Ask any group of liberals what they think about Donald Trump and you will receive fairly uniform answers: hateful, divisive, bigoted, racist, and intolerant. The irony is that if you ask them to go into greater detail, you can be certain that they will describe Donald Trump using nothing short of hateful, divisive, and intolerant language.
Der Spiegel claimed Donald Trump is the “world’s most dangerous man.” Yes, you read that correctly — Bashar al-Assad continues to oppress the people of Syria and encourage the growth of terrorism, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi continues to lead ISIS as it terrorizes the world, and Kim Jong-un continues to defy international law with missile tests — but Donald Trump is the world’s most dangerous man.
In some cases their hateful speech has turned to action; there have been several cases of Trump opponents battering an effigy of the Republican candidate in piñata form. In fact, one producer of the Trump piñatas says she can’t keep up with the demand. There are now several producers of the piñatas and it would be impossible to find, much less list, every instance where one was destroyed.
There is, however, one example of a Trump piñata’s destruction worth special mention. Just a few weeks ago, supporters of Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders held a rally near San Antonio, Texas, at which they beat the piñata Donald into oblivion. Photos of the event show a diverse crowd of young activists and older supporters, both white and Latino, enjoying the festivities — there were even children taking part. In almost all of the images, Sanders shirts, buttons, and banners can be seen proudly displayed next to the ill-fated figure of Trump.
The event is noteworthy because of the blatant hypocrisy of the Sanders supporters. Bernie Sanders publicly calls for tolerance and the respect of all people. He encourages diversity and a respect for differing beliefs. And how do his supporters show their appreciation for this message? By shunning it entirely and embodying that hateful attitude they purport to protest. Sanders has not addressed this hate-fueled celebration, held in his honor, but I sincerely hope he will rebuke these actions sooner than later. If nothing else, Sanders appears to be a man of true conviction and now would be as good a time as any to prove it.
