Conversation with a pro-Trump immigrant
For all the white liberals who don't talk to normal people
I have a few superpowers. Writing is one of them. But perhaps my favorite is that I get into conversations with almost everyone I meet. That is why I tend to know a lot of what people are thinking… and I predict elections more accurately than the pollsters.
I happened to take a Lyft home from some errands today. The trolleys are short staffed and running erratically, causing me to walk blocks and blocks that I didn’t expect. I enjoyed the exercise but I am tired and so I took a Lyft for the final leg of my trip.
The car smelled delicious. I asked what he was eating. It was from the halal truck at UPenn. I asked if he is Muslim and he is. I asked where he is from. Ghana.
“How do you like living in this country?”
“I don’t like it. I love it. This is the best country on earth.”
He told me about how he had left Ghana, lived in Italy for eight years, then came here. Here, he finds tons of economic opportunity. He can support his family.
“The people who complain about this country don’t understand that they could be killed for complaining in another country. They can complain because they are here.”
On immigration: “No African country lets just everybody in. People have to come legally. I have ten year old twins. If an illegal immigrant does something to them, they are not in the system. How will they be found?”
“I voted for Trump. I’m glad that I voted for Trump. If I get the chance, I will vote for him again.”
“In other countries, you can not say what you think about the government. Here you can.”
So to all the white liberals who think they are defending the defenseless brown people… maybe ask them what they think? What freedom of expression means when you’ve lived in places where it does not exist?
Maybe they don’t want your protests. Maybe they’d rather cast their own votes.