MAGA Kid

Some may remember I used to write a blog.

It was about my marriage, infertility, and the loss of our babies. Later, I wrote about the death of my mother which was the loss of one of my very best friends. 

I’ve contemplated starting a new blog logging the challenges and successes of adoption. 

But, those stories are for my girls to tell.

This is the point in my writing where I remind anyone reading that I’m a heart writer. That means grammar gurus, sally spells so right, and punctuation princesses may move on. I have no editor. I don’t need one. This is my heart on a laptop. 

So what’s weighing so heavy on me that I busted out Pages to write an essay after years of only utilizing the beautiful superficialdom that is Facebook and Instagram?

Yep. This kid. 

MAGA kid. 

Nick Sandmann. Boy from Kentucky. Catholic.  Wearing a MAGA hat. 

Clearly the face of all that is wrong in this world. Clearly. This kid.

Let’s go back a couple of years. 

 I’m a stay at home mom. I know I’m so lucky. I’m so privileged. And my choices have nothing to do with the life I’ve made for myself. Anyway…I’m a stay at home mom which means a lot of my days consist of cleaning my house, baking foods that make me fat, and folding mountains of laundry. During these mundane tasks I either watch Netflix shows nobody else in my family wants to watch, or I listen to talk radio. A lot of talk radio. And during the 2016 presidential race, I listened to SO MUCH election talk. During the race, Donald Trump held numerous rallies. All over the country. They typically weren’t televised in full, but they were often played over talk radio stations. And me, a talk radio lover, heard many of the full rallies Donald Trump held. And I liked what he said.  I thought he was hilarious, and he spoke like me. Or my friends. Hearing Trump speak was like hosting a BBQ in my backyard and hearing various jokes my friends or family would tell regarding politics. Yep. Even my lib friends. Even my liberal friends speak “locker room” talk at times. And yes, he spoke about things I’d already thought about…numerous times. I’ll be honest. My top two concerns during the 2016 election were my money, because taxation IS theft…and ISIS. And I liked how Trump said he would handle those things. 

Now my beautiful husband wasn’t exactly eager to jump on the Trump Train with me. And it didn’t take me long to figure out why. While I was at home folding that freaking never ending laundry, and laughing to a Trump rally, my husband was meeting with clients, doing paperwork, bringing home the bacon…all that good stuff. Not listening to Trump rallies. So, when he got home and had a rare quiet moment to take in some sort of news coverage, anything about my man Trump, was cut, condensed, and pasted into something that made Trump sound like, of course, the second coming of Hitler. Hubby would have the news on, I’d hear some Trump clip, and be super confused as to what was on the news, since I had just listened to the rally in full, earlier that day. Finally I began saying…Babe…this isn’t correct. That statement…or that statement…or that one was completely taken out of context. That isn’t what Trump said. They’re reporting it wrong. Don’t get me started on the COMPLETE train wreck of Trump supposedly mocking a disabled journalist, or Trump being a racist, homophobic woman hater who dons the white hood every chance he gets. Just…what? I’m still confused as to where this narrative came from…or why. The pussy comment? Oh lord, there’s no way I or most people I know could run for office if the pussy comment makes Trump a rapist!  I’m guessing Hillary’s campaign had much to do with the Trump narrative.  But, whatever. She’s old news. 

Anyway, it was then that I started to realize what was being reported by most major new outlets, was in fact, fake news. I realized it before Trump called anyone out on it. I realized it before he even started using the term “fake news.” I realized it on my own. Just by listening. 

Fast forward to election day. 

My Instagram page holds a photo of me that day, not a month after a hysterectomy, in the car after I voted to Make America Great Again. I posted my photo just like many of my friends were posting their photos, excited to vote. I live in California. Most of my friends and family did not vote for Trump. I thought nothing of it.

Election night. Holy Toledo. OMG. BAHAHAHAHA.

There we were. Glued to the TV with the assumption we were about to see the first woman president elected in the United States of America. She even had that broken glass ceiling set. We all knew it was coming. The media had been telling us for weeks…it was going to be a landslide. No question. Biggest moment for women. Ever. In the history of anything. Then, everyone remembers, I know, but just let me say it again. One by one, red states started slowly popping up on that map. And news commentators began to change their story. And freaking cry.  And extremely late in the night, the race was called. 

And the queen was Trumped. 

But every major news outlet had predicted her win. 

Seems like a lot of eyes should have been opened then. 

The next few weeks held disgusting riots, and babies screaming on social media about how the country was just set back fifty years and women should put on their aprons. Safety pins became a symbol of tolerance. Safe spaces were invented because people couldn’t handle a free election in the greatest country on this planet. God help us. 

After the election my kids went to school and were told their parents are racist and hate Mexicans.

Um.

Have you seen my kids?

And that’s just ONE incident I’m willing to share regarding my children who have a mom who supports Trump. 

And the years after? One twisted news story after another. And even after that HUGE election night debacle, for some reason we still believed the stories.

Russian Collusion.

Stormy.

Kavanaugh.

and of course, those racist, homophobic, xenophobic, everything hating, Trump supporters. 

So, it’s been years of crap that I’ve attempted to laugh off by looking at funny memes and listening to colorful commentary on the state of the country. 

But. 

MAGA kid. 

Nick Sandmann. Boy from Kentucky. Catholic. Wearing a MAGA hat. 

Clearly the face of all that is wrong in this world. Clearly. This kid. 

By now we all know the story. Media sees a group of boys wearing MAGA hats surrounding an old Native American Vietnam Vet. Can there ever be a better picture for our lovely media to plaster…everywhere???? 

Punk ass boys in their racist MAGA hats harassing the wise, elderly, Native American man who can teach us all a lesson. 

And that’s what the media ran with. 

Turns out the man lied. And now we are not even sure he’s a Vietnam Vet. 

So, boys from Kentucky go to March for Life, evil patriarchy telling women what to do with their bodies ,boys go to Lincoln Memorial to wait for bus, donning the mark of the most vile human on the planet…MAGA hats,  crazy religious group hurls actual racist and homophobic insults at boys for an hour, I’m sure they deserved it…they ARE  males and should be held accountable for every atrocity ever committed in the past, boys freaking ask permission from their chaperones to chant their school spirit cheers to drown out the hateful things being said to them, but one of the boys ripped off his shirt clearly mocking native Americans, because boys never just get wild and rip off their shirts. Ever, Native American guy comes over to the crowd, It’s fine. He’s old and wise and should be in a Disney movie, boys don’t know if he’s for them or against them, so they jump around and join his drumming, white people should never jump to the beat of a Native drum, that’s cultural appropriation and very very wrong, boys start to realize…hey this guy is weird. What’s going on around here? Weirdo drum MAN gets in kid’s face, clearly causing him discomfort, kid smirks evil smirk, making him the most hated kid in America. 

But it’s fine because it’s not like the kids received any death threats. Or had their names dragged through the mud. Or may have college and career opportunities tainted. Or worst of all certainly their school and church didn’t jump the gun and condemn them before the facts came out. Certainly the church wouldn’t do that. Certainly a catholic school wouldn’t publicly shame their students before they knew the whole story. That wouldn’t happen. 

So why does this story wrench my gut so much? It’s just another MAGA hat people are bad story. We’ve been hearing it for over two years now. 

MAGA hat bad. 

I’ve figured it out…why this story won’t leave me.  

There’s a MAGA hat in my house. 

It’s not mine. 

It’s my kid’s. 

My kid who is about the same age as MAGA kid. 

My kid who is genuinely the best person I know. 

My kid who roots for everyone to succeed. 

She has a MAGA hat. 

I’ve been concerned with that hat. I laid down rules. 

ABSOLUTELY NO WEARING MAGA HAT IN RESTAURANTS

NO WEARING MAGA HAT WHEN YOU’RE OUT ALONE

BE THE HAPPIEST CHEERFUL SELF YOU’VE EVER BEEN WHEN WEARING MAGA HAT

She’s actually come out of her room to go somewhere while wearing the MAGA hat and I’ve said, not today. I don’t want to deal with the public stares and comments today. And she’s reluctantly put it away. 

But MAGA kid’s mom didn’t make him put his MAGA hat away. 

And it turns out Gen Z is brave. 

And they wear MAGA hats. 

And I won’t make my kid put her MAGA hat away again. 

In fact, when I’m done writing this, I’m ordering my own MAGA hat. And I will wear it. 

So out of inspiration from MAGA kid…and my kid…

-I support Donald Trump.

-Build the wall.

-America First…it’s ok to be first. 

-Taxation is theft.

-I know what to do with my money better than the government does.

-Social programs should be funded by faith based organizations and private citizens rather than government.

-Government should stay out of my marriage, and everyone else’s. Marry whoever the hell you want.

-A wall and legal immigration are not racist. 

-Sanctuary states are a danger to citizens.

-The right to bear arms is a RIGHT…NOT a privilege. Are you listening California?

-I love men. 

- Make America Great Again

So, MAGA kid, I hope you get the apologies you deserve from the media. But even more, I hope you get major apologies from your church. And your school. I’m behind you, MAGA kid. I watched the video. I can’t find one thing in that video I think you did wrong. I wish you lived closer and could be friends with my MAGA kid. And even though I’ve prayed for you and cried for you, I feel better about the world because of you.

Stay strong Nick Sandmann. 

I know your mom must be proud of you.