Shunning Mr. Trump

Growing up in a Norwegian household means growing up on the cool side—and I do not mean “cool” as in “hip.”  We grew up in Minnesota: Lutheran, eating bland food and keeping plenty of personal space between us and—well—everybody. 

Norwegians are not emotionally demonstrative people.   

            That extends to discipline as well.  We were not spanked for misbehavior, but neither were we allowed to misbehave.  In a Norwegian house you don’t yell, you don’t through a tantrum, you certainly don’t slam doors!  Noise is not an option.  So, what happened when you crossed the line? 

You were shunned.    

            You were still fed, clothed, given your bed and a roof over your head, but no one would talk to you.  A question was answered with a single word.  You were not engaged in the family unit, instead, you were reduced to a parasite hanging on to the periphery until you either fell off or were reabsorbed.  Personally, I thought that after a day like that a good old-fashioned butt woopin’ didn’t sound like a bad alternative at all.   

            The man who currently occupies the Presidency needs to be shunned.  I mean that in a specific, not a general way.  I offer the following: 

1.        I urge leaders of foreign nations to work constructively through their embassies and ambassadors with our government as they have, but to refuse to welcome or visit Mr. Trump.

2.      I urge the Congress of the United States to reassert their Constitutional position as a full member of our government and work together to propose laws, create legislation, appropriate funds and run the government, but to only engage the President when he initiates contact and then to only listen respectfully, answer questions asked and then leave his presence. 

3.      I urge the media to ignore this man.  Ignore his tweets.  Boycott the daily press briefing.  Send a skeleton crew to his press conferences. Record what you must, air what you feel you need to and then move on quickly and without comment.  Give your attention and discussion to the Congress and the courts. They do represent two-thirds of our government!  Give the time you devote to Mr. Trump to our state governments.  We are the United STATES of America, after all. 

4.      I urge Americans to recognize that Mr. Trump has chosen—chosen (!!!)—not to rise to the honor of this office.  He does not deserve our support.  Make your future elective decisions accordingly. 

5.      I urge former Trump supporters to take the moral measure of the man.  I do not believe that most of you voted for him out of racist or nefarious notions.  For most of you, your vote was an honest choice for what you thought would be better government.  But the man you see now certainly cannot be the man you wanted.  Staying with Trump at this point makes as much sense as a woman deciding to stay with a husband that turns out to be a wife beater.  Set aside your emotional need to excuse or justify your vote.  

It is time to treat Trump like the travesty of democracy that he is.  Set him aside.  Shun him.

I hope that there will be a legal path to setting aside Mr. Trump.  I hope that he will not serve out his full term.  I also strongly believe, given the pathologically narcissistic bent to his personality, that if he is truly marginalized and consistently shunned that he will simply quit in frustration and search for a spotlight elsewhere.

Those who support Nazi’s, white supremacists and racists always fail to keep the faith.