My Thoughts About Tony Hinchcliffe

With a week left to go until the 2024 Presidential Election, over 45 million people so far has voted early either in person or submitted a mail-in ballot. However, the latest controversy that has caused outrage are comments made by comedian and podcaster Tony Hinchcliffe (seen above). During a recent Trump rally at Madison Square Garden, he called Latinos and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico "a floating island of garbage". Just to note, New York has the largest Puerto Rican population. Numerous Puerto Rican lawmakers denounced his comments, calling them disgusting and disrespectful. Hinchcliffe refused to apologize for his disparaging remarks. JD Vance said of the joke that Americans needed to stop being offended by every little thing. Just because something is a joke, it automatically doesn't make it funny. It's not about Americans being overly sensitive. There are jokes that are funny and there are those that cross the line. There's a difference between a joke and an insult. What Hinchcliffe said was an insult to not only Puerto Ricans, but Latinos. Trump doubled down on Hinchcliffe's comments, as I expected him to. All he does is defend and excuse this kind of nonsense. A spokesperson for his campaign stated that Hinchcliffe's joke didn't represent the values of Trump or his campaign. I disagree with that assessment and dont buy it. His history of making derogatory and offensive remarks about different people has been present for years. It's been on public display even before becoming the president. No matter which side of the political spectrum you stand for, there's no excuse for anyone, especially for a former President to keep perpetuating offensive stereotypes and rhetoric. That kind of language is unacceptable, and people should denounce it. Hinchcliffe's "joke" was not in poor taste and no, it has not been overblown. The comedian said that people don't have a sense of humor. No, it's because times have changed and once again, there are jokes that are funny and there are jokes that cross the line. A lot of jokes made by comedians from way back when would not fly today. You can be funny without purposely insulting different kinds of people in a disrespectful way. I avoid watching comedy specials of certain comedians, due to them perpetuating outdated stereotypes and using ableist slurs towards individuals with disabilities.

As for my thoughts about Donald Trump, I'm increasingly tired of his childish antics and his refusal to let things go. All he does is resort to name calling and I'm not into that. I can share a number of examples of why the ex-President winning a second term would be disastrous and dangerous. Back in 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, which claimed the lives of almost 3,000 residents. This is the same man who blocked $20 billion of federal aid for Puerto Rico. He threw paper towels to those impacted by this disaster. As if that wasn't enough, he also made derogatory statements about Mexicans, Muslims, Jews, and other groups of people. Also, before he won the 2016 election, he bragged about grabbing women by the genitals. He also continues to spread false claims about the 2020 election, claiming that he won. Then the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol orchestrated by Trump supporters after Trump lost to then president-elect Joe Biden to stop the certification of the election results. Trump called those who charged the Capitol "fine people" and would pardon those who have been arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced for their participation on that fateful day. He didn't do anything to discourage his supporters to not charge the Capitol. He just let it happen. To top it all off, he's a convicted felon and has also been accused of sexual assault by numerous women. I personally believe that he shouldn't be running for president. I'm calling out Donald Trump for what he is: a racist, misogynistic, sexist, xenophobic, bigoted, antisemitic, and a cold pathetic excuse of a human being who cares about no one but himself. He lacks an empathy chip and he's in this race, aiming to win the election and also to seek revenge against anyone who opposed him. To me, he's a bully who takes zero responsibility for his actions and the things that he has said. He constantly portrays himself as a victim and plays the victim card when he does something unbecoming. Everyone is tired of him acting like a child and we want to move on from him completely. I'm also exhausted by airing out past grievances. I don't have feelings for people who treat those different from him like crap. He claims that he's a man of faith, but his aforementioned actions I described says otherwise. We're about moving forward, not going backwards. As the late Dr. Maya Angelou once said, "When folks show you who they are, believe them." I'm not Puerto Rican, but as an older child of two immigrants, I was beyond disgusted and appalled by Tony Hinchcliffe's comments. My estranged parents came to the U.S. from Liberia, which is in West Africa, where they were born. They've been in this country for almost half a century. For almost 50 years, they were able to come to America and make a life for themselves, me, and my other two siblings.

There's a few more instances I didn't mention about Trump. He constantly disrespected the late Arizona Senator John McCain, because he voted against repealing the Affordable Care Act and also claiming that he was not a war hero. Even though I might not have agreed with Senator McCain's policies, to me, he's a war hero and will I always respect him. On the other hand, this manchild dodged the draft five times. Plus, he downplayed the seriousness of the Covid-19 pandemic, yet he had Covid. Despite that, he compared the disease to the flu and also used an offensive term to describe Covid-19. In September 2020, he called fallen soldiers 'suckers' and 'losers', while visiting France to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. Oh and do you know about Project 2025? In case you don't, it's an initiative that would promote conservative and right-wing policies to reshape the federal government. Basically Trump, if elected, would undermine the checks and balances of the Constitution. In other words, he would be an authoritarian type of commander-in-chief. One of the changes would call for massive deportation of illegal immigrants. I would highly encourage everyone to read about Project 2025 and why you should be worried about it. Last but not least, in 2018, he further ramped up his racist rhetoric by referring to Haiti and other African countries as 'shithole' countries while talking about immigration. My parents and I have been estranged for over a decade, but I have to defend them in this rare situation. I know Africa is a continent, but it doesn't change the fact that Trump continues to regurgitate this kind of hate speech to his followers and his cohorts. I took great offense to it at the time and it still angers me to this day. I'll never understand why people still support and defend this deranged individual.

In closing, I want to share some final thoughts. Puerto Ricans are NOT garbage. They're not drug traffickers, either and everything under the sun. They're people who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. I 100% condemn and denouce the offensive and hurtful comments made by Tony Hinchcliffe. Hate and discrimination has no place here. On Vocal, everyone is welcome here. I have the highest level of respect for all Puerto Ricans who are doing nothing but being hard working individuals and making a life for themselves and their families. If any Puerto Ricans are reading this story right now, just remember that you belong, you're important, and do matter. Don't let anyone diminish your worth or dehumanize who you are as a person. You have dreams and aspirations like everyone else, so feel free to pursue whatever your heart desires. You are somebody and not a walking stereotype.