If you look around the world today, it feels like complete chaos. In the last couple of weeks alone, President Donald Trump has effectively torn apart bathroom rights for transgender students, ensured the construction of dangerous and unnecessary oil pipelines, had multiple leaks within the White House and was forced to fire his National Security adviser and much, much more. This is not normal.
For many of us, living in this world has been like a bizarre nightmare that will likely last for several more years. Many have already found heroes to stand up for us like Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers or even U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-SC, or U.S. Sen. John Mccain, R-AZ. But other people, some whom we might have thought would be willing to stand up for what’s right, have chosen instead to bunker down and cover their own asses instead.
I’ve started calling it the “Jimmy Fallon route” or the “spineless Republicans around the country route.” Basically, what that means is that instead of standing up against things that are obviously not acceptable, people like Fallon and many of the Republicans who initially fought against Trump have decided that their careers are more important than the millions of people around the world who might suffer because of President Trump’s policies.
Think back to the interview of then-candidate Trump where Fallon tousled his hair and asked softball questions. I know that Fallon hosts a late night comedy show, but really? Fallon isn’t an idiot, he knows that Trump is a liar and a bigot, but he chose to have fun with him instead of actually engaging him in a real discussion. That’s pathetic.
In that moment and in the months since, Fallon effectively chose to save his own ass rather than try to stand up to Trump’s injustices. Even now when he tries to make Trump jokes, it’s cringe-worthy to watch because we all know that when he had the chance to make a difference, he chose not to.
It’s been the same for many Republicans across the country. Even in our own neighborhood, Gov. Scott Walker, who dropped out of the Presidential race to prevent Trump from winning, now goes to visit the White House and poses happily for pictures with Trump like they’re best buddies. What the hell is that? Have some backbone.
I know that both of these men are in tough positions as Fallon is just trying to host a comedy show and Gov. Walker is trying to stay in the good graces of the Republican Party, but it’s going to backfire on them in the long run. We see nonsense like that happening and our opinions immediately change of that person. It’s cowardly. That’s why Fallon has fallen behind in late night ratings and it’s why Gov. Walker is going to lose reelection in 2018.
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If you are someone with a platform to speak up, do it. Don’t ignore what’s happening and don’t take it lightly. Stand up for what’s right, or the platform you had to speak on will be gone before you know it.
Connor Touhey ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in political science, history and journalism.
