I kind of feel bad for Melania Trump. I feel like the people who should be worried about her optics aren’t doing their job. Now, realistically, no one should have needed to tell her that it was inappropriate to wear a jacket that said “I really don’t care, do u?” in big white letters on the back while visiting a detention center holding kids separated from their parents. But fashion was previously a big part of her life, and I suppose that jacket is fashionable, and perhaps this was just a blindspot. But blindspot or not, as the first lady, especially in this administration, maybe putting herself in a position where her sincerity is put into question wasn’t the best of ideas.
The disturbing new trend amongst hardcore conservatives to try and keep you from empathizing with children in distress seems to be to accuse any crying child you see as being some kind of Crisis actor meant to manipulate people’s emotions. Multiple people seem to be trying to sell this theory with the children detained by ICE, those separated from their parents. It’s a similar situation to the situation where Conservatives and NRA advocates accused multiple survivors of bein paid actors. As ridiculous and baseless as those claims were, the ones spouted openly by people like Ann Coulter in this situation are (somehow) even less credible and even more disgusting. Kids who are practically toddlers, many who are detained in massive cages (Cage isn’t my word. Border patrol uncomfortably admits cages are used), are hardly equipped to be selling a fake show for cameras. Have you ever seen child actors perform? I would hardly call most of them THAT convincing. More realistically, the images and videos we are seeing are devastated CHILDREN being traumatized and devastated by their horrific predicament. I don’t know…maybe I’m just being naïve. But it’s far better to be naïve than a monster, so I’ll take it.
The more that I read stories of kids getting separated from their parents at borders, the more I read of the damaging effects it’s having, including a devastating story about a father who committed suicide, the more I and I think most of the country is wondering when this senseless cruelty will end. At a certain point, I’m hoping Trump won’t be able to hide behind the lie that he isn’t responsible for this, and will mandate this stop happening. I’m hoping that for once in his time in office, public pressure will force his hand to do something outside of his agenda against immigration. Cruelty should never be acceptable, and it should be even less acceptable when played in the name of politics. Innocent people are having their lives destroyed over the pride of powerful men.
Mind the Exit 