“Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.”
By Sharon Jones
Imagine walking into a party ready to have a few drinks, maybe meet some people and have some cake. Now imagine that upon walking in the door you notice that a few of the guests are walking around in white sheets with white crosses over red circles on them. They are freely visiting with others and indulging in drinks and appetizers. Would you stay at this party?
Most people would say no and rightfully so.
Yet there are a lot of people these days that are in that company and not walking away. They stay because of a man that supposedly speaks his mind and is a political outsider. They are tired of political correctness and watching their jobs move overseas. They want someone that goes into foreign policy with the goal of winning.
But there is this one problem of the company they keep. Trump’s rallies see protestors carted out or hit or yelled at and harassed. Talks of suing pervade every speech along with more “I” statements than any presidential candidate has used ever. White supremacists are often in attendance and credit Mr. Trump with fueling their movement. Much of the group that hopes to “make America great again”, is just not good company.
Maybe the most damning thing is that when given a chance to repudiate an endorsement from David Duke and the KKK, the response from this movement’s thought leader was soft. At first it even seemed non-existent. A failure to react strongly to a group so repugnant as the KKK is tantamount to accepting their endorsement. Wouldn’t any sensible candidate run as far and as fast as they could from that?
A chunk of Trump’s fans honestly believe the slaves shouldn’t have been freed (20 percent to be exact). Some want Muslim immigrants deported right away. Others want all Muslims kicked out of the country. Most are eagerly awaiting a giant wall. This is bad company to keep.
Just as Mr. Trump accepted an endorsement from such despicable elements such as the KKK through his lack of immediate repudiation, the silence of many people in his company is amounting to the same thing.
Certainly some fury is whipped up at such gatherings. Group think takes over and emotions become raw, but the end result is an outcome this country need never see. It Is very bad company to be in.
Many outside our country are watching this all with disdain. They are concerned that such a reality could come about in the United States. As they watch with dismay, their third party point of view is seeing some very bad company indeed. Was this man to be elected would we all be considered to be in his company?
Bad company is just bad company. The failure of not walking away from it is a form of endorsement of it. The saying is, “there is no excuse for bad behavior”. It is time for many in this country to evaluate the company they have been keeping and walk away.
Sharon Jones is a new contributor to zenruption and has her degree in political science from UCLA. She is a dedicated mom who is concerned about this nation's future. So far we think she is pretty darn cool.
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