Ryan Moore

Guest Columnist

Ryan Moore is a writer, social media strategist and songwriter.

I was formerly a liberal my whole life, but my views changed over time and now I’m a Republican and ardent supporter of President Trump.

I have been wearing a Make America Great Again aka MAGA hat almost everywhere I go for approximately the last year.

In person I have received only positive feedback other than a few dirty looks and under-the-breath mutters.

Social media is a whole different story. Somehow, on social media, people feel emboldened to say things they would never have the courage to say to my face and many people hide behind fake/anonymous names and photos.

I receive death threats and racist comments

On Instagram I have a little blue check mark by my name so my comments usually seem to get more attention.

Many people have wished me dead, made threats and often call me racist simply because I support the wall and the President of the United States.

My great-grandparents legally immigrated to America as children. I am completely in favor of legal immigration but I am totally against illegal immigration (it’s illegal you know).

The color of a person’s skin has absolutely nothing to do with immigration or the wall.

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It is the Democrats who are obsessed with “people of color” and gender. Republicans look at people for who they are not for their gender or skin color.

Never have I made a hateful or racist comment toward anyone, but, almost daily, I get hateful and racist comments directed at me on Instagram and Twitter.

People say, "You white,” coupled with a variety of hateful expletives or personal insults.

It’s okay for them to disagree with my political views, but it’s not okay for them to despise and attack me for the color of my skin. I believe in being respectful to everyone whether I agree or disagree with their politics and opinions.

And skin color and gender have nothing to do with my political opinions, yet nearly every day someone replies to one of my comments: “Oh, of course that comment was made by a white man."

MAGA hats are the symbol of putting America first

White men are the most hated and discriminated against group of people in the United States now. If you don’t believe that, you simply aren’t paying attention or looking at it objectively.

I’m very proud to wear my MAGA hat. All of the official MAGA hats are made in the USA. The hat is a symbol of wanting to put America first and wanting products to be made in America and wanting them to be made by Americans.

Buy American, hire American. It’s about putting the interests of the United States and all its people ahead of the interests of other nations.

How absurd would it be to put the interests of other nations ahead of our own? The phrase "Make America Great Again" and the MAGA hat have absolutely nothing to do with race or gender.

The “Again” does not mean anyone wants to go back to a time before all races and both sexes had full equality. It is simply the fact that there are some things in America’s past that are better than they are now and of course there are other things that are better in present day America.

I truly would like everyone to be civil and respectful to one another, but I must admit in one way I get a kick out of the hate I get from liberals by wearing my MAGA hat – it shows either they misunderstand or they’re just closed-minded, hateful and intolerant.

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Ryan Moore is a writer, social media strategist and songwriter. He resides in Washington state but works remotely for a nonprofit based in Tennessee near Nashville. Find him on Twitter at @RyanMoore and on Instagram at @RyanMoore.