Last night, after the debate, I wrote a post saying I felt the need to shower from all of Trump's dung-slinging. Today, I identified where that feeling comes from. It's from my experiences as a woman.
Though happily married for 30 years to a truly wonderful man, I have encountered—sometimes too closely—men who behaved toward me the way Trump did toward Hillary. Perhaps, as a woman, you've also encountered such men.
These kind of men have a confrontational attitude, even if they don't inflict physical harm. They belittle you, discount your thoughts, minimize your accomplishments, and blame you for whatever they see as wrong. They invade your personal space when they speak, making you feel threatened. They get angry quick and verbally lash out when they do. They intimidate and browbeat. They won't be silenced, and they only back down when they're done and tired or when someone else intervenes. They deny ever making a mistake or acting inappropriately. They deny your statements, observations, and truths. They disrespect you and treat you like dirt. And always, they lie.
Now please understand, I'm not talking about all or even a majority of men. I'm not trying to make this election about gender. All I'm saying is that most women have encountered a bully like Trump. We may have dated, married, or worked for them or grown up under their thumbs. And if we haven't lived it personally, we know someone who has.
Such men, especially when you can see who and what they are, make you feel sick. They make you cringe and look for the nearest exit. They just—well, make you want to wash away all the negativity they spew on you.
As far as I'm concerned, Hillary took one for the women last night. Standing across from a repulsive egomaniac, she represented herself and our gender with dignity, stamina, intelligence, beauty, and wittiness. No doubt, she felt the need to go home and take one of those long, hot showers. But then, with the dawn, she was back defending our country again.
Only a woman could do all that. And she did.
