You’ll see why this is in my Diversity and Representation collection in a minute.

It’s puzzled me why, of all the many reprehensible things Trump has said, this latest one has finally led a lot of his “insider” supporters to distance themselves and even call for him to step down. The only thing I could figure out is that all of the other things are either things they could imagine saying themselves (if more subtly), or things they wish they could say, but know better than to say where anyone can hear.

This opinion piece takes a slightly different, but compatible angle: that this latest revelation is disrespect of members of a less-empowered group that a) were still, on the whole, planning to vote for Trump, and b) that are still considered bad form to attack even among Republicans: (straight) white women.

It’s kind of the reverse of the famous “first they came for the Communists” litany. Trump has systematically disrespected group after group, but has finally been revealed to have blatantly disrespected a group that his putative colleagues actually care about, both as people and as voters. And to have disrespected them as a group, not just individually (as he did with Megyn Kelly early in his primary campaign).

I was astonished to read elsewhere that he’s even apologised and said he was wrong, though he couldn’t restrain himself from adding riders that reduced the impact of the apology. Normally, he doesn’t ever admit he was wrong (sometimes denying that he said things he clearly said). However, if the linguistics article that was being shared around recently is right, this is just another example of saying whatever will achieve his goals, rather than an authentic apology and an actual realisation of wrongdoing. And a month is a very short period of time in which to prove that theory mistaken by his actions.

The linked article speculates that many of his supporters still won’t care. Indeed, my wife’s aunt, an inarticulately rabid Trump supporter, is still cheering him on, and I’m sure plenty of other white women (and evangelicals) still will – but a good many might also find this the final straw.

Originally shared by The Mary Sue

Why did #TrumpTapes go viral, as opposed to … anything else horrifying that’s happened with Donald J. Trump’s campaign so far? Let us explain.