I Will Feed the Trump Trolls and Call Them Out Too

May 9, 2016
9:34 AM

One of the worst things about this election has been that what once would have shocked us, now we tolerate.

We have come to be numb to the so-called internet trolls. These anonymous creatures, who live behind the shadows of their laptops spreading ignorance, have gotten ever bolder, ever since a certain Republican candidate started promoting his Make America White Again agenda.

Lately, I have been given more press because of my program Latino Thought Makers that was started at Oxnard College and is currently traveling to other cities. It’s a program that celebrates the Latino contribution to America. My America that is inclusive, welcomes change and builds bridges not borders. Recently, I began to get trolled by many Donald Trump supporters who live on Twitter. They feel I should get assimilated or in their words, “get em out of here.” They even said that I “werk” for the Castros. (Their spelling, not mine.)

troll1

At first, I thought to ignore the trolls, but then I asked myself this: Wasn’t that the reason they grew? Wasn’t it our very biased news media that gave Trump free attention on a constant 24/7 loop, while virtually ignoring other candidates with more inclusive messages? Because, unlike Trump, those candidates had no racist sound bites to please and to arouse the crowds.

Trump’s online supporters have become emboldened by his racist agenda. Their trolling has legitimized an old America, the one that in their minds was “great”—the one that segregated races, detained Americans just because they were Japanese-Americans and deported the “wetbacks.”

You know, that happy America.

Well, I’m calling out the trolls and asking my friends and supporters to join me on Twitter.

Why?

Because these trolls need to see our numbers.

I will not assimilate to be like them.

No.

On the contrary, I will agitate against them and their racism. I will instigate voters against them and their old views, and I will aggravate them till they realize a new and better America waits for us all.

And that our America will wake up and chose compassion over greed.

And love over hate and justice over injustice.

Please follow me on Twitter @ricknajera and help me defeat the trolls who called me subversive.

I happen to agree. I am subversive. I hope you do too.

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Rick Najera is an award-winning writer-performer-director-producer and author with credits in film, television, theatre and Broadway. His latest book, Almost White:  Forced Confessions of a Latino in Hollywood, has recently been nominated as an “Inspirational Non-Fiction Book” by the International Latino Book Awards. You can follow Rick on Twitter @ricknajera.