Union Square’s Seasonal Transformation

The calendar and political climate have caused New York’s Union Square to make dramatic changes in just the past two weeks. Politics and the holiday shopping season collide.

Many gathered at the park to speak of their discomfort with the presidential election results. It was a friendly scene; I thanked one speaker for urging protesters to select one thing to be activist about rather than be overwhelmed by the big picture. This turned into a casual conversation between two people  who were, clearly, older than most of the rest of the attendees. This is Union Square at 14th Street on November 10:

It’s No Longer Enough To Be Born In America: A Midlife Hispanic View of the American Presidential Election

President-elect Reality Show Host has shown open disdain for Hispanics, and that doesn’t bode well for me. Long ago it was preferable to “pass” for an another ethnic group rather than look Spanish. I can but have enough self-respect to answer honestly. “What is your heritage?” “What is your ethnic group?” “Are you [fill in locally acceptable nationality here.]?” Hispanic.

Women in the Workplace: This Week’s Edition

So the Trump boys thinks that if a woman is sexually harassed in the workplace, she should quit.

And do what? Create a job opening for another potential sexual harassment victim? Live on no income while she looks for another job?

The harasser is in violation of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission law. The EEOC website says:

If you believe that you have been discriminated against at work because of your race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information, you can file a Charge of Discrimination.

That’s an actual copy/paste from their website. And it’s a clickable link.

So this guy thinks it’s acceptable to break the law. The victim, though, pays twice: first when she is forced to perform some sex act so she can earn a living and again by losing her job if she complains. The victim is now forced into a lower financial situation where she is less able to defend her rights in court.

This is his view of America, where women are devalued, debased and tossed aside. And he wants to be president.

What do we tell our daughters?