There’s no getting around it. The American People elected a racist for
president. Whereas we used to be able to
at least pretend that this was a debatable point, this “shithole” incident puts
any of those fantasies to rest. The
White House didn’t even try to deny it at first either. After Trump defended Nazis in Virginia and he
didn’t get run out of office, I suppose the thinking in the White House PR corps
was “yeah, he said it. What are you
going to do about it?” after he asked attendees at a meeting why America had to
admit Haitians and Africans from Shithole Countries instead of nice pale
Norwegians. By this point anyone with
any sort of moral sensibility is so fatigued by outrage against the constant
attack at what we thought were our shared core values that the incident just
spurs some talk on cable TV for a couple of days. There is no real action. I guess America is trying out “Nazi Lite” for
a while to see how we like it.
The Shithole comment was bad enough that even the most
reptilian Republicans in Congress tried to distance themselves from it at first. Within 24 hours though, the Spin Machine had
been revved up and Far Right memes and talking points had been distributed to
the Faithful. Personally I don’t think
that it’s an effective argument to distribute photos of Third World poverty and
then somehow suggest that Trump was on target in his desire to focus immigration
policy on skin color. Yet, some people I
consider friends are on board with Trump’s vision. I can see their views parroted back on social
media platforms and quiet acceptance from others of these new norms. It shouldn’t surprise me that people I know
feel this way. About a third of
Americans approve of Trump, as unbelievable as that seems to me. Yet, it is a huge group of people.
I have to admit that I feel differently about some people
after seeing their defense of this latest pure act of racism. Trump has now made it OK for people to
trumpet ideas that not long ago were considered ignorant and old fashioned. If Trump is an indefensible racist, and a
person supports Trump, are they not a racist as well? It’s really something I am struggling with
right now. If Jim from work is a Trump
supporter, does that mean Jim is a racist?
I think it does. I don’t know how
to get around it. I don’t want to hear
any of that horseshit about “Well, I support the tax policy and blah blah blah…”. When you are on board with Trump, you are in
for the whole package Buddy Boy. “Hey,
Mussolini was a fascist, that’s true, but he did make the trains run on
time. I supported him while he was on
office, but just because I liked the train thing.” Oh, my mistake. I thought because you supported Fascism that
you were a Fascist. You’re just passionate
about public transit.
I do not understand how Republicans can continue to sweep
this continued behavior under the rug.
Each day of their inaction makes it evident that they are an
organization focused on white supremacy, erosion of individual rights, and a
vision of America that has nothing to do with the sterilized ideal which we
were all taught. The only conclusion is
that this is what the Republicans were always all about in the first
place. More saddening than that is to
see the inaction of our population. Our
society is slipping away and we are doing nothing.
David Letterman and President Obama made some salient points about the algorithms reinforcing the divide between us and them. There’s so few of us around my husband and me. Nobody to talk to. It’s tough. And sad. And disheartening. Goddamn I miss the Obamas. I hate to think it and much less say it aloud, but I’m pretty sure our electing him for two terms contributed to where we are now. We stirred that fire and awakened the smoldering racists by smearing their faces with our smugness and righteousness.
ReplyDeleteHaiti is a shithole. El Salvador is a shithole. You know it and I know it. If they weren't shitholes then they wouldn't need "special protection" and they wouldn't be trying to enter the USA in droves. Saying it doesn't make him a racist, it makes him a realist and someone not afraid to call a spade a spade? Whoops, did that make me a racist? Don't care. Evidently, I because a racist when I disagreed with the way Obama ran the country a long time ago. Just like the whole #metoo BS, labeling everyone a racist desensitizes real racism and just hurts the cause.
ReplyDeleteRemember this statement? "It's the economy stupid" People can't eat the touchy feel good BS that Obama was shoveling. A job goes a long way in tolerating a blowhard in the WH.
Moving past the point that unemployment has been a nonissue in this nation for years, what Trump said doesn’t make him a realist. It makes him a white supremecist. Agreement with that point I would argue casts you in that camp. As you stated, you don’t care. I hadn’t realized how much ignorance and unwarranted hate surrounded me. I think we can do better.
ReplyDeleteWe've elected an internet troll president. Doesn't it make ya feel proud?
ReplyDeleteIt’s goihg as well as expected too.
ReplyDeleteOne cannot deny the absolutely undignified language and racist messages that are a recurring theme in our current president's platform. To ignore this is to support it, period. That said, direct and immediate issue can also be taken with his, as the "leader" of our nation, outward rejection of some of our core principles, as are emblazoned on what is inarguably the most recognized symbol of our country, second to the flag:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nps.gov/stli/learn/historyculture/colossus.htm
If we had rejected immigrants based on the living conditions in their countries of origin, likely half of us wouldn't be here (including myself), and the infrastructure of our country might never have been built.
Remember *this* statement:
ReplyDelete"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."
Dwight D. Eisenhower
•Things which are equal to the same thing are equal to each other.
ReplyDeleteSerious question: do you think Japanese and Haitians are different? Different value systems?
ReplyDeleteIf so, it naive is naive to assume we are all equal or that droves of immigrants from shitty countries will have no impact to our country.
It’s now racist to not want massive amounts of non English speakers in your country. Swell.
ReplyDeleteIt’s now racist to not want massive amounts of non English speakers in your country. Swell.
ReplyDeleteThe crux of the argument has never been language but skin color or religion. Why pretend that the concern is that we will have people that don't speak English as a primary language? We have always assimilated immigrants regardless of the manufactured hysteria of how this tiny population will somehow destroy our society. Remember when the Vietnamese Boat People were supposed to upend America? How about the Somalis? My family was part of the Irish wave that was going to erode "The Real America". Yet, here we are...
ReplyDeleteIt is obvious there are differences between cultures and not all cultures are equal.
ReplyDeleteIf Islamists kneel in worship towards Saudi Arabia where the penalty for atheism and homosexuality is death, I’m not sure why we need to accept those people. A merit based system is sensible.
Times are different now; low wage jobs are no longer plentiful due to software and automation. We cannot have unlimited immigration and any institution (band, football team, college) that wants to thrive must be selective.
In the olden days anyone could come here bc there was no welfare state or safety net. A third of the people who came to America went back home bc they couldn’t cut it.
Demographics are real. Europe has decided to wipe itself out with open borders. That isn’t hysterical it is simply math. If you can’t accept that white western Europe is better than South American or Middle Eastern culture with respect to law, arts and tolerance, I don’t know what else to tell you.
Immigrants don’t just switch their values when they step onto new soil anymore than you would if you went to Bahrain. Europe and western culture are worth fighting to preserve, not water down.
I agree with the concept of reasonable border control. There is certainly no reason to accept people into your country that want to destroy it. However, I find so many of the arguments on immigration are just racism shrouded in other costumes. You can pull newspaper editorials from the 1800s and just switch out the cultures to whatever the scary ones are now to Nativists. It's the same thing with different details. History repeats over and over.
ReplyDeleteI understand that and agree that much of it is racism, sadly. That being said, there are differences amongst races and the demographics are very real. America or Europe will not last if we let anyone/everyone in (not your position I’m sure but possibly that of many on the left). For the future of the US/Europe, it is worth appearing racist to preserve something this special. I say this as a non-white. I don’t think it’s racist to assume floods of Africans into Italy will make Italy more Italian.
ReplyDeleteIt is impossible to talk about this wo it being emotionally charged but the left has called people racists for so long people have stopped caring and embraced it.
It is your blog, happy to let you have the final word.
Floods of Africans into Italy *won’t make Italy more Italian.
ReplyDeleteI don’t want a leader that doesn’t so much uphold the ideals of our nation but is incapable of even pretending to know what they are.
ReplyDeleteGreg, If I am a racist so be it. You want to label me that I wear it proudly because I know I am not and I could give two shits what you think. You just assume that my immigration stance is because of race and we know what they say about assuming. Here is the problem I have with immigration as it stands now. I can't fly the flag of my country because now it "offends" or "intimidates". We cant celebrate Christmas like we have for hundreds of years because it offends. If people came here and assimilated and/or tolerated the existing culture, we wouldn't have this problem. I couldnt give a shit if Trump said this. It's true. One thing is for sure, the Democrats use immigration to bring in more minorities to take advantage of just like they have been doing with the Black population for years. Dick Durbin is a punk-ass bitch and went and "tattled" because he wanted to score political points. I have read your posts Greg and you are a Anti-Trumper and would find fault with anything he does. Sit back, watch people go back to work, make more money and prosper while you bite your pillow and lament about "doing better".
ReplyDeleteRwandan President Paul Kagame thanked President Trump and called him a friend. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni proclaimed President Trump one of the best US presidents of all time. Black leaders calling Trump friend and here we have a bunch of Trump hating white guys call him a racist. You guys are dopes.
ReplyDelete