No, Trump Did Not Destroy Decency. Right?

On Monday, MSNBC’s Katy Tur pummeled President Trump for his assault on the ideal of decency. Supposedly, “decency” had been safe until the dawn of the 2016 election.

Tur seems to conveniently forget all the Left-wing hatred present in the country now, not to mention the recent (and not so recent) past. (She is also dismissing her former boyfriend, Keith Olbermann, and his penchant for inflammatory language and ridicule.)

Apparently, Katy’s memory began when consciousness was achieved at a Trump campaign rally. There is nothing before that time.

Anchor Katy Tur launched into a lecture on Monday about the cost of the Donald Trump presidency to America: “If there’s one thing that’s suffered because of Trump’s campaign and now his presidency, it’s decency.”

While talking about obviously inappropriate things said and done at Trump rallies in 2016, Tur declared: “Decency has been lost with Donald Trump’s ascension.”

I share a frustration with Tur as it relates to the times in which we live. Divisiveness is at an all-time high. You can’t simply agree with others and peacefully co-exist. Instead, you must label your political enemies with dismissive brushstrokes that classify them as intellectual and societal unwanteds. If you’re able to reduce them in this way, you no longer carry the burden of notice and interaction. After all, they are scum. They exist in a tier that is far beneath you.

There is no getting around the fact that President Trump has a history filled with inappropriate and downright insulting language and behavior. This is a reality that too many of his supporters fail to address. Instead, these instances are boiled down to, “well, he tells it like it is!” or some such nonsense. Because Donald Trump is different than the normal politician, speaks for regular Americans, and says whatever he wants without caring how it looks, he is excused. This juvenile bravado is idolized, and that is unfortunate.

According to a senior administration official, apologizing for inappropriate words or actions is not encouraged.

“Not apologizing is a core operating principle for Trump. The basic belief is that you never actually get ‘credit’ — from the Left, the media, political opponents, etc. — for apologizing, so why do it? Even the Access Hollywood response video included a defiant Trump going after the ‘actions’ of Bill Clinton and ‘bullying of victims’ by Hillary, and ended with ‘See you at the debate!’”

This is a painful, very noticeable failing on the Right, not just among those in the Trump administration. It must be addressed.

However, they aren’t the only ones with issues.

Because there is such a polarizing figure on the Right, the Left almost feels that they can get away with anything. No matter what they say, do, or accuse others of, they will never be as bad as Trump. As long as they refuse to rise to his level of mockery, then they’ll happily conclude that they’re on the high road.

You may be bad but you’re not Trump bad.

Since President Trump’s ascension to the presidential throne, the Left has gleefully characterized his supporters as racist, misogynistic simpletons who reside in flyover country and rarely step outside of their MAGA bubbles. The vast majority of these everyday Americans couldn’t just be voters who made a choice between Hillary and Trump. They absolutely must be the worst kind of humans who hate immigrants, reproductive rights, the planet, and helping the poor. They are an epidemic. They must be stomped out.

As I’ve said before, your political enemies look at you the way you view them. They, too, wonder what kind of environment this person was raised in to result in the creature before them. They wonder just how someone could be so detached from reality.

You know what makes politics so toxic? The refusal to entertain possibility that your opponent might be a decent human being despite being wrong about an issue….

— Charlie Sykes (@SykesCharlie) April 12, 2018

This distrust (and, at times, outright hatred) connects us and our adversaries more than we like to admit. Because of this truth, we must acknowledge that the attack on decency is something for which we are all at fault. It isn’t just Trump. It isn’t just the media. It isn’t just The Resistance. It isn’t just the MAGA crowd.

By being unable and unwilling to call out their own, each side has contributed to the decline in decorum and decency. Trump is an easy target and yes, he is often the correct one, but the media and others on the Left must answer for their contributions, too.

I seem to remember when “comedian” Kathy Griffin held up a fake severed Trump head. I also recall when Randa Jarrar, a tenured professor at Fresno State University, mocked Barbara Bush upon her death. Not long ago, Jimmy Kimmel even ridiculed First Lady Melania Trump’s accent. Or Hitler. Everyone is Hitler. The President Trump is Hitler. Nikki Haley is Hitler. Even your mom, who voted for Trump, is probably Hitler.

You get the idea.

We can partially thank our 24-hour news cycle, and this plugged-in, social media-driven world. This atmosphere and the constant influx of stimuli does not help.

While I do believe that the Trump Era has raised things to a fever pitch, it’s incorrect to say that it’s all his fault. Each of us is still responsible for our own words and actions.

And from what I’ve seen, chipping away at decency has become a group effort.

The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent those of any other individual or entity. Follow Kimberly Ross on Twitter: @southernkeeks.

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