Trump’s already told us that he can’t even see us.
“Out of an abundance of caution” is, without a doubt, the catch phrase of the year!
At the dawn of 2020, the phrase would have sounded odd, and other words and phrases like “social distancing,” “coronavirus,” and even “viral pandemic” weren’t ones that often rolled off of our tongues. But as COVID-19 has swept the globe, we’ve all become uncomfortably yet inextricably acquainted with them.
But no phrase has captured my attention like “out of an abundance of caution.” I wish I’d had it in my lexicon when I was raising my kids. While my biological mother had used “If I were you” to strike fear in my heart when I was ready to deviate from the rules of the house, I can almost hear myself saying “Out of an abundance of caution, I would not call that boy” to one of my kids, while the phrase would have preceded admonitions about the other’s report card. Ah, the good ol’ days!
Today, in addition to using “out of an abundance of caution” to help guide our behavior as we learn to coexist with the current coronavirus — and I’ll take this moment to make a PSA: wear a mask! — the phrase is applicable to help guide us over the next few days and on our way to the polls.
After watching the third of this year’s televised presidential debates I realize that “out of an abundance of caution” is apropos when thinking about the current inhabitant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC. (The zip code’s 20500, just in case you want to send the Trumps a Christmas card.)
Better yet, make it a Dia de Los Muertos card and send it quickly, because Trump will hopefully be filling out a change of address card sometime around Christmas. Out of an abundance of caution, we should be voting during the current election, and specifically, voting Donald J. Trump out of office.
Read MPC’s full column and get the freelance writer’s take on the debates, his take away from Trump saying he couldn’t see who was in the room, and how Biden scores higher than even Barack Obama in one key area.
Michael P Coleman is a freelance writer who, as a kid, talked to strangers and got punished. Today, he talks to strangers and gets published. Follow his blog, his IG and his Twitter.
