The AIA’s formal statement, and follow-up, in response to Donald J. Trump’s election has elicited outrage within the architecture community. Architects, AIA-members and not, feel that the organization has failed to represent their interests, choosing instead to cooperate with what many equate to a fascist regime, and in so doing has compromised the entire profession. Architects have taken to social media to air their concerns and organize their own responses—we’ll be updating this piece with more statements as the issue evolves, and collecting them all over here. Share your thoughts with us by submitting to the news here.
Shortly following the election of Mr. Trump to the office of the President of the United States, Robert Ivy, Chief Executive Officer of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), wrote:
The AIA and its 89,000 members are committed to working with President-elect Trump to address the issues our country faces, particularly strengthening the nation’s aging infrastructure. During the campaign, President-elect Trump called for committing at least $500 billion to infrastructure spending over five years. We stand ready to work with him and with the incoming 115th Congress to ensure that investments in schools, hospitals and other public infrastructure continue to be a major priority.”
“We also congratulate members of the new 115th Congress on their election. We urge both the incoming Trump Administration and the new Congress to work toward enhancing the design and construction sector’s role as a major catalyst for job creation throughout the American economy.”
“This has been a hard-fought, contentious election process. It is now time for all of us to work together to advance policies that help our country move forward.
Almost immediately, the American architecture community reacted on Twitter and other social media, largely decrying the unilateral expression of support for the controversial President-elect. The AIA bills itself as “the voice of the architecture profession and the resource for our members in service to society.” However, Mr. Ivy published the statement without consulting the 89,000 members for whom he claims to speak. Most of the criticism centered around Mr. Trump’s comments and policy proposals that have been widely considered racist, sexist, homophobic, and xenophobic, which some architects believe express a position antithetical to the central tenants of the profession of architecture. Additionally, Mr. Trump denies the reality of anthropogenic climate change, which many architects—as well as scientists—believe represents on the most serious threats to both the built environment and humanity at large.
The most visible displays of discontent surfaced on Twitter, where architects quickly began to employ the hashtag #notmyAIA, echoing the popular chant “Not my president,” which has been used in protests of the election. It seems the first use of the hashtag came from @Latent_Design:
Are you looking to serve as the next Albert Speer,” asked @ArchitectGlass. Others also made reference to Speer, one of the most prominent architects of the Third Reich, which infamously weaponized architecture as an expression of ideology. Soon, the story was picked up by Archinect, Dezeen and other media outlets such as the Architect’s Newspaper.
QSPACE, “a platform for research projects by students and professionals working on queerness in the built environment”, quickly released a statement, describing Mr. Ivy’s statement as “unnecessary, tone deaf, and an insult to marginalized groups within the architectural field”. QSPACE, and others, noted that the expression of support seems to contradict the AIA’s ethics policies, which state that members “shall not discriminate in their professional activities on the basis of race, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, or sexual orientation.”
While some claim that Mr. Trump tacitly supports the LGBTQ community—he made reference to their existence during the Republican national convention—he ran on what has been described as the most explicitly anti-LGBTQ political platform in United States history. His Vice President, Mike Pence, has described homosexuality as a type of behavior “that facilitate[s] the spread of the HIV virus.” Mr. Pence opposed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, same-sex marriage and civil unions. He has support conversion therapy, a controversial and scientifically-unsupported practice intended to impose heterosexuality through means including electroshock therapy. Other advisors to President-elect Trump have been recorded employing gay slurs and anti-LGBTQ sentiments.
The Architecture Lobby, “a collective of architectural workers advocating for the value of the labor required to design, construct and occupy architecture”, quickly released a statement as well. The Lobby “unequivocally” denounced the AIA’s statement, noting, among other things, that the statement expressing support for President-Elect Trump’s infrastructure plan tacitly expresses support for the so-called “border wall”. The border wall, which would stretch across the southern border of the United States, is intended to stop the flow of undocumented immigrants. It served as a central proposal in the Trump campaign, and since election, President-elect Trump has vowed that it would be one of the first initiatives of his administration.
Soon the #NotmyAIA hashtag began to include wider denouncements of AIA practices. For example, Keefer Dunn tweeted, “it's not just the Trump thing, AIA's arcane attitude re: antitrust compliance is central to architecture's value crises.” Other architects, such as Cathy Braasch, pledged they would not renew their membership of the AIA, instead donating the money to charity.
Michael Sorkin, the prominent architect and critic, published a long missive condemning the letter. “While his words appear anodyne and reflect the judicious position and celebration of America’s history of peaceful transitions of power articulated by both President Obama and Hillary Clinton,” writes Sorkin, “they are an embarrassment to those of us who feel that the Trump presidency represents a clear and present danger to many values that are fundamental to both our nation and our profession.” Sorkin’s letter includes five points that he advocates as measures by which to evaluate Trump’s actions.
Michael Kimmelman, the architecture critic for the New York Times, likewise tweeted a denouncement of the AIA’s position:
The Equity Alliance, “a platform to promote the conservation of equitable practice in architecture and allied professions in the built environment”, also published a statement. “We are ashamed that our professional organization decided that the prospect of public commissions for a very few of us was important enough to silence concerns about the specter of an anti-elitist society defined by racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and the denial of science,” they wrote.
Likewise, Maryam Eskandari of MIIM Designs published an open letter against the AIA statement. Referencing the historic complicity of architects, particularly Le Corbusier, with the corporatist state of Benito Mussolini and other authoritarian regimes, Eskandari writes that the AIA’s statement will “have a huge impact for the next generation of young architects coming into the practice.”
Cheryl Noel of the Chicago-based studio Wrap Architecture sent us a statement, including in it personal experiences of sexism in the profession. In the letter, Noel condemns sexist remarks by Mr. Trump as well as in the architecture profession, among other things. “There are moments in time when we are presented with choices, choices that define who we are. Who will we choose to be?” Noel asks.
The group Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility, which “works for peace, environmental protection, ecological building, social justice, and the development of healthy communities”, created a Change.org petition, calling for architects to commit to “protecting human rights”. The petition can be found here.
Mitzi Vernon, Dean of the College of Design at the University of Kentucky wrote:
At the heart of a talk given by architect, Manuel Aires Mateus in 2013 was the idea of the idea. As he spoke about the ephemeral nature of the built world and the recovery of ruins, he was asking, in the end, what do we leave behind?
Ideas are the only thing that may survive us. So, we must be careful what we build because the ruin is often our mark. The Great Wall of China, the Berlin Wall, the long history of medieval city walls…these are ideas of exclusion that are built into the landscape and survive. Are there city walls in the United States, a country wall? One could argue that we are formed by an idea that is precisely opposite.
As for universities, it is our mission to offer unhindered passage (academic freedom) for students and teachers in the quest for ideas. We are fortunate at the University of Kentucky to have a president, Eli Capilouto, who is an unparalleled and formidable champion of inclusiveness. As the author, Stephen Greenblatt reminds us, “libraries, museums and schools are fragile institutions.” We might do well to re-read the history of Alexandria, Rome and the survival of an idea – Lucretius’ On the Nature of Things.
In our digital era the infrastructure of our ideas is captured by the binary system of 1s and 0s, indelibly it seems. We must be careful of this infrastructure as well. What we say is also what we leave behind.
While these comments have not been shared prior with my constituents in the College of Design, I hope that I have not unfairly represented my colleagues and those that I serve.
Media outlets that are not specifically oriented around architecture, including Quartz and Fast.Co Design, have also begun to pick up the story.
On November 12, Mr. Ivy published a response to the Architect’s Newspaper editors’ condemnation of the letter:
We recognize that the current, post-election environment is unique and has aroused strong and heartfelt feelings within all communities, including that of AIA membership. In this context, our recent statement in support of design and construction’s future role with the new Administration has been viewed with concern by a number of our colleagues.
The AIA, a bi-partisan organization with strong values, reasserts our commitment to a fair and just society, and also respects the right of each member to his or her political beliefs, knowing that we are all united in our desire to contribute to the well-being and success of our nation and our world.
The AIA remains firmly committed to advocating for the values and principles that will create a more sustainable, inclusive and humane world. The spirit and intention behind our statement is consistent with and in support of President Obama’s eloquent call for us all to unite for the best interest of America’s future.
For the most part, architects seem to agree that Mr. Ivy equivocates in the statement rather than clarifying or withdrawing his earlier statement. Mr. Ivy cites President Obama’s controversial call for unity after the election. While President Obama must ensure the peaceful transition of power in accordance with American democratic tradition, Mr. Ivy does not have such a responsibility.
We’ll be updating this post with more responses and developments as they come in. In the meantime, submit your response to AIA’s statement of support for Mr. Trump here and in our poll.
UPDATES:
2:50 p.m.: Tamara Roy of the Boston Society of Architects/AIA published a letter on November 9th, expressing the group's "shock and disappointment" with Mr. Ivy's statement of support for Trump. "The conciliatory and congratulatory tone of last week’s message in response to the election is at odds with the very goals and values articulated by the AIA," Roy writes.
3:00 p.m.: The AIA Chicago Board of Directors released a statement on November 14th stating that the organization "wants to assure our members that we do not support the recent statement made by national AIA on November 10, which prematurely expressed the support of AIA’s 89,000 members for an unarticulated infrastructure agenda made by the incoming presidential administration."
3:10 p.m.: A large group of students from the Yale School of Architecture published a statement “unequivocally [denouncing] the AIA’s endorsement of the new status quo.” They write: For too long, our profession has been complicit in giving form to landscapes of inequality and discrimination, and has itself been plagued by a history of racial and gender inequity. The AIA’s immediate and unquestioning pandering to the Trump administration threatens a continuation of our troubled past and demonstrates a willingness to pursue financial gain at the expense of our values.
5:30 p.m.: Mr. Ivy has spoken to Architectural Record by phone, stating: First, we say we’re sorry. I mean that sincerely. I say that we’re sorry we’ve hurt and angered our constituents…We have definitely listened and heard people within the community. They have spoken loudly and clearly. This has been an election unlike any that any of us has experienced, and unfortunately the statement that we issued hurt and angered many people…If it sounded as if we approve of the election results, that was not its intention. The AIA never endorses political candidates.
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
9:15 a.m.: Mr. Ivy, alongside the 2016 AIA President Russell Davidson, issued a video statement apologizing for the statement. Watch it here:
Writer and fake architect, among other feints. Principal at Adjustments Agency. Co-founder of Encyclopedia Inc. Get in touch: nicholas@archinect.com
Former Managing Editor and Podcast Co-Producer for Archinect. I write, go to the movies, walk around and listen to the radio. My interests revolve around cognitive urban theory, psycholinguistics and food.Currently freelancing. Be in touch through longhyphen@gmail.com
Paul Petrunia is the founder and director of Archinect, a (mostly) online publication/resource founded in 1997 to establish a more connected community of architects, students, designers and fans of the designed environment. Outside of managing his growing team of writers, editors, designers and ...
81 Comments
Much ado about nothing. Some of these reactions are hilarious.
This essay regarding 60 Minutes, SNL, and the Normalization of Donald Trump, also seems relevant...
Mr. Ivy writes like an architect.
Those that may be in the know; he didn't write that shit.
It's not much ado, this kind of bending over, usually is reserved for porn.
I'm willing to take the position that this is a very good apology and that this entire contretemps will have a lasting effect on how AIA issues statements claiming to represent our members' views.
Time to get a grip and say good bye to the daycare crying brat babies. Accept change and improvement. Unless you like what has happened to this country over the last 20 years. Try to debrainwash yourself from the lying mass media and protest that are paid for by George Soros, Hillary Clinton and others. Time to get this country back on track and great again. Change sometimes is scary but isn't that what we do in Architecture. No apologies are necessary, great comment Mr. Ivy. Prof. Boardway, R.A.
Is that your teeny tiny scared white man penis talking, Mr. Boardway? Sure sounds like it.
Damn Donna. That was a good one.
This country is already great, and with some tweaks will be awesome. These tweaks don't include white nationalists in the White House and sexist, racist, xenophobic, homophobic policies.
The only thing more archaic and ignorant than Michael's comment is his website. www.mba-architectural.com
This guy, with his teeny-tiny hands, grabbing his teeny-tiny penis, advises future architects, and teaches the exam. So, future architects of America, when you're studying for the exam, and you are considering this douchecanoe, remember what he thinks about you, and if you still want to pay this asshat, well, you'll know what kind of person, you are.
"Headquartered in Southern California, MBA Architectural is an internationally recognized, innovative firm specializing in offering Architectural Services, Seminars, Tele-Classes(Live & Recorded), Tutoring, Coaching, Expert Witnessing, Materials, Monthly Meet-ups, ….. Professor Michael P. Boardway has also coined the phrase “VIBRATIONAL – GREEN ARCHITECTURE”, which means that the building occupants will increase their vibration and frequency to a higher level of evolution with (Colors, Light, Sound, Smells, Specific Materials, Crystals, Oils, etc.), throughout the building. Why should only the building be efficient why shouldn’t the occupants benefit as well? Let’s look at the whole picture. For more info. See;
VIBRATIONAL – GREEN ARCHITECTURE "
He's vibrational.
Ivy should resign, and the AIA should keep out of politics.
I just listened to this podcast, worth a listen now
https://soundcloud.com/archinect/a-friend-in-deed
on a less serious note, I believe similar to the say year of the Monkey on a Chinese calendar, I believe we are swinging from the political term of the pussy back to the term of the dick, possibly asshole...
best political speech ever!
@Donn Sink & Others...
As "President of the Indianapolis Section of AIA" I would expect you to behave in a more professional manner and not launch vulgar personal attacks on fellow peers. Your lack of professionalism and blatant immaturity makes me question the validity of any of the statements you've made on this website in posts or comments. I for one, am glad that you do not represent me. If you truly want to elevate the discourse on values in our society you should stop bullying people and try to have a rational discourse with them.
"Making the choice that racism is at all acceptable means you support racism." - And then you go on to broadly stereotype and belittle white men based on their skin color and gender. How exactly are you moving this discussion forward?
.
Yeah Donna, act more like Hair Furor, and grab a pussy.
architrance that is exactly my goddam point. The left has been trying to "elevate the discourse" for decades and it's gotten us nowhere. The right WANTS to be able to judge people based on skin color and gender, so I'm giving them what they want, and trust, I can sure as hell dish it right back at them. I'm done singing kumbaya. I WILL NOT reach out in peace to racist misogynist xenophobes, and if you voted for trump that is what you are.
I mean, *I'm* the one who's immature when responding to a guy who calls me a crybaby? Please. If my comments upset you maybe you need a safe space.
Oooooh shit's getting real, you guys! Mykie Hrusovski <mhrusovski@gmail.com> just emailed my entire Board and my employer because he's upset I made a comment about someone's penis! God, these right people are such crybabies.
Here's the whole text of his email:
Donna,
Your comments today re: #NotmyAIA thread were gratuitous and in very bad form. Shame on you.
Since your profile is so well aligned with your professional persona, I took the initiative to copy here your Indy AIA sponsors.
And he copied all of our local AIA sponsors. Mykie Hrusoski is a name listed as being an AIA member in Ohio, but who knows, any troll here could have just randomly grabbed a name off a roster and stuck a gmail address on it.
This is what kills me, and I mean that literally , it is killing my soul: I'm supposed to have been fine with spending 50 years in physical danger from men, I've had my pussy groped plenty, I've been grabbed, leered at, belittled for dressing modestly AND for daring show skin...FFS just last week I was felt up on my upper arm and hugged against my wishes at an event by a man older than me and I couldn't resist or it would have caused a scene. But as soon as I make one comment about a penis, it's SO OFFENSIVE that some anon asshole has to cause severe controversy among the very people who support our profession.
I'm done being nice. I won't shut up. Mykie if that was you, come out here on this thread in public and say so. I won't go after Mykie from the Ohio roster because honestly I don't know that is was him.
.
Things are getting nuts up in here. Who emails an employer, board, etc... over something said online?
Oh wait, this is 2016. Everyone does. Might be time to go anonymous!
Thanks for pre-judging me, Donna.
I'm not a Trump supporter but in a democracy, I believe we need to at least give our elected officials a chance. So for the moment, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. If his administration acts to infringe upon the constitutional/civil/human rights of individuals I'm sure I'll jump all over your bandwagon. But for me - actively hoping your president fails equates to actively hoping your country fails.Our cultural and society are jumping off the rails. The ONLY thing that can keep us in check is the everyday citizenry treating each other with respect and LISTENING to each other. I don't know what happened to that concept, but in this twisted paradigm I'd probably be labeled an extremist for suggesting it!
Anyways, sorry about your difficult life. Just trying to be a calm voice here.
Donna is one of the most passionate, talented, considerate, rational and open-minded architects that shares a voice here on Archinect. If you spend some time looking at her comments and listening to her on Archinect Sessions, you'll understand that. When someone like her loses her shit, there's a good reason. The future we're facing, as a result of this election, is extremely concerning to many people in this country (and the rest of the world). The protest and emotion displayed in the last week proves that not everyone shares the opinion that it's acceptable to sit back and have faith that Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, etc. will move our society in a positive and safe direction.
Donna has been a champion of the AIA for as long as I've known her. They are so lucky to have her represent the organization and we feel extremely grateful to have her here, on Archinect, to fight for what she believes is right. We are very grateful to everyone who shares any opinion on this issue, and all other issues, constructively and thoughtfully.
That said, on our Archinect Sessions podcast this week we'll be discussing #NotMyAIA, and we invite anyone who disagrees with the general response to join us for a peaceful discussion about the differences of opinion.
I can only reiterate everything that Paul writes above, regarding Donna's passion and long-time commitment to the profession.
Tirelessly searched for my old login just to come and voice my support for Donna, a relatively long time mentor, professor, friend, etc. I want to reiterate what Paul said. 1000%.
architrance, I hear you. And I really do appreciate the attempt at a calm voice. But I'm 50 years old, and I've been trying to be logical, reasonable, loving, etc. for so long. This situation is different. We literally just elected a man who brags about sexually assaulting women. All the old rules, the ones I grew up with and have championed until I'm out of breath, have dissipated.
Thanks for the support, Paul and Paul!
I am not giving this president-elect anything. Not a fucks, fuck. I've got too many people I personally know living in fear, or having been assaulted within the past week.
Steve Bannon, is not alt-right, alt-right is not a thing. It's White Nationalism. Say it's name. And if White Nationalist is too long, use the shorter, less sexy name; Nazi. He is a fucking Nazi.
#thisisnotnormal
Blech
I truly hope trump does a good job. I just find that hard to imagine.
Donna, I get your anger. We are all pissed at the state of things. We are pissed because we care. I can see that you care. I don't personally know you, but as a long time archinect reader I never have seen you lose your cool. You are usually very civil. You have the right to speak your mind and be angry. Who ever reported you for that is very petty.
The AIA should remain a non-partisan and professional organization that works within the framework of contributing to Architecture and its related industries in a positive manner irrelevant of ideology. They should not issue partisan statements for OR against a constitutionally elected leader or government; just stay out of Politics. Completely inappropriate, and we are seeing the ramifications of their actions in threads such as these as members start to go at each other's throats. No one should try to wield organizations like the AIA as their own ideological batons, unless they seek the total destruction of the organization's legitimacy.
#NotmyAIA, and #notmywhatever. Please. Take your ideological protest elsewhere, don't bring it to the doorsteps of professional organizations. I don't see any other profession or its so-called professionals behaving in such a manner. Fucking unbelievable.
Can you imagine the American Medical Association pulling some crap like this? Imagine a bunch of doctors MD's and DO's with '#notmyAMA' and forcing the organization to take a partisan stance against an elected government. It'd be pretty silly right?
A. I. Yeah, what was I thinking. I mean if we had Dr. Carson for Surgeon General - I know he said he wouldn't, and he decided that he had sleek new skills he wanted to run on his own, let's say, using Mexican immigrants, I'm sure the AMA would be down with the 2016 version of Mengele. Or hey maybe he's got some new AIDS drugs, and hey, oh by the way, I know of a good "captive" audience in our federal prisons, a la Tuskegee. Yeah, I'm sure the AMA would have zero problem with that.
Fuck Drumpf.
#IamNotAlbertSpeer
Thanks for that, jla-x. You have seen me be angry and passionate about all kinds of things on Archinect, and you and have both been on the same and on different sides of issues over the years.
A.I., interestingly I have NOT been on the #notmyAIA bandwagon, because it IS my AIA, and I've been calling for working from within - which I intend to do. But as an organization we do have stated goals and codes regarding inclusion and climate issues, and the initial statement did not include any reference to those goals. Members have a legitimate gripe that the statement sounded generic and rushed, and so rather than immediately call for Ivy to resign (which I won't) or quitting in protest, I have been asking for clarification about how it came to be: who wrote it, who vetted it? The entire situation has been a PR disaster, and we need to learn from it.
The lesson I've learned here personally is that in a world of boastful pussy-grabbing, a joke about a penis is still too far. Funny thing: if Clinton had been elected, I would not have made that joke. We're in a new world now.
Patrick Schumacher is correct as usual. Case and point. Sorry I got distracted with the whole fuck-chris christie-you put my dad in jail-kushner-trump transition team shake up..and of course work, family..... i heard on the street posts were deleted and someone went out of their way to create a not so kind graphic.......ran out of popcorn too.
May I remind Prof. Boardway, R.A. and anyone else who thinks it's a good idea to let this new administration follow it's current course of deregulation of the financial and banking sectors, repeal of the Dodd-Frank Act, and dismantling of the CFPB, what happened to us just a little under 10 years ago? Is your memory so short that you don't remember our whole industry getting decimated and how many of us lost our jobs, suffered financially, and had to leave the profession for significant periods of time? OUR WHOLE PROFESSION suffers every time this kind of privileged nonsense happens. I hope you are explaining to your students why it's ok for you to support people who's economic policies will lose them their jobs and savings, I'm sure they will understand...
Donna Sink, keep fighting!! All of us women in the field have experienced the crap you have and are sick to death of the constant threat of losing our jobs or being labeled as a bitch or ice queen if we stand up for ourselves. We support you.
For those of you saying that AIA should remain out of politics, well all architecture is a political act (unless you are all doing bathroom renovations and McDonalds all day long).
Architecture is political for those invested in politics. For the rest of us, it's a job, and art form, a fill in the blank. I'd give these guys a break as tin headed as they where. I don't think they meant to back Trump's hatred as much as to move on from what is still a shock to many of us. Trump is vile in 101 ways. I think we should take their apology and focus on the real problem.
^ and what, in your opinion, is the real problem?
According to Jay-Z there are 99 problems.
So Trump is vile in 101 ways, and we have 99 problems. So the following are the two ways Trump is vile that aren't problems:
Glad that's taken care of. What's next?
The real problem is Trump's hatred and anger. It will enable many a dormant resentments everywhere. Don't let his provocations disturb the peace anymore than they do already.
Yep - he's stoked racism, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia that has kind of been under the surface in some ways for a long time. Now, people think it is ok to say what they believe. While hate crimes and other items are going to get worse in the short term, this is a good time as ever to combat these ideals and squash them once and for all. They say order comes from chaos after all.
+++Josh, that's my sentiment exactly.
There's the rub. I think talking, gained experiences, understanding. All easier said than done and only achievable as bottom-up versus top down. The federal government's policies should change to make sure racism, sexism, xenophobia, and homophobia are no longer allowed per law, but the only way to enact true change is through experience on a person to person level.
For example - my Dad is racist, xenophobic, and homophobic. A lot of this is due to him growing up in the countryside in the 1950s and that's just how it was in Indiana (after all the KKK ran the government for a bit in the state). I could have ended up that way too, but I was raised by my Mom, who in turn was raised in the city and had exposure to various races, religions, and ways of life. She taught us to accept everyone, we're all the same on the inside, what other people do doesn't hurt you, etc... So it really is that kind of thing that will enact the true change, but of course we're talking generations - and Americans don't like waiting/want everything now.
So seriously Nintendo, make some more of the damn NES classic. I want one.
From my experience forcing people to change is a pretty ineffective tool. Shouldn't people ALWAYS "think it's ok to say what they believe?" Isn't that the whole point of an open, free, diverse and accepting society? Or is it only ok for people to speak their mind when they agree with you? Even if people are "wrong" they still have the right to believe what they wish as long as those views don't harm or impede others.
I would say approaching situations like this with goals of "combating and squashing" is entirely the wrong, heavy handed, authoritative approach that can't possibly cure anything and can only make our problems worse. If nothing else, this election is spurring further CONVERSATION on a whole range of topics and that's where I think the most progress can be made. Open, free, honest dialogue. Listening and understanding one another (not shouting/denouncing/insulting/banning/stereotyping/squashing) is the only way to heal these festering wounds. Trump isn't really The Problem (yes he's a potential problem, but there are bigger trends beyond him) he's merely a side effect of a deeply divided populace that doesn't just disagree with each other, actually actively hates one another. It would seem that in the quest to eliminate hate based on stupid arbitrary old division lines (skin color/genitalia ~ who the hell cares?!) we are breeding a seething hatred towards things that are far more personal - ideology and individualism (our most personal choices that define who we are).
Were not all the same and we don't need to all agree on issues, but that shouldn't give us the justification to HATE people that see things differently. To me that's a much more dangerous form of bigotry. This is a free democracy. A plurality of voices and opinions is the strength of a free people. Blinding, forced conformity is the end of liberty. Focusing on our common bonds that unite us as a people is where real growth can happen. We need to talk and we need to understand one another then move on from there.
Other than the Federal government becoming thought police to ban feelings we don't like and the insinuation that rural people are inherently evil, I generally agree w/Josh Ming's last post.
Oh yes, Lauf. Educate us all. That way this thread can become as useful and popular as your website.
Re: AIA statement.
No, I do not endorse any good will towards a Trump Administration.
This contemptible person injured generations of minorities by his blatant housing discrimination, destroyed the lives of countless contractors in the building industry and violently attacked women over aa 30 year period.
Our new president is a loathsome swindler. Mr Ivy's equally contemptible response puts himself on Trump's moral level: the sump pit of the sewer.
I noticed Leslie Stahl interviewing Trump while seated at a gold plated imitation chair in a gold leafed imitation apartment in front of a gold haired imitation person. So much for Mr Ivy' taste level and the uplifting of the design conscience of the profession.
Mr. Ivy, just leave!!
Stephen M. Albert A.I.A. (Also withholding my dues until Mr. Ivy leaves)
I said before that the time for civility is over:
"I'm not a Trump supporter but in a democracy, I believe we need to at least give our elected officials a chance. So for the moment, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. If his administration acts to infringe upon the constitutional/civil/human rights of individuals I'm sure I'll jump all over your bandwagon. But for me - actively hoping your president fails equates to actively hoping your country fails.Our cultural and society are jumping off the rails. The ONLY thing that can keep us in check is the everyday citizenry treating each other with respect and LISTENING to each other. I don't know what happened to that concept, but in this twisted paradigm I'd probably be labeled an extremist for suggesting it!"
Hey fuckwad, you're talking about a man (that's debatable too) who spent all eight years of Obama's presidency undermining him and trying to make him fail with his birther bullshit, and all other garbage he said about him. As I wrote on another thread, I'm not giving a paranoid, bigoted, misogynist, xenophobe, philandering, daughter lechering degenerate the benefit of the doubt....but you knock yourself out.
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