Leave Me Out
Every newspaper today speaks in the royal “we.”
We are against AfD.
We are against Trump.
We are against Putin.
We are against climate change denial.
And my first reaction is always the same:
No. I am not with you.
I once went to see Steve Bannon in Zurich.
I wanted to look the "monster" in the eye.
He said many things. Some I liked, some I rejected.
“Wear racism as a badge,” he told the crowd.
Absolutely not. That is a line I will never cross.
And yet, I understood him.
In this political climate, disagreement is not argued with.
It is diagnosed.
Question migration: racist.
Question gender ideology: misogynist.
Question climate policy: denier.
No dialogue, only slurs.
Where do I stand?
I like Africans.
I like Asians.
I like Latinos.
I like white people.
I like trans people.
I like gay people.
I like everyone under the sun—
except those who treat me and my people without kindness.
I appreciate those who come to my country to contribute,
not just to play the system like a slot machine.
But I don’t want to be pro-Trump.
I don’t want to be anti-Trump.
I don’t want to wave your flag.
I am a simple man.
I work, even when it sucks.
I raise my daughter.
I try to live in peace.
So here is my manifesto:
Leave me out of your camps.
Leave me out of your echo chambers.
Just give me the space to think for myself.