We all make assumptions about everyone we meet this includes gender,race, ability, age and relative intelligence etc.
This means we are all sexist ,racist, ageist etc.
I really dont understand how we can pretend that racism is something that happens to others. Its not its something we all grapple with all the time and we’re all part of social prejudices and invisible injustices whether we like it or not.
The only thing that separates types of racists is that some of us try to question and balance our prejudices more than others.
Trump supporters might consist of outspoken unbalanced types but lets remember that this mainly comes down to ignorance and sheltered world views.
Exactly. All that differs between the Trump supporters and ourselves is our definitions of “own people”. In both cases, the “other” are overwhelmingly poor non-whites.
I like our definition of “own people” better. But claiming a huge gap in moral superiority (which is what these articles imply)? I think “a gap” is perhaps a tad more realistic.
Of course it is. You either have prejudice (pre judged notions) towards a race or you do not. You can no more by a little racist than you can be a little pregnant. Whenever I hear people tell me that everyone is a bit racist, I’m really just hearing them try to excuse their own thoughts and behaviours.
To some extent sure. But, having free will and a conscience allows us to make choices in our lives. If you choose to continue the traditions of racism you are making a choice. Excuses otherwise are simply attempts to dodge responsibilities for your choices.
There are the ignorant and the willfully ignorant. Considering the coverage his bloviating has garnered, I’d wager the latter is more common than the former. If an issue like abortion is so abhorrent or terrifying to you that you accept a bigoted racist as your leader then you are really saying that you excuse can racism because of issue X. Sorry, but your support or hatred of issue X doesn’t excuse you from supporting racism. You don’t get to have it both ways. You can’t say I support Trump because he will end abortion and say you don’t support racism.
That’s kind of meaningless if none of them are making the “average”. An average will necessarily include billionaires and highly paid petroleum workers (many of whom are private contractors employed only for the duration of the fracking boom).
Keep in mind, too, that American rural conservatives are probably the US group least likely to accurately self-report income. It’s a cultural thing.
And it is, honestly. Not everyone is capable of seeing their political opponents as anything other than cartoon villains, and some won’t even try.
After the election, the country won’t magically heal from all the othering that the partisans are wallowing in.
Well said. Sarah Palin’s oafishness kept a lot of people from voting Republican, and this time The Donald’s boorishness serves as well. Honestly when I read posts like @d_r’s I really, really want to vote GOP - he’s practically a recruiter - but I just can’t do it. You can thank the GOP candidate, and not Ms. Clinton, for that.
I think it’s partially partisanship but there is also a good degree of humanist vs white supremacist going here. And perhaps the othering is a good thing. Racists should be othered, outed, and ridiculed. They have no place in a free and democratic society. They should be shunned, shamed, and mocked at every opportunity until that attitude is erased from our nation and the world.
I am not sure exactly what you are saying. I can’t figure out who you
think is the monstrosity and candidly it is really off topic for what I was
trying to discuss.
And I am really unclear why you think voting for a presidential candidate
because of their views which will hugely affected the direction of SCOTUS
is a societal privilege. At least in the context of how it was discussed
in this article. At the end of the day, whomever becomes President will
have to deal with Congress which limits what they can do domestically.
Congress passes laws, not the President. However, the election of SCOTUS
judges will affect the direction of the country for decades. Increasingly,
Congress cannot act because of the polarization of the electorate. More
and more issues are being brought to the SCOTUS. So it seems to me that it
is a very valid consideration for voters on either side of the most
contentious issues of the day. As far as my original point goes, I have
been on numerous FB threads where many evangelicals chimed in saying they
are trying to forgive Trump for his personal shortcomings because of the
SCOTUS issue. I know that is anecdotal and others may disagree
(respectfully I hope).
When I was a teenager I joined a program that anyone in the school district could apply to, meaning the program had affluent white schools and poor black schools providing students to the same program for these half-day classes instead of going to their own school. It was in this class that I became good friends with two guys from Pontiac, MI and soon we began hanging out together. I had a car so I would go to them and spent a lot of time in their circles.
This was also the first time I personally experienced racism outside a stereotypical uncle in Georgia that my family just puts up with. It was never something mean, it was never something against black people or hispanic people or really anything overt at all. But my friends at school, my parents, and even teachers all pulled me aside at various points to talk to me about the risk I was putting myself and my vehicle in by hanging out in the poor black area near the affluent white area. Every comment wasn’t about who I was with, but it was about being in danger and to avoid the area during the night.
This is the anecdote in my life that relates most to how Trump gets a pass, and my wife who lived her entire life in a small midwest farm town has other stories that also explain how Trump gets a pass from people she knows to the point her family gets openly threatened in her town for being vehemently against him. While everyone has there reasons I will never, ever be able to say people voting Trump are not racist and I feel anyone that is voting Trump needs to be able to admit they are racist.
As I said, I agree that the article has merit but it is one dimensional and
the tenor of the article, including the KKK picture is more inflammatory
than enlightening.
Just because the facts make you uncomfortable, but that doesn’t make them incorrect.
You are not personally required to care, but some of us DO CARE, and we care a lot. Part of caring about my fellow Americans is not sweeping it under the rug when they are killed by police with zero consequences.
I’m not going to stop caring just because you don’t like it.
Yes, but when we offer them real world solutions to end or greatly decrease abortion like low cost birth control and sex education they put up a wall and stick fingers in their ears. How are we supposed to take them seriously?
Actually, he did not win the majority of Republican evangelicals, nor were
the majority supportive of him in the early stages.
He definitely got stronger once he was the candidate. He did have some
very notable wins, especially in SC where over 70% of the Republican
primary voters were white evangelicals. Even there, he only received about
1/3 if the votes.
Clearly, they are in his camp now.
SCOTUS isn’t the only reason they support Trump but is is a very important
one.
Unfortunately, as rewarding as that may feel, it’s actually a really good way to make sure racism hangs on forever. Which is one of my points.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Matthew 5:11-12
It’s counterintuitive, but psychological, sociological and neurological research pretty clearly shows that othering people is counterproductive (unless what you want to produce is genocide or civil war). Check out things like the backfire and blowback effects, for example, and the human brain’s responses to social aggression.
Personally I find that if I consciously try to humanize people with differing views, I can often teach them to see our commonalities, and then I have a good chance of persuading them to abandon racism, sexism, and other isms that are holding them back. It’s necessary to do it with love in your heart, or at least not hatred, or you’ll make your action ineffective or counterproductive. Going into the Christian churches and preaching an Xian-friendly gospel of love was very effective, locally, in achieving marriage equality. Bringing children of color into my family was a very effective means of attacking two centuries of racism among my rural relations, because just like me they are incredibly strongly family oriented.
Just to be the devil’s advocate on this, they might say that all those
options have been available for a long time from both governmental and
faith based sources. In addition, the popular media rarely gets beyond the
screaming and shouting that occurs on both sides. There is very little
meaningful discussion that occurs. Candidly, I don’t know how the two
sides can be reconciled. The big problem is that a significant minority of
the country is against abortion. That may change will the changing
demographic of the country, but it won’t happen soon.
I worked under those same principles for most of my life. Now, seeing what fruits have been born of the past decades of acceptance and tolerance for the intolerant, I have change my position radically.
Perhaps I’m just getting too old and cynical for the debate. It seems we, in our efforts to accept every voice have given legitimacy to the abhorrent opinions of the white supremacist. Much like the evolution vs creationism debate, the intelligent design theory has taken root in the public consciousness as a legitimate alternative theory to evolution. The problem is of course that it is not but it is still presented and treated as such.
No, I think that the white supremacist movement cannot be brought in to the fold through understanding. I’d rather see their enclaves reduced and whittled away until they are a hated fringe of society treated like the scum they are until nothing is left of but their sad devotion to a dead way of life.
I’d like to see our media take this on directly much like the Superman serials of the 50’s brought the KKK down low, I think we need to train the current generation of children that the racist is the enemy and the villain and should be treated as such.
