We were at the store Spirit Halloween, which is a national pop-up chain for autumn's more mystical and horrific fun and spirit festival.
The 10-year-old girl was standing in between a mask section and several large swords and daggers. She was told by an elderly woman that her costume and gear looked "scary".
The girl turned and pointed at the Donald Trump masks on the wall. The girl said, "No, THAT IS SCARY!"
The woman didn't understand or acted as though she didn't understand.
The girl then repeated as she pointed to the masks of the President, "THAT IS SCARY!"
Again, the woman didn't understand or acted as though she didn't understand what the girl was pointing at or what she was saying.
A third time, the little girl said to the older Show-me-stater, "THAT--the Donald Trump--IS very SCARY!"
The elder woman then looked at the girl (my daughter) and said, "He is our president and we Americans love him."
Clearly, the implication from the woman's loud tone and stress on "American" was that any kid (or adult) who disagreed with her (this woman) was to "not be considered an American".
I had heard such similar comments from so-called Americans over the years. Some of these Americans had served in the military. Others had avoided the draft. However, I wondered how often my daughter had faced such unfair "Un-American" accusations.
A little while later, when my daughter and I were back in the car, she turned to me and asked, "Should I move to Europe or Asia?"
