Last Sunday, Donald Trump selected Steve Bannon as his senior counselor and chief White House strategist. If you were hoping that Trump wouldn't continue with all the racist and sexist comments he made pre-election, I fear you are sorely mistaken.
The positions Bannon is filling are extremely influential parts of the president's decision-making process. Before being selected for this position, Steve Bannon was the chairman of Breitbart News Network. Breitbart is one of the furthest of the far-right websites that promotes white supremacy ideals and ethnocentric views. While promoting white supremacy, it shows opposition to feminism, immigration, and multiculturalism. You know, some of the things that make America what it is?
If you scroll through the headlines on this website, any person concerned with ANY human rights issue would have a mini meltdown. For example, one headline reads, "Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy." Another reads, "Will the Mormon Church's Support for Muslim Immigration Block Trump's Victory?" This is just the tip of the iceberg.
"Let’s start with the grossest form: injectable birth control. IT MAKES YOU FAT," says Milo of Breitbart in an article about why women shouldn't use birth control. The articles main focus: How birth control will make you, as a woman, less attractive in the eyes of men.
"So in other words, your birth control injection will add on pounds that will prevent the injection you really want - of man meat," said Milo.
Milo follows this statement by saying that not only will your body be "less sexy," but so will your voice. The entire article is a white supremacist man's point of view on what a woman should do with her body. All of the "negatives" for birth control were formed through the male eye. To put it lightly, the entire article is backwards propaganda to scare women into not using contraceptives.
While these are not Bannon's exact words, they reflect the ideals presented on his website. For all the women out there, please take note of the type of thought that will now be present in the White House.
If this doesn't scare you, might I add that the former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, David Duke, believes that Bannon is an excellent choice. Rule of thumb: If someone is endorsed by a former member of the Ku Klux Klan, this is probably a good indication of who NOT to pick.
Before Bannon took control of Breitbart, Bannon was a Goldman Sachs investor. For those who thought they were "draining the swamp," think again.
Steve Bannon has been called anti-Semitic by numerous sources. Even Bannon's ex-wife has accused him of being anti-semetic after Bannon expressed his desire to keep his daughter out of a Los Angeles school, solely based on the number of Jewish people that attended it.
Not sold on just how dangerous Bannon is? Here are a few quotes that might put it into perspective:
“That’s why there are some unintended consequences of the women’s liberation movement," said Bannon. "That, in fact, the women that would lead this country would be pro-family, they would have husbands, they would love their children. They wouldn’t be a bunch of dykes that came from the Seven Sisters schools up in New England. That drives the left insane and that’s why they hate these women.”
Yep, the man thinks that women's liberation is a negative thing in society and that to be respected, a woman must have a husband and children. Not sold yet? How about some more headlines from his website?
Lesbian Bridezillas Bully Bridal Shop Owner Over Religious Beliefs - No. Just, no.
The Solution To Online ‘Harassment’ Is Simple: Women Should Log Off - BRILLIANT. WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT!
Bill Kristol: Republican Spoiler, Renegade Jew - What is a "Renegade Jew" exactly?
The hateful messages that Trump preached, and many ignored, are much more likely to come to fruition with a man like Bannon at his side. For those that don't believe that Trump's ideas are possible, might I remind you that not only is the president-elect a Republican, but so are the House and the Senate. Meaning, primarily, that Trump might be able to do everything that he has promised to do.
Trump is no longer the biggest threat in the White House. He is appointing people with very strong, hateful views to extremely powerful positions in government. Mike Pence, who literally believes in shocking gay people into being straight, along with Steve Bannon, who literally believes that whites should have all the power, are your newest addition to the White House team.
Trump has a lot of ideas, Pence is a man of action, and Bannon is a man of hatred. Those three things together are a dangerous cocktail of white supremacist bigotry. Make no mistake: Everything Bannon, Pence, and Trump want is more than possible.
...and all the Democrats in unison sighed, "oh, shit."
