Humans of New York founder Brandon Stanton is usually the silent voice behind the camera. He asks the questions, but he allows his subjects to speak for themselves – freely and unencumbered.
But the actions and words of potential U.S. President Donald Trump has left the 32-year-old unable to keep his silence any longer.
In an open letter to the Republican candidate on Twitter, Brandon said that despite efforts to be non-political and unbiased, the time has finally arrived when he simply cannot avoid speaking out.
An Open Letter To @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/ybP9E1rHkQ
— Brandon Stanton (@humansofny) March 14, 2016
“Because along with millions of Americans, I’ve come to realize that opposing you is no longer a political decision. It is a moral one,” he writes.
The journalist went on to say that having interviewed thousands of Muslims — just one of the many groups Trump has publicly spoken of derisively — in Iran, Iraq and Pakistan, and refugees across seven countries, “I can confirm — the hateful one is you.”
Humans of New York isn’t just for New Yorkers — it’s for the world. It showcases diversity in a personal way that is both interesting, loving, and endlessly engaging. The series, which has been going since 2010 and has over 16.7 million likes on Facebook, has inspired many others globally to create similar blogs — Humans of Toronto has over 33,000 likes on Facebook and chronicles the lives of individuals right here in T-dot.
The reason for HONY’s universality is the very thing that it has always been about — people. Their story and their truth, told in their own words. And seeing Trump spout generalized ignorance and hate about whole communities of people flies in the face of this. Speaking in broad brushstrokes against whichever minority group has offended him, Trump has once again embodied the straw that broke the camel’s back. This time, it was Brandon’s.
“You are a man who has encouraged prejudice and violence in the pursuit of personal power” said the guy who seemingly likes everyone; says the blogger who has avoided interviews with other candidates in the interest of appearing objective.
But as we’re quickly learning, try though we might, there’s just no ignoring Drumpf.
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