Standing at the checkout line behind a grandmother and her young grandson, I heard him ask his grandman, "Are you finished with your Christmas shopping?" The grandmother turned to him and said, "We're not doing Christmas this year," then quickly looked at the others in line behind her. I diverted my eyes because there was no reason for her to have my approval or disapproval. I know EXACTLY why she and the boy's mother had made the decision. If you think about it, you know WHY too.
The feelings I experienced hearing a little kid being told there will be no Christmas, darkened my spirit. a Kids being A kid, he held out hope and showed his grandma a little toy he really wanted. She nodded politely and changed the subject. A glimpse of pain registered on her face momentarily. She took a breath, gathered herself, checked out and exited.
For those effected by the SNAP shutdown and just the HIGH cost of groceries, difficult decisions are being made about the holidays. For people who have FOOD SECURITY and support Donald Trump, the shutdown was just another opportunity for cruelness. SNAP receipients were publicly MOCKED and SHAMED. They were called fat, lazy, stealers, a drain on the nation, and any other things they could think of to denegrate a person for needing help to feed themselves and their family. It was a public, brutal, ABUSIVE ASSAULT.
While mocking people needing assistance with food, our president partied, golfed and threw money around to foreign governments as people were not sure about their next meal. America is a wealthy country with citizens paying taxes that are to help the country and its citizens. Overwhelmingly many people are saying poor lives don't matter. Poor people have become reviled and seen as the OTHER.
PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is a mental health condition that can develop after a person experiences or witnesses a traumatic event, such as a car accident, natural disaster, or assault. Symptoms include re-experiencing the trauma through flashbacks or nightmares, avoiding reminders of the event, and feeling on guard or easily startled. Treatment options like psychotherapy and medication are available and can help manage the symptoms, which include negative changes in mood, difficulty sleeping, and trouble concentrating.
Can you imagine, if people who WERE affected by the SNAP stoppage did have enough money for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, sitting around the table having flashbacks of not being able to buy food. How is their self-esteem after living through food insecurity? Do they think about what if this happens again and they're unable to buy regular groceries AGAIN? HAVE THEIR MENTAL HEALTH BEEN AFFECTED?
People in favor of the cuts were like, "just get a job" when many recipients of SNAP benefits are WORKING Americans, elderly, children and the disabled. Minimum wage is a struggle income and jobs for college educated people barely pay more. Ask recent college graduates and they will tell you they can't EVEN find a job with a degree. Many American homes are filled with parents, adult children and elderly parents. Many grandparents are raising grandchilren on their own.
Jesus expressed anger at least three times in the Bible: he was angry when merchants commercialized the temple, "My house will be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers" (Matthew 21:12-16). He was angry that the temple had become a place of commerce rather than worship. When people lacked compassion for a man with a withered hand, and when the Pharisees stubbonly refused to believe his teachings. His anger was described as righteous indignation at the hardness of heart or the desecration of his Father's house, not as a sinful human anger.
The damage Trump's administration is inflicting will be felt for years. Even if people aren't experiencing TRUMP PTSD now, it can show up years later. Trump is an ABUSIVE president and have supporters who enjoy the pain he inflicts. This may be the most traumatizing of all. The realization of how many OTHER cruel people exist in America is SHOCKING to the system! This will be the hardest phychological healing for many.
PTSD can be helped with therapy and medication, but many do not know they are suffering from it. Having a family member at holiday meals who RAVES about how wonderful Trump is can send someone into a rage. Pushing those feelings down, trying to get along, adds to the anxiety and stress caused by Trump.
Trump is a grifter and a ROBBER. He robs people of their dignity, humanity. This is not TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME. This is something else, TRUMP PTSD. He is robbing people of their joy and SECURITY in so many areas and ways as he enjoys his life without threat or fear. We are experiencing trauma from his actions and behaviors daily. If you do a self-check, you probably are experiencing anxiety. Every day people are wondering, "How was he even elected?" Then we have to face the fact we live among the cruelest of people who continue to support him. Feelongs of helplessness and hopelessness abound. Our children are experiencing the same emotions as the adults. This is their world too. And for parents and grandparents, their hearts break for the little ones.
No, there is no need for explainations why the holidays have been canceled. People are preparing for the worst they know is YET to come. But how do you prepare for blatent abuse of power? You can't and that is TRAUMATIC.
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