What happens when a Trump supporter angers another Trump supporter?
Nothing much. This herd is spooked, stampeding and losing numbers. No sense tripping up a fellow traveler.
I witnessed the following spectacle Saturday afternoon at the public library in Media, Pa., and it says everything you need to know about Trump’s following.
A crowd gathered in the library basement for the first day of a three-day, used-book sale.
For everyone to have a chance to shop at a book sale (or in a bookstore), a certain etiquette is required. Browsers must make room for other browsers. If you’re already in front of a shelf and another browser interested in the same section approaches, it’s polite and customary to step aside and give the other person room to look.
There’s no law involved here, just informal, instinctual rules for being a decent person.
In the sale’s American History section, a sixty-something, tall, white man approached another sixty-something tall, white man who had planted himself close to a shelf. The planted man did not budge.
This conservation ensued:
“Would you MOVE?”
“I’m STANDING here!”
“Are you going to move?”
“I said I’m STANDING here!”
“You’re a piece of work. You must be a Democrat!”
“No, I’m a Trump man!”
At that point, the pair apparently recognized themselves as fellow members of the same, belligerent fraternity and began acting conciliatory. The approaching jerk kind of stammered and the two made room for each other.
Was it a big surprise that these two selfish oafs were apparent Republicans? Their behavior was the same juvenile, imbecilic posturing modeled every day by the spoiled rich boy in the White House. Would the same blow-up have occurred between two Democrats? Or between a Democrat and a Republican?
It’s impossible to say, but my observation is that most of our unnecessary wars in the past 40 years were launched by Republicans. Democrats, for the most part, try diplomacy first and attempt to keep the peace.
I was embarrassed for these guys, for my gender, and for my race, and for the town where I grew up, which has grown older, wealthier and whiter in my lifetime but may be shrinking in manners and humility.
I didn’t say anything to either man. Both had their blood up and were beyond words.
But the incident left me curious why these two, of the 100 or so people sharing room in a cramped basement, couldn’t tolerate each other, why either of them couldn’t show some civility. Where was the aggression coming from?
Both looked healthy and the fact that they were in Media suggested they weren’t poor. By all appearances they were comfortable white guys, in a quaint, small town, getting a screaming deal on books.
What exactly was their problem?