Amy M. Schaefer
  • Amy M. Schaefer, Writer
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From the Front Porch

I am an "accidental blogger". When I launched my writing career in March of 2014, one of the things that I decided to include was my journaling, which I have always found to be a comforting and therapeutic endeavor.  It was a big risk to open myself up in such a public forum, but it has taught me that, for the most part, we share far more experiences than we think. It's comforting to know I'm not alone!  (*the "Button Text" is the link to my first novel)
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The Bully

5/12/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
Political cartoon from cagle.com
I vividly remember my "being bullied" experience as a child and I have learned over the years that most people have their own memories and stories to tell. My first encounter with a bully came around the time I hit puberty. My body began to change earlier than most of my classmates, which made me very popular for a brief time and then hormones peppered my face with acne (...thanks a lot, Mother Nature). That couple of years it took to work itself out was a bit of a nightmare If I'd been able to grow my hair to cover my face like cousin IT from the Adam's family, I totally would have. Thankfully, I grew out of that awkward phase. I don't know, however, if the people who treated me so badly about it, teasing me mercilessly, ever grew out of being jerks. Fortunately, a long time ago I also grew out of caring what they thought of me.

Let's face it, no matter how many laws are on the books about this kind of behaviour, it's going to happen. Parents, guardians and children everywhere must learn to deal with or neutralize this problem, and I know from first hand experience that it's not always easy to overcome (...worse now in this digital age, where everything you do and say could end up splashed across some form of social media). It is also not uncommon for adults to bully or be bullied. Our Fox 9 Station in the Charlotte area of North Carolina recently aired a story about teachers being bullied by students and feeling threatened nearly every day at work, a workplace problem certainly not limited to that area. Which brings me to my point...

Throughout his campaign, Donald Trump has shown himself to be an expert at bullying tactics. It is not unusual to hear him refer to a woman he doesn't like as "fat" or "ugly". He also frequently has nasty things to say about anyone who crosses or disagrees with him. To my mind, this type of behaviour reveals a deep rooted childishly immature streak to his character, as these tactics signal someone who cannot come up with an intelligent argument for their side of an issue. I cannot, in good conscience, vote for a man who may or may not call some leader from another nation a big "doody head". I want a leader who can actually handle adulting with class, dignity, and maturity. I want the very grown-up issues we face today to be attacked by someone qualified to do what is necessary to correct our problems, instead of someone who seems to look upon the rest of "us" with blatant disdain. "I am very rich," he frequently, laughingly says in soundbites, which translates to, "...and you are not. Don't you wish you were me and could do whatever you want?!" He backed away from the comment he made about the fact that he could "shoot someone and still get elected", touting that as a joke, but the very real underlying message from that "joke" was, "People are so stupid, I could get away with anything and they love me so much they'll elect me their leader." This, to me, is a giant red flag flying beneath the childish behaviour. It is the ego maniacal spoutings of a power hungry man who thinks he's untouchable. Historically speaking, these kinds of people did not bode well for a positive outcome.

So, what's a girl to do when she's fresh out of decent candidates for president, but feels as if her right to vote is a duty that should be honored? There's only one option left...come November, I'll do a write-in, because I'd cut my own hand off before I cast a vote for either Trump or Clinton. Voting for either of them would go against many of my fundamental beliefs and I'm just not going to do that. I will, however, respect those who see things differently than I do, even if I vehemently disagree with them. That's called "being an adult"! Someone should send the  Trump Camp a memo about that!
1 Comment
Angela Miles
5/12/2016 12:30:44 pm

Brad for president

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    About The Author

    I grew up in rural North Carolina. When I was only nineteen, I moved away and became a military wife. My only aspiration at that tender time in my life was to create an adult life that "fixed" all of the "injustices" of my childhood. Secretly, however, I wanted to reach for the sky! I wanted to be a writer and find ways to "save the world" (my mother used to say, "You have Save the World Syndrome".). Mostly, I wanted to matter.

    Since then, I have learned to reach well beyond what I ever dared to think was possible. I've learned not to allow fear to stop me from whatever future I want to create!

    What keeps me grounded? My Tribe! What provides the wind beneath my wings? A well of reserves filled with unstoppable passion!

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  • Amy M. Schaefer, Writer
  • Blog: From the Front Porch
  • Novels
  • Short Stories
    • Children's Books
  • About the Author
  • Contact
  • Photo & Art Gallery