lost in the babel_

Simply Correct

I don't have social media accounts anymore. The reasons for this are buried somewhere below in prose and song. And I don't think anyone actually reads much of this blog anyway, but this is all I have and I'm absolutely compelled right now to express something, even if the only response I receive is the tapping of my own fingers across this keyboard on a rainy Friday night.

I want to defend myself and the countless men across America that respect women as much as they respect any other class of human beings, however they may define themselves. That someone, let alone the Presidential nominee of a major US political party, would dismiss adulterous, degrading -- dehumanizing -- talk and glibly boast of sexual assault as "locker room banter" is reprehensible. Or better put, deplorable. I need no apology for using that word here. I've never spoken of women, let alone anyone, in such a manner. Nor have my friends. It is absolutely not locker room banter. And when I have on rare occasion heard such language spoken I've stood up to it and rejected it outright, no matter the circumstances. As have my friends. This is not how men -- how respectful human beings -- speak of one another. I'm completely appalled that the excuse for such language is that it's something regular and accepted behind closed doors. It is not.

And so I speak for myself and all the good-natured people I'm fortunate enough to call my friends: we respect all identities of gender, race, age, religion, occupation, and politics. This isn't being "politically correct;" this is being "simply correct". We are all born naked and vulnerable, and whether male, female, white, black, or a mix thereof, we have no choice in the matter. We are born equal. And we will die equal. This is the premise of our Constitution; this is the beautiful brilliance of the country I love, The United States of America.

Donald Trump was born as naked as anyone. And he will die the same. Just like all of us. It's what we do in between that makes us unequal. And I, along with the people around me, strive to be unequal only in the way that makes us exceptional at making the human experience better for everyone. This is the the legacy of our human race or we wouldn't be here today in 2016 aspiring for a better future. And this is the legacy of our country: we are equal in our aspiration to be exceptional.

Vote.
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