Not in their locker room

I thought we already reached rock bottom this year with the presidential election. But apparently, we weren’t quite there yet.

Hillary Clinton has her fair share of controversies and typical politician talk. Donald Trump has said some pretty terrible things while also showing how unqualified and unfit he is for the job. Even Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson took an L recently when he tried to defend his lack of knowledge of world affairs by pretty much saying he can’t start wars with places if he can’t find them on a map. I was actually considered voting third party but how can I support a would-be world leader who says such a thing?

I’m just about done with 2016.

Then last weekend something incredible happened. A 2005 video leaked with Trump implying that he can grab women’s genitalia without permission because he’s famous.

“And when you’re a star, they let you do it,” Trump says. “You can do anything.”

“Whatever you want,” another voice is heard in the tape, presumably Billy Bush.

“Grab them by the [expletive],” Trump says. “You can do anything.”

If you watch the whole tape, the Republican nominee bragged about kissing, groping and trying to have sex with women because of his fame.

I’m pretty sure now we’ve finally reached rock bottom.

And it’s not even the lewd remarks from Trump. I’ve just about reached a point in this election where I’m not surprised at all what Trump says. But when there are people in this country actually defending his words, that’s when I know we’re staring straight at rock bottom.

“Boys will be boys.”

“That’s just locker room talk.”

What locker room have you been in where athletes are openly discussing sexual assault?

Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe wrote a piece for Vox.com saying “I’ve been in locker rooms, Donald, and you’re the type of narcissistic, pants-soiling fecal eruption that just doesn’t belong. Even football players are smart enough to know that.”

Colorful language aside, Kluwe made it known that NFL players do not talk about grabbing women by their genitalia in the locker room.

On Wednesday, NBA star LeBron James condemned Trump’s bragging about sexual assault as locker room talk.

“It’s not what that guy said,” James said. “We don’t disrespect women in no shape or fashion in the locker room. That never comes up. Obviously I’ve got a mother-in-law, a wife, a mom and a daughter – and those conversations just don’t go on in a locker room.”

I know locker rooms aren’t necessarily a safe haven for intellectual conversation. Excuse the double negative, but I’m not saying athletes don’t say things in the locker room that are deemed inappropriate elsewhere. But saying boys will be boys or it’s just locker room talk is not only ridiculous, it’s also disheartening to think that we as a society, specifically men, can’t be civil enough to not talk about sexually assaulting women.

Plus, we’re talking about a presidential nominee from a major party. How are we allowing this man to skate by? Because he’s carrying the flag for a party you believe in? That much blind faith in a man is frightening. It’s almost deity-like. Isn’t there something in the bible about worshipping gold (or in this case, orange-faced) idols?

2016 has had its highs and lows. But this past week has been pretty low. Trump says in a tape he sexually assaults women, those women come out and say he sexually assaulted them and his supporters reply with “she’s lying.”

Yup, this is rock bottom.