The limit of dignity…………………

Editorial By- Sukhpreet Giani

Donald Trump at first lashing out at the protests was not too surprising, considering the ill-tempered way he conducted himself during the presidential campaign.  The marches, which attracted millions of women and men across major cities in United States would have not led to stopping the inauguration of President Donald Trump, but they were to address the xenophobia and sexism that he encouraged during the presidential campaign.

The gatherings were indisputably historic: according to reports in the media from United States, the rally of more than 100,000 in New York and Boston were among the largest protests in recent history. It’s commendable that the crowd that included a remarkable number of children with their parents remained peaceful and served the purpose. The purpose of protest was to register protest, garner support and record resentment against President Donald Trump.

When faced with critical protest, most politicians tend to ignore them, wait and watch, get the administration to take appropriate action and get the situation under control. However, Donald Trump took the easy way, the one he is known for. Tweet!  “Watched protests yesterday but was under the impression that we just had an election!” Mr. Trump wrote. “Why didn’t these people vote? Celebs hurt cause badly.”  He planned to take the fight head one, unlike any other head of state.  It was a juvenile outburst.  President Donald Trump lashed out at celebrities who attended the protest. Administration joiningin verbal bashing of the protestors was also unique.  His chief of staff, Reince Priebus, criticized the media for comparing the turnout to the inauguration the day before. A spokesman said the crowd was bigger than at President Obama’s inauguration – A claim that defied all logic, visibly and by reports in the media.  The fight what Donald Trump as a presidential candidate started with media had now evolved into a bigger one, with president’s spokesman also claiming that the media were covering up the true size of the crowds at the inauguration through misleading photos. That response was straight from Donald Trump’s school of thought- trying to insist that unflattering facts were all fictional stories by biased media.

Feminist activist Gloria Steinem not only had numbers at her side but also certain balanced views to remind Donald Trump of his responsibility and expected conduct. Donald Trump’s proposal for the Muslims to register, that later was dropped also found a mention by the Protestors. “If you force Muslims to register, we will all register as Muslims”, Gloria Steinem had announced.

The attempt by administration to hush the voice of the protestors was met with a razor-sharp fact –how the attendance for the Women’s March was looking far better than the turnout for Donald Trump’s inauguration. “I have met the people, and you are not them. We are the people. Just this march in Washington today required 1,000 more buses than the entire inauguration”. The divisive politics of Donald Trump that practically targeted every minority group in United States came for a criticism that too in a subtle manner, reminding him of his real expected obligation to every American.  Gloria Steinem’s remark conveys a strong sense: “The constitution doesn’t begin with, ‘I, the president,’”. “It begins with ‘We the people’. So don’t try to divide us!”

The protests have signified a fight against the mayhem so well crafted by President Donald Trump. The peaceful struggle is supported by love, faith and courage so that Americans don’t feel terrified and send a signal to the next generation, that when united much larger issues can be addressed with a rationale thinking without crossing the limit of dignity -The limit of dignity that Donald Trump failed to maintain ever since he came to the fore to become the President of United States.