Trump sees women as animated manikins over whom he can impose his will.
The key difference between “locker room talk” and “Trump talk” is that one refers to a man discussing the merits of a woman’s body and the other refers to a man using his wealth and power to abuse a woman’s body. In Trump’s “Trump talk” he bragged that his fame allowed him to force himself on women: “And when you’re a star, they let you do it.” “Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.” To Trump, women are not living breathing thinking people with souls but animated manikins over whom he can impose his will.
Trump dehumanizes women. Where dehumanization has occurred historically, we have displayed our most debase side. Dehumanization enables rape, murder, torture, and genocide. Combined with his broad generalization of whole swaths of humanity into undesirables, i.e., Mexicans, Muslims, and the disabled, plus his neo-white supremacist leanings, Trump’s dehumanizing “Trump talk” is even more alarming.
Many have responded to the “Trump talk” video with outrage over his treatment of women. As a woman I feel a personal insult by his offensive behavior. Yet, beyond that, my core concerns are that the video demonstrated his abuse of power, his lack of empathy, lack of sane boundaries, and his disregard for the humanity of his victims.
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