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[snacknuts]

Editorial piece at GQ by Drew Magary.

Earlier this week, the Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold uncovered yet another Donald Trump scam job, in which he used over $250,000 in charitable donations to help pay off his legal bills. And, because this is Trump, that sordid (and almost certainly illegal) bit of money laundering is just ONE despicable detail of the story. There are many more, including Trump’s club trying to welch on a $1 million hole-in-one payout (out of all of Trump’s bad qualities, his steadfast refusal to pay people what he owes them, while bragging about it, is the most enraging), along with the old bit about Trump blithely ignoring local ordinances so he could put a big, dipshit flagpole up at the Mar-A-Lago club, with his lawyers stating—with a straight face—that a smaller flag “would fail to appropriately express the magnitude of Donald J. Trump’s . . . patriotism” (NOTE: Until recently, Trump didn’t know what the stripes on the flag symbolized).

None of this is surprising, of course. Trump is a liar and a crook, and he commits abominable acts at such a frenetic pace that they get lost in the fury surrounding whatever horrible thing he does next.

Regardless, in the end, people are still gonna vote for this man. Maybe not enough to get him elected, but still: it’ll be in the tens of millions. (Note to the people causing the polls to fluctuate: What the fuck is wrong with you? I gotta meet the five percent of people who saw Hillary come down with pneumonia and were like, “Forget her, gimme the dictator with dryer lint hair.”) Nothing that Trump says, no damning piece of Trump reportage, and certainly no opinion piece like this one will stop his voters from pulling the lever. Nor will anything stop Trump from being the officious, braindead goon that he is. He will never answer for his crimes, and there’s a frighteningly large portion of the electorate that will always love him for that.

And so I’d just like to say to that portion of the electorate: Fuck you. No, seriously. Go fuck yourselves. I’m not gonna waste any more time trying to convince you that you’re about to do something you’ll regret forever. I’m not gonna show you old clips of Trump saying rotten things. I’m not gonna try to ANNIHILATE Trump by showing you records of his hypocrisy and greed. I’m not gonna link to a John Oliver clip and be like, “THIS. So much this.” Nothing’s gonna take down Trump at this point, so I’m not gonna bother. No no, this post is for ME. I am preaching to the sad little choir in my soul here.

Because while Trump is a miserable bastard, YOU are the people who have handed him the bullhorn. YOU are the people willing to embarrass this nation and put it on the brink of economic ruin all because you wanna throw an electoral hissy fit. YOU are the people who want to revolutionize the way America does business by voting for its worst businessman, a disgusting neon pig who only makes money when he causes problems for other people instead of solving them. YOU are the thin-skinned yokels who clutch your bandoliers whenever someone hurls the mildest of slurs at you (“deplorables”), while cheering Trump on as he leaves a bonfire of truly hateful invective everywhere he goes. YOU are the people willing to overlook the fact that Trump is an unqualified, ignorant sociopath because DURRRR HILLARY IS BAD TOO DURRRR.

It goes on like that.

 

[Sapiens]

I really don't care who people vote for - as long as they take a minute to think about it and vote.

It's apathy that creates these awful gov'ts.

 

[VeryGooster]

Read this yesterday and enjoyed it.

 

[cackhyena]

I really don't care who people vote for - as long as they take a minute to think about it and vote.

I care this time.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

I really don't care who people vote for - as long as they take a minute to think about it and vote.

It's apathy that creates these awful gov'ts.

I would wish more apathy than bigotry. Though I do agree it's not a time for good people to be apathetic.

I've been trying to get my mother to vote but she keeps saying "I'm not educated enough to vote." Well neither is at least half the dang country, and it's not like it requires more than an elementary education to realize Trump is awful for this country.

 

[Vincent Grayson]

I've long had some serious issues with the entire concept of democracy as we know it. The fact that anyone is voting for this guy just cements those feelings.

 

[Sapiens]

I care this time.

There's nothing worse than telling someone to vote for "you're guy." It'll just drive them to the "other guy" to spite you.

Encourage people to take part. You'd be surprised how many people talk shit but never show up to the polls.

 

[Jawbreaker]

If this is the quality of writing one can expect from GQ, I really need to apply for a position there (not that I disagree with the article).

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

I really don't care who people vote for - as long as they take a minute to think about it and vote.

It's apathy that creates these awful gov'ts.

A candidate like Trump is born from anger, not apathy.

 

[fantomena]

 

[EightBitNate]

I get what the article is saying, but don't understand the intended audience. Not like people who will vote Trump take time to read editorials like this, and certainly not ones which insult them. Just comes off as very circlejerk-y.

 

[Vicetrailia]

Trump is a bonafide piece of shit. It's really two types of people who vote for Trump. Decent people please use your head.

 

[Busty]

I've never voted in an American election before* but I'll vote this time and I'll be voting for Hilary.















* - I am not American.

 

[ReplacementPelican]

I get what the article is saying, but don't understand the intended audience. Not like people who will vote Trump take time to read editorials like this, and certainly not ones which insult them. Just comes off as very circlejerk-y.

Did you read the article? He says he's preaching to his own choir in his soul. It's literally right there.

I really don't care who people vote for - as long as they take a minute to think about it and vote.

It's apathy that creates these awful gov'ts.

This kind of opinion is usually valid but in this case it really isn't. The man is disgraceful.

 

[Hoo-doo]

Counterproductive article in nearly every way. No Trump voters will read articles like these and there's even less chance that they'll be swayed to vote for the other candidate through a barrage of insults.

Word to people who care: stop demonizing Trump and start fucking demonstrating why Hillary Clinton is the right fucking choice instead.

As it is right now, Trump voters get battered from all angles left and right and it'll only convince them more that what they are doing is the right thing.
Articles like these only drive the wedge between the two sides in deeper.

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

I get what the article is saying, but don't understand the intended audience. Not like people who will vote Trump take time to read editorials like this, and certainly not ones which insult them. Just comes off as very circlejerk-y.

I believe it's intended either for people who don't intend to vote and might be persuaded otherwise just to save the country, or people who know others that intend to vote for Trump and might be persuaded by this editorial to confront them about it.

 

[Kthulhu]

I like that ending in the last part you quoted, but yeah if you are voting for Trump because you , for some reason, believe he is better than Hillary, go fuck yourself. You obviously either have a double standard or are completely ignorant when it comes to politics.

I see so many people talk about how "Trump may be a piece of shit, but at least he's better than Hillary" and it's total BS. You don't even have to look that far. If you hate Hillary, stay home, don't ruin the country for the rest of us because you don't want to take the time to do a little research or look beyond your Facebook wall and Twitter feed. Hell even Fox News has had people on calling him out on his BS, there is no excuse.

 

[EightBitNate]

Did you read the article? He says he's preaching to his own choir in his soul. It's literally right there.


This kind of opinion is usually valid but in this case it really isn't. The man is disgraceful.

I read the quotes in the OP. Doesn't make it any less circlejerk-y.

I believe it's intended either for people who don't intend to vote and might be persuaded otherwise just to save the country, or people who know others that intend to vote for Trump and might be persuaded by this editorial to confront them about it.

And I'm sure the things he lists are things people on the fence have heard hundreds of times before. Literally the only new argument he puts up is "fuck people who disagree with me".

 

[jaxpunk]

This is an embarrassing article, gq editors should be ashamed to have it on their site. Approving the message or not it reads like someone is off their meds.

 

[cackhyena]

There's nothing worse than telling someone to vote for "you're guy." It'll just drive them to the "other guy" to spite you.

Encourage people to take part. You'd be surprised how many people talk shit but never show up to the polls.

I totally agree, usually. I just can't abide the casual nature this time. No matter how many times people vomit "there both terrible choices"...well, no. One is without question, a far worse choice.

 

[DragonSworne]

Please be nice to Trump supporters or they might not vote for Hillary is the new form of please don't protest there.

 

[Lightning_Roller]

I like that ending in the last part you quoted, but yeah if you are voting for Trump because you , for some reason, believe he is better than Hillary, go fuck yourself. You obviously either have a double standard or are completely ignorant when it comes to politics.

I see so many people talk about how "Trump may be a piece of shit, but at least he's better than Hillary" and it's total BS. You don't even have to look that far. If you hate Hillary, stay home, don't ruin the country for the rest of us because you don't want to take the time to do a little research or look beyond your Facebook wall and Twitter feed. Hell even Fox News has had people on calling him out on his BS, there is no excuse.

It's seriously mind-boggling to me that people can't see Trumps shit that he constantly spews. And when they do, they still think Hilary is worse. I mean what the hell? Are you high? Do you have any damn morals? I mean, what is it going to take for you to realize Trump is a damn cheeto demon? Oh right, nothing. Because some of you out there give a damn more about your peashooters and keeping brown people out of the country because the orange asshole with the combover told you they're bad. And these people make up 40% of the country. It's saddening.

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

Word to people who care: stop demonizing Trump and start fucking demonstrating why Hillary Clinton is the right fucking choice instead.

Honest question: how do you do that? It feels like a repeat of Brexit, except on a much larger scale, where there's a huge demographic that's so emotionally driven they proudly reject any factual arguments thrown at them.

And I'm sure the things he lists are things people on the fence have heard hundreds of times before. Literally the only new argument he puts up is "fuck people who disagree with me".

It's a cry of desperation more than anything else. No more logical than the hate-fueled thinking driving Trump supporters, in that sense. This person likely feels there's nothing meaningful left for them to do to influence the situation.

 

[jchap]

Save some of that anger for the other side too for throwing up the most unelectable candidate. This should be a blow out of epic proportions. Instead it's a nail biter.

 

[Camwi]

There's nothing worse than telling someone to vote for "you're guy." It'll just drive them to the "other guy" to spite you.

Encourage people to take part. You'd be surprised how many people talk shit but never show up to the polls.

As a grammar nazi, I couldn't agree more.

 

[Laieon]

I teach in Korea.

My middle school students just came into class begging me not to vote for Trump. "Teacher he is... a little strange. Maybe evil guy".

Definitely not voting Trump, but honestly there's not really a candidate that I'm nearly as passionate about as I was Obama in '08. I realize Obama and Hillary's policies are pretty similar though, so I'll probably end up going with her.

 

[DragonSworne]

Save some of that anger for the other side too for throwing up the most unelectable candidate. This should be a blow out of epic proportions. Instead it's a nail biter.

It's shit this the article is speaking about. Why is Hillary unelectable? Because there has been a sexist negative campaign agaismt here for nearly 30 years.

 

[JavyOO7]

I forget Magary also writes for GQ. Feel like this article would be better suited in Deadspin's Concourse. =p

 

[bill0527]

I believe it's intended either for people who don't intend to vote and might be persuaded otherwise just to save the country, or people who know others that intend to vote for Trump and might be persuaded by this editorial to confront them about it.

I think people that already have their mind made up to vote for Trump aren't going to be swayed by anything at this point. The tone of this article sure isn't going to change any of their minds.

The article is basically just an echo chamber argument. The only people who are going to care enough to read it are the people that already agree with it.

 

[Hoo-doo]

Please be nice to Trump supporters or they might not vote for Hillary is the new form of please don't protest there.

Nah, just keep antagonizing and demonizing them, that'll totally work.

I'm sure some of them are riiiiight on the fence of voting for Hillary and being called an ignorant racist asshole one more time might do the trick and flip them over to the 'good guys'.

 

[Kthulhu]

I teach in Korea.

My middle school students just came into class begging me not to vote for Trump. "Teacher he is... a little strange. Maybe evil guy".

Definitely not voting Trump, but honestly there's not really a candidate that I'm nearly as passionate about as I was Obama in '08. While I realize Obama and Hillary's policies are pretty similar and I'll probably end up going with her, I don't really like her either and I can't figure out why.

I don't like many of Hillary's policies. I wish Bernie had won. It won't stop me from voting for her.

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

I think people that already have their mind made up to vote for Trump aren't going to be swayed by anything at this point. The tone of this article sure isn't going to change any of their minds.

The article is basically just an echo chamber argument. The only people who are going to care enough to read it are the people that already agree with it.

I don't disagree, see the edit in my last post.

 

[AntraxSuicide]

Counterproductive article in nearly every way. No Trump voters will read articles like these and there's even less chance that they'll be swayed to vote for the other candidate through a barrage of insults.

Word to people who care: stop demonizing Trump and start fucking demonstrating why Hillary Clinton is the right fucking choice instead.

As it is right now, Trump voters get battered from all angles left and right and it'll only convince them more that what they are doing is the right thing.
Articles like these only drive the wedge between the two sides in deeper.

I'm sorry, but it's adorable that you think anything would sway Trump's voters.

40% of this country is in fact that racist. Hugging them and coddling them ain't gonna change them. Focus on publicly shaming the 2% of voters who aren't on board the Trump train but are thinking about it. Make it clear that if you pull that lever, your grandkids will judge you as a racist piece of shit forever.

 

[IamDodongo]

I think we should be totally okay with the idea of shaming Trump supporters, because there's no way you can justify his actions.

 

[cackhyena]

Nah, just keep antagonizing and demonizing them, that'll totally work.

I'm sure some of them are riiiiight on the fence of voting for Hillary and being called an ignorant racist asshole one more time might do the trick and flip them over to the 'good guys'.

I agree, demonizing does fuck all. However, I have a feeling the people ready to vote Trump but don't bother going to rallies, or are necessarily racist/any other terrible thing we attribute most of his fans to, are doing so simply because they just don't trust Clinton. There's no overcoming that hurdle. It's decades long in its build up. She will never shed it.

 

[AHA-Lambda]

Exactly, look at brexit >_>

 

[TBiddy]

It's shit this the article is speaking about. Why is Hillary unelectable? Because there has been a sexist negative campaign agaismt here for nearly 30 years.

Or perhaps people just think she's not fit for presidency.

 

[Zukkoyaki]

 

[partyphone]

i don't think the aim of articles like these is to sway trump supporters it's to vent frustration. saying it's counterproductive assumes that there is anything to do about convincing trump supporters not to vote for trump. if they've made it this far nothing will convince them to vote for anything else.

 

[LiK]

And so I’d just like to say to that portion of the electorate: Fuck you. No, seriously. Go fuck yourselves.

Pretty much how I feel.

 

[RPGCrazied]

Wow. He went in. He is not wrong. Might have to subscribe to GQ magaizine. I couldn't have said it better myself. Bravo.

 

[nillah]

Go big or go home. The last 4 presidents have not been impactful on the future of this planet at all.

 

[Gutek]

Or perhaps people just think she's not fit for presidency.

But Trump is?

 

[Kthulhu]

Or perhaps people just think she's not fit for presidency.

Please explain why Trump is and she isn't.

 

[RPGCrazied]

But Trump is?

No. Trump is not fit to run a circus and anyone with a working brain should know this.

 

[Mr_Antimatter]

You can't use facts to persuade voters who don't use facts to form opinion. They are convinced Hillary is a nasty evil traitor and Trump, like all other conservatives, is God's chosen on earth who will save us from the boggieman.

No amount of fact checking, history lessons, quotes, articles about corruption, investigations, etc will change that.

 

[Polari]

"I lived through one Clinton, and I can live through another."

When that's the most you can say in favour of Hillary you know your argument is fucked.

 

[Gordon Shumway]

¡Me gusta! Let these fucks know..

 

[Hoo-doo]

Honest question: how do you do that? It feels like a repeat of Brexit, except on a much larger scale, where there's a huge demographic that's so emotionally driven they proudly reject any factual arguments thrown at them.

By reducing the focus on Trump and putting a spotlight on Hillary's stances and plans for the country.

Show the world that she's not just 'the better of two evils' but that she is legitimately a great pick for the highest office. Let Trump voters wallow in their self-hate and backwards-ass nominee.
Sway the people in the middle, not through flinging shit towards the bad guy, but by outlining why Hillary is the right pick for their future vision of what the US should be and represent.

Show people what kind of progress could be made with a Hillary presidency. What it would mean for the bottom line of someone's family income or when someone gets sick and needs medical care. What it would mean for women in general, education, LGBT rights, international relations, the list goes on.

Again, you will only push Trump voters further into their isolationist corner if you just come at them throwing insults. It's not even worth the attempt and it's blatantly backwards. It's not about coddling Trump voters, it's about ignoring them completely and rallying around your own damn candidate instead of being on the frontlines throwing bricks.

 

[Tobor]

Counterproductive article in nearly every way. No Trump voters will read articles like these and there's even less chance that they'll be swayed to vote for the other candidate through a barrage of insults.

Word to people who care: stop demonizing Trump and start fucking demonstrating why Hillary Clinton is the right fucking choice instead.

As it is right now, Trump voters get battered from all angles left and right and it'll only convince them more that what they are doing is the right thing.
Articles like these only drive the wedge between the two sides in deeper.

The author acknowledges this. It's the whole point of the article. These people are beyond saving. There is nothing left to do but say "Fuck You".