That quote is this: "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." That is a quote made by Leonard Nimoy's Spock in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, to which Captain Kirk responds with "or the one". I urge everyone to adhere to the rules. They're inconvenient but they are necessary. History has a nasty way of repeating itself. We don't want to lose more than we already have. To the people who have lost loved ones due to this virus, I love you and my heart is with you. To the ones who believe it's a hoax and not that big of a deal, I love you and I hope you can find it in your heart to change your point of view. And to the ones that are reading this on either side of the spectrum, be the change we need in this world. We can't depend on the president to be that for us. You are a superhero. You are the one to make a difference. You are the one who can flatten the curve.

Sincerely Yours,

Dalton Ryder