This sounds like shrill notes from a loud woman indeed. You are of course entitled to you opinion informed by the ignorance and bliss that a closed mind inside a politically correct fetid cocoon of self-satisfied narcissism is capable of. Who's your demagogue of choice? Joe Stalin or Big Brother I'd wager. When you're genuflecting to the socialist/communist/fanatic of the moment did you ever wonder about the millions of murdered victims of leftist tyranny that are scattered wherever these politically correct monsters lull free people to sleep? Good heavens someone got punched at a political rally, what a human disgrace! Americans are sick and tired of being told what to think by an elite of radical leftists out to remake the world no matter how bankrupt the philosophy or how much blood has been shed. This is still a free country, down with politically correct idiocy!
22
Not a Trump supporter, but Harry L has it right:a lot of his attraction comes from the dissatisfaction with present political climate. Ms. West reads like a snob.
27
I'm certainly no Trump supporter but years of mind numbing political correctness has created this monster. Middle and low income white people have for years been told they are inherently racists by liberals and minorities. This is the backlash for all those years of accusations. People are fed up and what you get is a candidate like Trump who speaks for them.
44
I've let both of my republican senators (Burr and Tillis) and Congressman Pittenger's staff members know that if Mr. Trump is the nominee and they endorse Mr. Trump that I will then feel free to use the language that Mr. Trump uses. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.
4
To those who foment the racism argument: Everything in this country is NOT about racism. To the degree that is exists with any "power" is to roughly the same degree that those who decry it perpetuate it.
To those who prefer Political Correctness: While it is understandable that some may see PC as an exercise in "respect" consider another possibility: That it is less a sign of respect and more of an obfuscation of reality via a belief in the "fragility" of the individual rather than the inherent "strength" of the individual. The "victim" mentality in this country is perpetuated, among other methodologies, by political correctness.
To those who prefer Political Correctness: While it is understandable that some may see PC as an exercise in "respect" consider another possibility: That it is less a sign of respect and more of an obfuscation of reality via a belief in the "fragility" of the individual rather than the inherent "strength" of the individual. The "victim" mentality in this country is perpetuated, among other methodologies, by political correctness.
21
So recently I met a skilled laborer who came in from Central America about 10 years ago. His story is that he walked from his country--except for he time he had to ride on top of a train for part of the way. Many fell off. but he did not. On the last leg of his journey--for which he paid luxury prices to undertake, he was given a backpack full of drugs in Mexico to carry with him when he came in. I am not judging, just reporting what I was told about what the story is. Now I am not cold-hearted enough to say that he was a criminal. I admire this man. What he did took a lot of heart. But it also took criminality and paying criminals. Enabling them. He did what he had to do. Which is one of the self selected qualities we have inbred into our people. He works hard and well at a trade which is needed. But when push comes to shove, he will never be a person who will not engage in crime if he has to. I hope he has a great life in every respect. I have a lot of affection for him but I also know that if he ever had to make a choice, he would just have to engage in criminal behavior or protect other criminals rather than ever be sent back to where he came from.
14
Trump was a bit entertaining and amusing at the beginning - I didn't take him seriously.
Now, I am absolutely sick of him. Sick of seeing his red face, orange hair, portruding round pout, his voice, hands flying, and his yuge ego. I am equally sick of all he represents and am ashamed that a large portion of my fellow Americans can't get enough of him. Low doesn't begin to describe the depths to which some of us have sunk.
Now, I am absolutely sick of him. Sick of seeing his red face, orange hair, portruding round pout, his voice, hands flying, and his yuge ego. I am equally sick of all he represents and am ashamed that a large portion of my fellow Americans can't get enough of him. Low doesn't begin to describe the depths to which some of us have sunk.
88
I would never in a million years go on television and say what I think about "Black Lives Matter," which is that it's a fraud from start to finish. They'd firebomb my house, and the media would blame me for it.
35
The Left best stop insisting that all Trump supporters are a bunch of hayseeds and idiots not fit to be in the same room with Liberals, who are 'morally superior' to Trump 'bigots' and 'xenophobes'.
Just for one moment, put aside the hyperbole and listen to the underlying message of Trump, who appeals the working class, who are tired of hearing how they and their "privilege" are the cause of any and all social ills in America.
Or not. Then get used to saying 'President Trump' for eight years.
Just for one moment, put aside the hyperbole and listen to the underlying message of Trump, who appeals the working class, who are tired of hearing how they and their "privilege" are the cause of any and all social ills in America.
Or not. Then get used to saying 'President Trump' for eight years.
22
@michjas
You misconstrued several large issues in which you believe political correctness goes too far. I'd like to address one of them - immigration.
Throughout its history, America has opened its arms time and again, giving refuge to the poor huddled masses... of Europe. In wave after wave, millions of Europeans fleeing wars, revolutions, or famine sought, and found, a chance at a new beginning here. And why not? For the longest time, and to some degree even today, American immigration policy has been almost exclusively written by Americans of European descent for the benefit of Europeans. Consider, for example, the disparity between how many refugees America admitted from the former Yugoslavia during the Third Balkan War and how few it allowed from Rwanda during the genocide there.
In short, while it may seem right to you, and to people like you, it seems hypocritcal at best that America always throws its arms open to admit whites from almost anywhere while stalling/denying immigration to other races.
As to the "illegal" immigration of Mexicans, there are a few of us who didn't fall asleep during history class who realize that America took roughly half of what used to belong to Mexico during what many Americans at the time, including Mark Twain, considered an illegal war. So just consider their immigration, legal or not, a bit of poetic justice. The territory that Mexicans couldn't hold militarily is now being peacefully reclaimed - one Mexican family at a time.
You misconstrued several large issues in which you believe political correctness goes too far. I'd like to address one of them - immigration.
Throughout its history, America has opened its arms time and again, giving refuge to the poor huddled masses... of Europe. In wave after wave, millions of Europeans fleeing wars, revolutions, or famine sought, and found, a chance at a new beginning here. And why not? For the longest time, and to some degree even today, American immigration policy has been almost exclusively written by Americans of European descent for the benefit of Europeans. Consider, for example, the disparity between how many refugees America admitted from the former Yugoslavia during the Third Balkan War and how few it allowed from Rwanda during the genocide there.
In short, while it may seem right to you, and to people like you, it seems hypocritcal at best that America always throws its arms open to admit whites from almost anywhere while stalling/denying immigration to other races.
As to the "illegal" immigration of Mexicans, there are a few of us who didn't fall asleep during history class who realize that America took roughly half of what used to belong to Mexico during what many Americans at the time, including Mark Twain, considered an illegal war. So just consider their immigration, legal or not, a bit of poetic justice. The territory that Mexicans couldn't hold militarily is now being peacefully reclaimed - one Mexican family at a time.
34
"...a way to acknowledge that you’re aware it’s a little naughty to be a misogynist xenophobe in 2016.."
Ms. West, it's this very type of soft totalitarianism that gave rise to Trumpism in the first place. That you & others on the Left remain blind to this fact boggles the mind.
Ms. West, it's this very type of soft totalitarianism that gave rise to Trumpism in the first place. That you & others on the Left remain blind to this fact boggles the mind.
17
What really frightens me is, what's going to happen to the millions of angry, bigoted, ignorant Trump supporters after their hero loses the election? Does anyone think they're just going to go home quietly, in an orderly fashion, and let the next president lead? Or are they going to try to tear this country down, the same as if he'd won?
63
I now see how Hitler rose in Germany.
53
exactly.
4
Ok. I'll say what I think: Donald Trump is knowingly fanning a true racist fascist misogynist smoldering ember into a flame that could consume this nation as it is consuming Russia and Turkey. The Angry White Man who sucker-punched a protester being escorted out is today's American Brown Shirt. The man who pushed a Black protester and called her the N-word and C-word is today's American Brown Shirt. The idea that you can and should physically intimidate, assault, threaten and threaten to kill is also not new and had its roots in Tom DeLay sending a team down to physically intimidate Florida election workers back in 2000.
And the leader? He's saying this is all a GOOD THING, lying when he says his supporters are defending themselves. Against WHAT? No protester has been violent.
Finally, he is building his own cult of personality when he demands followers raise their right arm in an approximation of a Nazi/Fascist salute and DEMAND they pledge allegiance to him, as Mussolini, Franco and Hitler all did before him.
And the leader? He's saying this is all a GOOD THING, lying when he says his supporters are defending themselves. Against WHAT? No protester has been violent.
Finally, he is building his own cult of personality when he demands followers raise their right arm in an approximation of a Nazi/Fascist salute and DEMAND they pledge allegiance to him, as Mussolini, Franco and Hitler all did before him.
82
This is a nice interposing, this idea of some politico-social elite controlling what it's OK to say. It's peoples family, and parents in particular, that produces that fear. The idea that "They want to take away our pickup trucks" or " they are trying to take away our guns" is the same kind of psychological manipulation. It's a corollary to "You just don't want me to have any fun. Not ever!".
7
"Many of us remember what America used to be like, and we don't care to go back." Amen.
When some of my acquaintances start waxing mournful over the lost glories of when they were growing up and learning "morals' from their parents, I remind them of segregation, Jim Crow, lynchings, a 'place' for black people and a clearly different place for white people, the cone of silence that would descend when a black person was mistreated- even harmed; how wife abuse was never discussed, much less prosecuted, how contraception was limited, if available; how women had little economic opportunity except for jobs as secretaries or teachers (honorable, but limiting), how migrant farm workers were abused (some things don't change), how homosexuality was the ultimate insult, and how 'suspect' boys and girls were ostracized, and adults were forced to live not just in the closet, but behind the clothes hanging there. How banks had strict rules about lending - if you had money, you got it; if you didn't, you didn't. How economic opportunity in small towns (and large ones) was limited to the country club members.
Oh, my, memory is often self-editing, isn't it? Only if you let it be.
When some of my acquaintances start waxing mournful over the lost glories of when they were growing up and learning "morals' from their parents, I remind them of segregation, Jim Crow, lynchings, a 'place' for black people and a clearly different place for white people, the cone of silence that would descend when a black person was mistreated- even harmed; how wife abuse was never discussed, much less prosecuted, how contraception was limited, if available; how women had little economic opportunity except for jobs as secretaries or teachers (honorable, but limiting), how migrant farm workers were abused (some things don't change), how homosexuality was the ultimate insult, and how 'suspect' boys and girls were ostracized, and adults were forced to live not just in the closet, but behind the clothes hanging there. How banks had strict rules about lending - if you had money, you got it; if you didn't, you didn't. How economic opportunity in small towns (and large ones) was limited to the country club members.
Oh, my, memory is often self-editing, isn't it? Only if you let it be.
60
What is claimed to be unmentionable is the anger is about hidden racial prejudice. A segment of our country dislikes/hates the fact that a black man is the President and has a funny name. Trump has adroitly tapped into and fermented this longstanding sentiment, particularly after the success he enjoyed from his birther campaign with President Obama.
Granted, the predictable counter to this fact is "there you go again on racism."
His supporters won't admit this and the unknown is whether voters in the general election will reject this return to the Jim Crow era.
Granted, the predictable counter to this fact is "there you go again on racism."
His supporters won't admit this and the unknown is whether voters in the general election will reject this return to the Jim Crow era.
23
No doubt the comments will be filled with ad hominem attacks on Trump supporters - (I am most assuredly not one) - the very first lines of the article ridicule the clothing and eyeglass choices of a 'rube' of the worst order, not even worth the contempt of morally superior Liberals with better fashion sense.
Liberals best stop this or their own meanness and cruelty will propel Trump right into the White House.
Liberals best stop this or their own meanness and cruelty will propel Trump right into the White House.
26
The NYT homepage today presents a graphic as to how many times a word is "mentioned" in a speech, with the presumption that it indicates the issues of each party. A word count-up is just a count-up: it can draw only insight, not valid conclusions.
Dog gonnit, I ain't no Trump fan. I'm a goin' to be votin' for The Bern. And a few mentions of foul talk on the net, or by them Trump fans, ain't no valid indicator of Trump's population of support.
Get some scientific data, NYT. Simply claiming something to be "true" doesn't make it "true". That's Fox News. We need real journalism to reliably discover the opinions of his supporters.
Dog gonnit, I ain't no Trump fan. I'm a goin' to be votin' for The Bern. And a few mentions of foul talk on the net, or by them Trump fans, ain't no valid indicator of Trump's population of support.
Get some scientific data, NYT. Simply claiming something to be "true" doesn't make it "true". That's Fox News. We need real journalism to reliably discover the opinions of his supporters.
1
'Afraid to say?' Or aren't principled enough to say? Or don't understand?
Here's an item for the 'don't understand' crowd. Recent polling has Obama's popularity rising. One poll has him at 52% favorability vs. Reagan's 51% at the same time in their terms. Trump has dragged his Republican opposition so far to the right and their performance has been so unrepentantly radical grotesque, that they have enhanced Obama's standing as a principled, well-intentioned president. And lest this be dismissed, the people that study these things tell us that the incumbent's popularity is not only a reflection of his policies but impacts how people vote.
Here's an item for the 'don't understand' crowd. Recent polling has Obama's popularity rising. One poll has him at 52% favorability vs. Reagan's 51% at the same time in their terms. Trump has dragged his Republican opposition so far to the right and their performance has been so unrepentantly radical grotesque, that they have enhanced Obama's standing as a principled, well-intentioned president. And lest this be dismissed, the people that study these things tell us that the incumbent's popularity is not only a reflection of his policies but impacts how people vote.
28
1. It's not great to see being a loud-mouthed, bullying, ignorant jerk defended.
2. It's been coming for a while, whomped up by greedy, right-wing politicians and talk show hosts who get very, very well paid to whomp up fear and hatred.
3. There's pretty mich nothing that's more politically correct than today's Republican Party, where even Bob Dole, John Boehner, Eric Cantor and John Kasich aren't pure enough for the nutbars.
4. Of course what's going on underneath is the same old same old: a buncha white, working-class and middle-class guys who're not particularly knowledgeable but who have legit grievances and fears because of jobs, stagnant wages and social changes--but who need alibis for not joining unions, working for politicians who'd actually help them, and learning more about the world and their lives.
Sorry, but that's what this ugliness is.
2. It's been coming for a while, whomped up by greedy, right-wing politicians and talk show hosts who get very, very well paid to whomp up fear and hatred.
3. There's pretty mich nothing that's more politically correct than today's Republican Party, where even Bob Dole, John Boehner, Eric Cantor and John Kasich aren't pure enough for the nutbars.
4. Of course what's going on underneath is the same old same old: a buncha white, working-class and middle-class guys who're not particularly knowledgeable but who have legit grievances and fears because of jobs, stagnant wages and social changes--but who need alibis for not joining unions, working for politicians who'd actually help them, and learning more about the world and their lives.
Sorry, but that's what this ugliness is.
38
Has it ever occurred to anyone that as a nation, as a whole, perhaps a majority of us have some sort of collective psychological illness going on? Many are already self-inebriating or addicted or abusing some substance or another. We are a sick population, traumatized without any medical help. Trump is their political panacea or the illusion of one.
It's the 'side effects' that need to be considered and seriously addressed.
And why is it we're so sick to begin with?
It's the 'side effects' that need to be considered and seriously addressed.
And why is it we're so sick to begin with?
22
Criticism is not racism. Political correctness has been used as a weapon - wether intentionally or not - to negate responsibility. Time to step up America and take a role in guiding your own lives and stop blaming others for (or taking from others) your fate. Skill, ability, ambition, and passion still trump any racial bias that may exist in the world.
6
These people can say whatever they like as the 1st amendment guarantees free speech to all of us. The issue they're grappling with is society places certain filters on speech that is considered acceptable and what it is not. So, you can say anything at but don't be surprised is those around push back. Why don't they just say this stuff in their living rooms and not on national TV?
8
I'm not elite. I am anti-elitist. On the other hand, I'm better than these people.
So are the majority of Americans.
The noise we are hearing is a lot of bad people making a lot of noise.
-dlj.
7
Trump says the things that I am afraid to say. I'm afraid to say them not because I give a damn what people think about them, but because I (unlike Donald Trump) am not immune to the fascism of the legions of Social Justice Warriors who have appointed themselves sole gatekeepers of what is considered to be acceptable discourse. You can silence me, but you can't silence Donald Trump.
8
Trump should be given credit for taking the mask off that part of America where misogyny, racism, intolerance, and fascist tendencies still exist. For decades these voices have hidden behind code words and false arguments. Now these repulsive ideas can be examined and scrutinized in the light of day, and as a democratic nation we can finally reject them.
18
This says it all!
If you are racist in your heart, vote Trump!
If you cannot bring yourself immediately to disavow the KKK and its hatred for everyone of non-white, non-Anglo Saxon, non-Teutonic, non-Scandinavian descent, vote Trump!
If you really believe that refugees deserve no protection, vote Trump!
If you really think that all Mexican immigrants are committing felonies and stealing jobs from people who actually want those jobs, vote Trump! (Even if he is hiring those very same people!)
If you think violence against non-Trump supporters at his rallies is deserved, much like the Brown Shirts in pre-WW II Germany, vote Trump!
And, if you really think a presidential candidate ought to be talking about the size of his masculinity, vote Trump!
If you are racist in your heart, vote Trump!
If you cannot bring yourself immediately to disavow the KKK and its hatred for everyone of non-white, non-Anglo Saxon, non-Teutonic, non-Scandinavian descent, vote Trump!
If you really believe that refugees deserve no protection, vote Trump!
If you really think that all Mexican immigrants are committing felonies and stealing jobs from people who actually want those jobs, vote Trump! (Even if he is hiring those very same people!)
If you think violence against non-Trump supporters at his rallies is deserved, much like the Brown Shirts in pre-WW II Germany, vote Trump!
And, if you really think a presidential candidate ought to be talking about the size of his masculinity, vote Trump!
15
I have to say that this Trump phenomenon is having a marked effect in some of our local politics including meetings for managing wildlife. Folks are bringing guns and threatening to fetch them when things don't go their way. In other instances, right wingers are disrupting meetings with their own rules and bullying other meeting attendees to get their way. This is in Whatcom County WA. I am very concerned not only for now, but after the election... these people are setting a new standard for public behavior that has the risk of escalating real violence, not just speech violence.
28
All this anger and hatred is no joke. While the haters are working out with First Amendment rights, I advise the minorities to work out with Second Amendment rights.
3
Finally, someone who is calling these people out. It took a woman to do it, of course.
32
Entitlement clothed in bigotry typifies Trump supporters. Have you noticed his followers hate anyone who worked hard, achieved, is gifted and, with that, anyone who is acts morally? There goes the old Protestant (or other flavor of same) work ethic and guidance to aid the poor and suffering. His crowd wants to hurt to drain off their hate and loss of privileged. No solutions to the real sinking of the U.S. seems to attract them. They are their own self fulfilling prophecy, how they got there and how they stay there, angry and downwardly mobile.
13
what are trump supporters afraid to talk about? their fear and insecurities (that's why rubio's reference to trump's penis size was so apt).
where did this fear, where did the hatred and insecurities, come from? mostly from right wing talk radio and its "dissemination" of ideas.
we need, at least, a return of some version of the fairness doctrine, or at least some policing mechanism for the dissemination of falsehoods. at the root of the fear and insecurities is pure ignorance, and a lack of concern about facts.
where did this fear, where did the hatred and insecurities, come from? mostly from right wing talk radio and its "dissemination" of ideas.
we need, at least, a return of some version of the fairness doctrine, or at least some policing mechanism for the dissemination of falsehoods. at the root of the fear and insecurities is pure ignorance, and a lack of concern about facts.
14
While I agree with what Ms. West is saying, I want to point out that the "America" Trumpers want to 'go back to' is exactly what they are exemplifying by their hatred and extremist talk. These people remind me of the 1950's and 60's in America, when hordes of angry white faces stood on the sides of the sidewalks, screaming their racial hatred at the black students who only wanted to attend classes at "their" schools. A time when black people were hanged from trees simply because they were black.
Seems to me that these folks full of hate for anyone different than themselves have been reborn, and they've already "taken America back" again. Is this what they mean by "make America great?"
Seems to me that these folks full of hate for anyone different than themselves have been reborn, and they've already "taken America back" again. Is this what they mean by "make America great?"
27
Trump fans are afraid to say and don't even acknowledge to themselves that Trump will desert them at a moments notice if he perceives an economic or political advantage. they can not say this as it acknowledges how they have been used.
16
The lyrics of the haunting song of South Pacific have once more been proven right again.
"You got to be taught to hate and fear....."
This kind of teaching is still passed from generation to generation in the supposedly greatest country of the world, especially in the Bible Belt, with a helping hand from both fright-wing radio and Faux Noise.
Yet I don't think it were the voters in love with Trump that called him into being. It was the whole of the Republican party gasping in horror over the first election ever of black man to the highest office of the land, and deciding that their only and foremost goal was to make him a one-termer.
How dare that man had the chutzpah to apply for the job in the Upstairs of the formerly lily-white White House, instead of applying for a job in the Downstairs?
Now a fairly large number of the Republican base rewards the birther-in-chief, who is as well a nouveau-riche vulgarian-in-chief, with their votes.
Proud to be an American? Hardly......, especially when the rest of the advanced world already looks at us in horror by noticing that the oldest democracy since Athens is marching towards fascism.
"You got to be taught to hate and fear....."
This kind of teaching is still passed from generation to generation in the supposedly greatest country of the world, especially in the Bible Belt, with a helping hand from both fright-wing radio and Faux Noise.
Yet I don't think it were the voters in love with Trump that called him into being. It was the whole of the Republican party gasping in horror over the first election ever of black man to the highest office of the land, and deciding that their only and foremost goal was to make him a one-termer.
How dare that man had the chutzpah to apply for the job in the Upstairs of the formerly lily-white White House, instead of applying for a job in the Downstairs?
Now a fairly large number of the Republican base rewards the birther-in-chief, who is as well a nouveau-riche vulgarian-in-chief, with their votes.
Proud to be an American? Hardly......, especially when the rest of the advanced world already looks at us in horror by noticing that the oldest democracy since Athens is marching towards fascism.
35
This is how fascism takes hold. Hitler used these same tactics when he was addressing crowds of supporters. He scapegoated minorities to make Germans feel better about themselves. He blamed other countries for German economic problems. He encouraged supporters to spy on their neighbors, use violence against those who disagreed with him. They loved it, elected him into office and you all know how that ended.
32
They called him into being, but he in turn encouraged the worst in them. they are "loosely educated" but not necessarily wicked people who might have responded quite differently to a candidate that understand their frustration but pointed the way to a constructive conclusion.
13
I remember when Martin Luther King led the first march in Chicago and we were all so surprised at the virulent response that it evoked in the local white people-- worse, he said, than anything he had seen in the South. But King said this was a good thing because you have to expose a sickness before you can heal it. So maybe this frank exposure of racism in the Trumpettes lets us take an honest assessment of where we are as a country and how desperately we need to improve our educational system which alone can eradicate this kind of ignorance at its root.
16
Quite possibly, McCain telling that blathering woman claiming that Obama was a Muslim she was wrong back in 2008 might have been the last morally decent any Republican candidate for president will ever do.
37
As much as I'm in agreement with the author and her piece, I'm convinced that her op-ed will have no impact in swaying Trump supporters.
I hope that those who read the NYT are rational and see through Trump's bigotry and inflammatory statements. I doubt that any real supporters either read the NYT or any other respectable source that call attention to his dangerous rhetoric.
Lindy West's op-ed won't be read by Trump sympathizers, the very people who need to be convinced that supporting this sham of a candidate would put the US in jeopardy. As seen in the commentary, the NYT readers are all fully aware of the dangers of Trump taking office. I hope all the readers recognize the threat and will exercise their vote come the general election.
I hope that those who read the NYT are rational and see through Trump's bigotry and inflammatory statements. I doubt that any real supporters either read the NYT or any other respectable source that call attention to his dangerous rhetoric.
Lindy West's op-ed won't be read by Trump sympathizers, the very people who need to be convinced that supporting this sham of a candidate would put the US in jeopardy. As seen in the commentary, the NYT readers are all fully aware of the dangers of Trump taking office. I hope all the readers recognize the threat and will exercise their vote come the general election.
22
The GOP built Trump and his fan base. They used dog whistles and code words to indicate what groups they were disparaging with the wink wink nod nod..you KNOW who we are talking about methods for years. Now when folks talk about Trump telling it like it is,they are referring to him decoding those whistles and words.
13
Politicians said how great America is (or was). With the rise of Trump, America has reached a new low.
16
50 years ago The Republican Party created the Southern Strategy, the conscious effort to appeal to the segregationist Strom Thurmond and George Wallace Democratic voters.
In the 1980’s the Republican Party gave us the culture wars and Reagan and the dog whistle politics of welfare queens and States Rights and created the Reagan Democrats.
With Obama, they gave us the birthers, death panels, support of the Confederate flag, and created the Tea Party.
And the Republican establishment is sick, just sick I tell you, to think of Trump representing the Republican Party.
They can’t understand how the Republican voters, who have been listening to talk radio all these years, can blindly follow Trump and not listen to reason.
The Republican establishment now knows how liberals feel trying to have a discussion with the ditto heads who live in an alternate reality.
In the 1980’s the Republican Party gave us the culture wars and Reagan and the dog whistle politics of welfare queens and States Rights and created the Reagan Democrats.
With Obama, they gave us the birthers, death panels, support of the Confederate flag, and created the Tea Party.
And the Republican establishment is sick, just sick I tell you, to think of Trump representing the Republican Party.
They can’t understand how the Republican voters, who have been listening to talk radio all these years, can blindly follow Trump and not listen to reason.
The Republican establishment now knows how liberals feel trying to have a discussion with the ditto heads who live in an alternate reality.
19
I am a white, retired, female, from a military family. I trust science more than religion, am not politically correct but also not abusive, and feel that "be nice" is a good way to behave in this world. I read, especially history; I listen to the candidates, I fact-check, and I look at their qualifications and actions. And I have no one to vote for.
20
People are afraid to say things that they know in their hearts are wrong, but that satisfy the universal urge blame others. They know that they could be judged for betraying their irrational fears and hatreds, and Trump makes it safer to be a moral coward in public.
18
Ms. Kempe: “I think this country better go back to some of those values. Some of the values my parents grew up with, my grandparents grew up with. Whatever was wrong, they could point it out and tell you.”
Sure, if the values your parents and grandparents grew up with were racism and xenophobia, rude and coarse behavior and language, and you want to "go back to ... those values", then Trump's your man.
Good people, with ethics that I think best reflect the American value system, look back in shame at our nation's years overt racism and want to turn that page forever. Good people remember that we were all immigrants once upon a time (unless we are of American Indian ancestry) - even those of us whose ancestors arrived in America in the 1600's, as my ancestors did. They were the huddled masses who arrived before the Statue of Liberty welcomed them in, searching for a better life.
Good people don't engage in petty, bigoted one-liners, nor do they incite others to violence. Trump engages his supporters by appealing to their base instincts, not by encouraging them to be supportive and understanding of one another. Where John F. Kennedy implored us to, "Ask not what your country can do for you...", Trump appears to encourage people to, "Hit that guy who disagrees with us!"
Sure, if the values your parents and grandparents grew up with were racism and xenophobia, rude and coarse behavior and language, and you want to "go back to ... those values", then Trump's your man.
Good people, with ethics that I think best reflect the American value system, look back in shame at our nation's years overt racism and want to turn that page forever. Good people remember that we were all immigrants once upon a time (unless we are of American Indian ancestry) - even those of us whose ancestors arrived in America in the 1600's, as my ancestors did. They were the huddled masses who arrived before the Statue of Liberty welcomed them in, searching for a better life.
Good people don't engage in petty, bigoted one-liners, nor do they incite others to violence. Trump engages his supporters by appealing to their base instincts, not by encouraging them to be supportive and understanding of one another. Where John F. Kennedy implored us to, "Ask not what your country can do for you...", Trump appears to encourage people to, "Hit that guy who disagrees with us!"
15
I sincerely hope that Ms.Elizabeth Kemper, the Trump supporter interviewed in Lindy West's article reads all of the comments here. Hopefully, she will rethink her foolishness.
9
This is the mob of low-information voters that the Republican party has been cultivating for decades -- as it's hard to win elections on a platform that only benefits the 1%. While campaign managers are experts at the dog whistle, this constituency, not so much. And it's putting the party leaders in an uncomfortable position. But the real problem for party leaders is they are learning the mob seems less interested in the trickle-down economic platform and focused on the wedge issues. Heck, maybe they don't even need the 1% Republicans, they could take over the party.
10
They're protecting their ignorance by rallying around Trump. He's their enabler, flattering them by feeding them platitudes they want to hear and keeping them in their inchoate fog. They get their strokes, he gets their votes; it's "The Art of the Deal."
8
I am not at all a Trump supporter, but I think this approach of 'demonizing' Trump supporters is short-sighted and inaccurate. I wouldn't say that I am 'afraid' of saying certain things but there are things I probably wouldn't make an issue of unless I had a major reason. For instance, most of my friends are fairly secular Jews and often in gatherings people assume that I am also Jewish, and I hear little snide negative remarks about 'non-Jews' occasionally but I would hardly make an issue of. them Nor would I willingly start a discussion about Israel because I know my views are different from most or probably all of the other people there. As to "Black Lives Matter" just look at the internet and you can see how excoriated people are who dare to say "All Lives Matter." I didn't think much of the rather privileged Yale black students and 'shrieking girl' raging away at the poor guy whose wife had sent out an email about how students should wear whatever Halloween costumes they wanted to and it wasn't the administration's business. But I am not going to make an issue of this unless necessary in some context. Trump supporters are expressing some real frustrations and they aren't all necessarily ignorant bigots. Instead of just repeating how terrible they are, it would be wiser to try to reach an understanding of why they are responding the way they do.
15
We can only hope and pray that the checks-and-balances of our government will work to forestall any of the "policies" Mr. Drumpf may have for "Making America Great Again". Being able to speak what is on your mind is usually reserved for drunks in bars at 2 a.m., so voting for someone who does that is no something ti be proud of.
And no matter what buffoon may think, this STILL IS the greatest country on the planet, so long as he keeps his little fingers off of it.
And no matter what buffoon may think, this STILL IS the greatest country on the planet, so long as he keeps his little fingers off of it.
9
How curious people support a political philosophy their grandparents fought a worldwide war to defeat. Do people really rejecting fascism and white supremacy is mere political correctness?
17
Trump fans aren't afraid to say very much anymore. He's cleared the way for them. I do remember the first time someone dropped the f bomb on UK TV. The world has gone downhill since then! The good old days are presented as Carson's recoil from a typewriter...
Gerry Springer, Nancy Grace, Dr. Phil, Cage "fighting," Maury Povich, Fox, all merchants of muck and grease for the slide into the pit of tasteless, standard-free media.
It's increasingly difficult to have a discussion because words have morphed. 'Politically correct" was an attempt at comity but is now an insult used by the crude and gross against critics.
Gerry Springer, Nancy Grace, Dr. Phil, Cage "fighting," Maury Povich, Fox, all merchants of muck and grease for the slide into the pit of tasteless, standard-free media.
It's increasingly difficult to have a discussion because words have morphed. 'Politically correct" was an attempt at comity but is now an insult used by the crude and gross against critics.
14
Someone wrote earlier...If DT loses, what happens to all this hate? Where does it go? Does it just go back to the internet? And if all these people hate politicians in general, will they send the same ones back to the House and the Senate? Then, what happens if nothing still gets done? Or will the GOP fall in line behind DT even if they disagree with him?
And on the flip side, if he wins, what happens then? Will he attempt to run the country like a business? A man who has filed for bankruptcy 3/4 times and left investors holding his bag? What does Make American Great Again mean? What does he hope to do as President? Will he cut the military overseas and spend more $ on US infrastructure? Will he advocate for continued billions to Israel? Will he work to reel in Wall Street excesses? Or will he cut SNAP or headstart funding? Will he propose reductions to Soc Sec, Medicare and Medicaid? He plans to repeal ACA. But what will it be replaced with? Millions now have healthcare that they couldn't get a few years ago. If ACA goes, what will they do?
Does anyone know? Has he said? Or is he waiting until the real contest begins to spill the beans?
And on the flip side, if he wins, what happens then? Will he attempt to run the country like a business? A man who has filed for bankruptcy 3/4 times and left investors holding his bag? What does Make American Great Again mean? What does he hope to do as President? Will he cut the military overseas and spend more $ on US infrastructure? Will he advocate for continued billions to Israel? Will he work to reel in Wall Street excesses? Or will he cut SNAP or headstart funding? Will he propose reductions to Soc Sec, Medicare and Medicaid? He plans to repeal ACA. But what will it be replaced with? Millions now have healthcare that they couldn't get a few years ago. If ACA goes, what will they do?
Does anyone know? Has he said? Or is he waiting until the real contest begins to spill the beans?
9
This anger has been carefully developed by republicans, by right winged owned TV, by 24/7 hate radio (rush, savage, ingraham) Trump's coming has allowed them to finally vent their long stoked and pent up rage at the "other". Republican leaders are the ones to blame and stop. We need Democrats to come out in force, to vote for a democrat in every position. Our Country is at stake.
13
A lot of Trump's appeal at this time has to do with the sudden loss of the Industrial revolution and attendant jobs, the ongoing recession, the breakdown of unions under Reagan and beyond, and perhaps most importantly, the demoralized South which still feels itself to be a country occupied. Those various folks find themselves without hope and are vampirically fed upon by Fox and the like until they are in this very ripe state for exploitation. It's tragic, and remarkably similar to the 1930's.
Yet I have been surprised that no one has really taken Trump down at the debates - it would be so easy! He resorts to ad hominem attacks, has no policies, no expertise, a terrible track record, blows with the wind - it should be a piece of cake to derail him. So then why has no one done so with any real efficacy? I find it disturbing on multiple levels.
Yet I have been surprised that no one has really taken Trump down at the debates - it would be so easy! He resorts to ad hominem attacks, has no policies, no expertise, a terrible track record, blows with the wind - it should be a piece of cake to derail him. So then why has no one done so with any real efficacy? I find it disturbing on multiple levels.
3
Political correctness stifles the dialogue. We need more dialogue. Not less. There are negative labels on both sides of any issue and it is obnoxious. Everyone who wants to express an opinion is not a bigot. Getting all smug and high and mighty does not change minds.
13
Lets evaluate Trump's record:
Vietnam skipped it.
Millionaire status inherited it.
Businesses: 4 Bankruptcies, dependence on government subsidies, Trump U being sued, Trump steaks no longer exist, Trump wine not owned by Trump, Trump magazine no longer published, Trump air defaulted on loans, Trump clothing made in China.
Civil Liberties: remove protections against libel for press, limit religious freedom by putting religious minorities on a watch list, mass round ups and deportations, encourage violence against people who speak out against him.
Immigration: Build huge wall, though he has benefited economically from immigrant labor.
Economic policy: Massive tax cuts for the rich, health care for all at government expense, military build up, increased tariffs on China, maintain level of entitlement benefits, no statement about how this wouldn't lead to exploding deficits.
Personal behavior: mock women, Mexicans, the handicapped, veterans, lie about Muslims celebrating in NJ after 9/11, lie about African American's murdering white Americans, talk tough while hiding behind secret service, local sheriffs departments etc, brag about penis size.
The man is an idiot, a liar, a boor, and a demagogue. He inherited his wealth and defrauded people and local governments of millions.
No sane person can believe that this man can unite this nation and lead it successfully.
Vietnam skipped it.
Millionaire status inherited it.
Businesses: 4 Bankruptcies, dependence on government subsidies, Trump U being sued, Trump steaks no longer exist, Trump wine not owned by Trump, Trump magazine no longer published, Trump air defaulted on loans, Trump clothing made in China.
Civil Liberties: remove protections against libel for press, limit religious freedom by putting religious minorities on a watch list, mass round ups and deportations, encourage violence against people who speak out against him.
Immigration: Build huge wall, though he has benefited economically from immigrant labor.
Economic policy: Massive tax cuts for the rich, health care for all at government expense, military build up, increased tariffs on China, maintain level of entitlement benefits, no statement about how this wouldn't lead to exploding deficits.
Personal behavior: mock women, Mexicans, the handicapped, veterans, lie about Muslims celebrating in NJ after 9/11, lie about African American's murdering white Americans, talk tough while hiding behind secret service, local sheriffs departments etc, brag about penis size.
The man is an idiot, a liar, a boor, and a demagogue. He inherited his wealth and defrauded people and local governments of millions.
No sane person can believe that this man can unite this nation and lead it successfully.
26
What are Trump fans REALLY 'Afraid' to say???--Well, I'm willing to guess the list would go something like this: WHITE POWER!...Deport EVERYBODY...(but Mexicans first!) and build a Wall...Bomb all Mosques & Muslims before they bomb us...then, Bomb ALL of the Middle-East (maybe, Israel, too)...Bomb that Commie Putin & all of Russia...Build an even higher Wall around ALL Black communities...Bomb China....Build another Wall around ALL of the states that didn't vote for Trump...Get rid of all the Socialists, Democrats, Independents and Libertarians...And build another Casino...maybe another University too!... As I said, I'm just guessing.
6
Best NYT's article I've read in years!
2
Here begins the liberal press demonizing the supporters of the all but certain GOP candidate. All Trump supporters must be xenophobes, racists, mysigonists or idiots. Expect more as the liberal press attempts to crown Saint Hillary.
8
Political correctness is a form of manners or civility. We all can admit it can be an empty hypocritical show like all politeness without substance underneath, but it is still better than coming out with untrue ugly and insulting things. Racism sexism, anti-Semitism and so on are all filthy lies that should not dirty up the discourse in this country.
If you want to foul your own minds with these lies that's your business, but you should keep them to yourselves and like-minded friends. Why should anyone's feelings be hurt by lies? ()And later comes the violence too!)
Trump has begun to be compared to Hitler, and this has been too quick. But the more he talks, the more he welcomes violence and hate for different groups, the more he is getting to be like Hitler.
The media are partly to blame because while they condemn him they also praise him as "brilliant" and so forth. Their phony objectivity is finally being carried too far. It used to be a joke that the media in the name of "objectivity" would give equal time to the Gestapo to explain its actions. Every day this is becoming closer to reality. One has to ask: How much does Trump express the hidden foulness in the minds of men and women in the media angry that they can no longer get away with the same lies as always?
If you want to foul your own minds with these lies that's your business, but you should keep them to yourselves and like-minded friends. Why should anyone's feelings be hurt by lies? ()And later comes the violence too!)
Trump has begun to be compared to Hitler, and this has been too quick. But the more he talks, the more he welcomes violence and hate for different groups, the more he is getting to be like Hitler.
The media are partly to blame because while they condemn him they also praise him as "brilliant" and so forth. Their phony objectivity is finally being carried too far. It used to be a joke that the media in the name of "objectivity" would give equal time to the Gestapo to explain its actions. Every day this is becoming closer to reality. One has to ask: How much does Trump express the hidden foulness in the minds of men and women in the media angry that they can no longer get away with the same lies as always?
1
I was just telling my brother a few days ago the same thing. Those people that say Trump " says it like it is" are really saying " he voices our bigotry out loud". Disgusting.
10
The Republican party has become an S-trap for American bigotry, racism, sexism, xenophobia, arrogance and ignorance. The sludge has been building for some time. Hopefully an aroused electorate can apply a healthy dose Democratic Drano in November.
9
Political correct ness can't make people fair and reasonable, actually it makes them phony who have to suppress their true feelings. Trump is making inner thoughts of many whites vocal and acceptable. Right or wrong it may be benefiting in the long run.
1
The problem is not political correctness. The problem is that Trump has permitted these people to say in public what they were previously constrained to say at home. They feel left out and left behind. The America that they want to take back is the one where minorities knew their place and there could not be a black President, where women knew their place, and where foreigners were regarded with suspicion. This was a world that was white and Christian and where males predominated. It was a world where education did not matter as factory jobs that paid well enough to support a family. Those factories are gone. We live in a knowledge based world now. Society is diverse in every way - gender, religion, race and ethnicity. This is a world they do not want to accept and the GOP dog whistling has catered to for decades convincing these people to vote against their own self-interest by pandering in coded language on these issues. It is not politically correct not to be racist, sexist, xenophobic and more. It is civil and decent. It recognizes the humanity in everyone. Trump has unleashed a Pandora's box of fear, resentment and hatred, a dissonance with the 21st century. The mob psychology of this is frightening and an unsettling echo of the rallies in 1930s Germany. The closer Trump gets to the nomination the more his followers believe that this toxic stew is permissible. I only hope that the US electorate in its entirety is different from these people and he will not be elected.
25
This is a good, perceptive piece that makes we apply some of the same thinking to the Sanders campaign. I argue that Sanders is making the most politically incorrect assertions. What could be more politically incorrect in America than criticizing the ability of capitalism to provide good wages, infrastructure, health and education to the majority of American citizens?! Sanders' politically incorrect democratic-socialism is filling up large venues as well, and he doesn't have to wink and nod to his supporters, nor are they sucker punching anyone who attends his rallies.
8
THANK YOU, Lindy West. I realize this is all probably old news, but I haven't seen it spelled out as clearly and honestly as you have. People aren't following Trump for his message about "trade and jobs" because he hasn't proposed a solution. He is a wealthy racist misogynist who has nothing to lose and is feeding his ego with his fanbase. His white working class followers don't seem to understand that -- and really, none of his other followers seem to either. Like many Americans, I am alarmed at the message of hate and exclusion that has risen to the surface since Trump started giving people permission to stop being "politically correct." It is extra alarming that women still support him, especially after he denigrates them with no problem. They've all drunk the Kool-aid, and I sincerely hope democrats and non Trump supporters flood the voting booths during the primaries and the general election. We need to help make Trump go away -- he has nothing to offer.
8
Should Trump or Cruz be elected, y'all are welcome here in Canada. You should move been the inauguration before he begins to build the wall.
10
After seeing the WTC towers collapsed and people swallowed by the tsunami in Japan, I now know anything could happen. Even unthinkable. Day by day, Donald Trump is moving closer to the presidency. And I know that it's not him, because he is rather a marketing genius who can smell what people want. It's Americans who have deep rooted prejudice towards Muslims, Blacks, Asians, Mexicans, women… I don't know any Trump supporters around me, but as an Asian woman my self, I don't think I can befriend with them, because now I know what they really think of me.
13
Political correctness has taken over too many conversations, most notably on college campuses, where virtually any opinion can be construed as a slight to some real or even ad hoc group of ‘offended’ people. This has clearly resulted in suppression of ideas and discourse, which are supposed to be at the very heart of the college experience.
Then there is the naked fear mongering, hate inspired, lowest common denominator dialogue circulating back and forth between Drumpf and his followers.
"Make America Great Again" and "telling it like it is" are hardly blueprints for a better future. Most presidential candidates have traditionally at least projected a positive outlook for the country.
It is unfortunate that among voters who share the same concerns: wage stagnation, job loss, national drift, and congressional deadlock, have chosen to express their frustration in a destructive way. It just doesn’t make sense to lustily cheer for a ‘let’s tear it down’ rather than a ‘let’s build it up’ mentality. Trump supporters would be better served to channel their anger in a more positive, constructive way. It has not gone unnoticed that a huge majority of his supporters are angry white people. This is hardly a campaign of inclusiveness.
Drumpf seemingly wishes to continue conservative policies that have utterly failed all except corporations and the wealthy. If elected, he will betray his supporters in keeping with current GOP practice, thus beginning the cycle of anger anew.
Then there is the naked fear mongering, hate inspired, lowest common denominator dialogue circulating back and forth between Drumpf and his followers.
"Make America Great Again" and "telling it like it is" are hardly blueprints for a better future. Most presidential candidates have traditionally at least projected a positive outlook for the country.
It is unfortunate that among voters who share the same concerns: wage stagnation, job loss, national drift, and congressional deadlock, have chosen to express their frustration in a destructive way. It just doesn’t make sense to lustily cheer for a ‘let’s tear it down’ rather than a ‘let’s build it up’ mentality. Trump supporters would be better served to channel their anger in a more positive, constructive way. It has not gone unnoticed that a huge majority of his supporters are angry white people. This is hardly a campaign of inclusiveness.
Drumpf seemingly wishes to continue conservative policies that have utterly failed all except corporations and the wealthy. If elected, he will betray his supporters in keeping with current GOP practice, thus beginning the cycle of anger anew.
5
Sadly to me, Mr. Trump brings up the memory of another 'great white leader':
Adolph Hitler, who appealed to another famous white-only group.
Perhaps it would be wise for Trump supporters to read a little history of WW2, but I bet about 60% or more of his supporters can not read!
Adolph Hitler, who appealed to another famous white-only group.
Perhaps it would be wise for Trump supporters to read a little history of WW2, but I bet about 60% or more of his supporters can not read!
6
Stereotyping Trump supporters as misogynistic racists wanting to go back to a time of racial apartheid and women being kept barefoot and pregnant is too easy and too glib. It is disheartening that so many liberals are willing to do what they accuse the other side of always doing instead of doing the hard work of understanding these Americans and the stresses and strains they are under. You can argue that everyone is a victim of capitalism including Trump supporters. Until we stop superficial analysis like this one, we are all victims of bias and prejudice. It is easy to find anecdotal evidence of people misbehaving in crowds and acting illiberally, remember this fall’s campus protests and Melissa Click. It is easy to dismiss and judge but it is hypocritical, when liberals are always declaring themselves full of empathy, for that empathy to always end at the door of people they dislike. You can criticize Trump, he deserves everything you can throw at him, but you should be wary of painting his supporters with a broad hateful brush.
7
I look forward to the day when we replace the term "politically correct" with its true meaning - being respectful and kind to others, even those who may not look like us or believe as we believe. This is a virtue, for goodness sake, not some kind verbal torture device designed by crazy lib'ruls. If your values lead you believe that you are under some kind of duress because you can't spout bigotry and hatred with impunity, the problem is not the political system or the American culture. The problem is your values.
9
The chickens have come home to roost. Anger and resentment is
often displayed in many ways. At least Trump's supporters aren't running
around shooting up Dodge City ( not yet anyway).
often displayed in many ways. At least Trump's supporters aren't running
around shooting up Dodge City ( not yet anyway).
1
I get what you're saying. Imagine if all Trump supporters were put in a room, sealed off from the world to see or hear, and he said to them, Ok, you're free to say all the things they tell you you can't.
1
Trump isn't the problem .....the people, the US citizens that support him ....THAT'S the problem.
White, racist, entitled Americans are for Trump .... and the by-product is a downward spiral into hatred and irrelevance. Trump is a christian version of Bin Laden and his followers are radical christian terrorists.
Think about it.
White, racist, entitled Americans are for Trump .... and the by-product is a downward spiral into hatred and irrelevance. Trump is a christian version of Bin Laden and his followers are radical christian terrorists.
Think about it.
7
I have yet to hear Donald Trump make a single campaign promise that I havent heard time and time again by every single other politician in the past 40 years.
Build a Giant Wall!!
hmmmm.......seems like everybody on the right has promised and even a few on the left have hinted over the years.....
Make America Great Again....wow.....thats original.
Hope and Change....we all fell for that baloney hook, line and sinker!!
...
No.
what makes Donald Trump unique is the delivery and the Cult of Celebrity.
the United States has become a population heavily sedated, mesmerized, and yes CONTROLLED by what it sees on the flickering TV screen.
Donald Trump has engineered a new methodoly of using this condition to his advantage.
His only real threat comes from say, Kim Kardashian, who, if she announced plans to run for the Presidency....might have a realistic shot at beating Trump.
Build a Giant Wall!!
hmmmm.......seems like everybody on the right has promised and even a few on the left have hinted over the years.....
Make America Great Again....wow.....thats original.
Hope and Change....we all fell for that baloney hook, line and sinker!!
...
No.
what makes Donald Trump unique is the delivery and the Cult of Celebrity.
the United States has become a population heavily sedated, mesmerized, and yes CONTROLLED by what it sees on the flickering TV screen.
Donald Trump has engineered a new methodoly of using this condition to his advantage.
His only real threat comes from say, Kim Kardashian, who, if she announced plans to run for the Presidency....might have a realistic shot at beating Trump.
2
Donald Trump has been brought upon us by the failure of Barack. This is where most of the anger comes from. Many of these old white guys have lost their factory jobs because of NAFTA and other trade policies supported by Barry. This is also why illegal immigration is such a hot button. The Dems just don't get that jobs is what this is all about, not moving to socialism with promises by Bernie that will never be kept.
2
No one seems to point out or even remember what the 1990's term, "politically correct" actually means or meant.
It became politically correct to use a new term, "firefighter" instead of "fireman" and so on ...
It was never considered as being simply "politically correct" to use the terms "African-American" and/or "black" instead of the "N word" ... for that isn't a legitimate choice. The first two are adjectives ... the other is a disgusting racial slur that I cannot even type.
It is NOT simply "non-PC" to make racist, misogynistic, xenophobic or other equally denigrating remarks against another person or persons. No. That is hate speech.
It became politically correct to use a new term, "firefighter" instead of "fireman" and so on ...
It was never considered as being simply "politically correct" to use the terms "African-American" and/or "black" instead of the "N word" ... for that isn't a legitimate choice. The first two are adjectives ... the other is a disgusting racial slur that I cannot even type.
It is NOT simply "non-PC" to make racist, misogynistic, xenophobic or other equally denigrating remarks against another person or persons. No. That is hate speech.
15
50 years ago The Republican Party created the Southern Strategy, the conscious effort to appeal to the segregationist Strom Thurmond and George Wallace Democratic voters.
In the 1980’s the Republican Party gave us the culture wars and Reagan and the dog whistle politics of welfare queens and States Rights and created the Reagan Democrats.
With Obama, they gave us the birthers, death panels, support of the Confederate flag, and created the Tea Party.
And the Republican establishment is sick, just sick I tell you, to think of Trump representing the Republican Party.
They can’t understand how the Republican voters, who have been listening to talk radio all these years, can blindly follow Trump and not listen to reason.
The Republican establishment now knows how liberals feel trying to have a discussion with the ditto heads who live in an alternate reality.
In the 1980’s the Republican Party gave us the culture wars and Reagan and the dog whistle politics of welfare queens and States Rights and created the Reagan Democrats.
With Obama, they gave us the birthers, death panels, support of the Confederate flag, and created the Tea Party.
And the Republican establishment is sick, just sick I tell you, to think of Trump representing the Republican Party.
They can’t understand how the Republican voters, who have been listening to talk radio all these years, can blindly follow Trump and not listen to reason.
The Republican establishment now knows how liberals feel trying to have a discussion with the ditto heads who live in an alternate reality.
12
Lindy West is fantastic. Keep it up, Lindy!!
2
What some people might not think about is giving license to look down on some people gives license to look down on anyone. Not just the "usual" groups of Muslims, African-Americans, or Hispanics.
---When Mitt Romney ran for president there was a small but persistent outcry of "Mormons aren't really Christians" - but it didn't seem to hurt him then. If Romney ran for president against Trump this year, that rumbling would be a full-throated roar.
---Donald Trump gave a speech to a Jewish Republican group late last year trotting out an overflowing wagon full of stereotypes. No one's asked him about it since. You think the Trump devotees won't be ready to rattle off those stereotypes in public and in actions as well?
---Trump doesn't seem to be a fan of women over the age of 40. Right now many women think that's harmless since it's been chronicled over time that he's a germaphobe. But he often seems to call women's natural bodily functions "disgusting". Some of the bodily functions he's referred to in the past (check Howard Stern interviews) are the same ones men also have, but only in women are they "disgusting" and it's preferable that he doesn't know they exist. Do we want to teach young women that they should be perfect dolls 24/7 around "their men"? Do we want to teach young men to expect this?
Under Trump, it's naive to believe that anyone except white Protestant men will be able to move up in his America. You may not believe it now, but you'll believe it later.
---When Mitt Romney ran for president there was a small but persistent outcry of "Mormons aren't really Christians" - but it didn't seem to hurt him then. If Romney ran for president against Trump this year, that rumbling would be a full-throated roar.
---Donald Trump gave a speech to a Jewish Republican group late last year trotting out an overflowing wagon full of stereotypes. No one's asked him about it since. You think the Trump devotees won't be ready to rattle off those stereotypes in public and in actions as well?
---Trump doesn't seem to be a fan of women over the age of 40. Right now many women think that's harmless since it's been chronicled over time that he's a germaphobe. But he often seems to call women's natural bodily functions "disgusting". Some of the bodily functions he's referred to in the past (check Howard Stern interviews) are the same ones men also have, but only in women are they "disgusting" and it's preferable that he doesn't know they exist. Do we want to teach young women that they should be perfect dolls 24/7 around "their men"? Do we want to teach young men to expect this?
Under Trump, it's naive to believe that anyone except white Protestant men will be able to move up in his America. You may not believe it now, but you'll believe it later.
11
This is one of the most well-reasoned articles I have read about Trump and his supporters. I hear a lot from Trump supporters that "he tells it like it is." What is "it?" And where does it stop? For now, it's Hispanics and Muslims. What immigrant is next? Chinese immigrants? Other Asian immigrants? Maybe we should just keep working backwards to the Potato Famine as well. Irish. Italians. Eastern Europeans. Who would be left? Not too many. What a shame that his natural charisma couldn't be used to bring out the good in people instead of to prey on people's worst fears and darkest prejudices. THAT is what makes America great.
10
The “Silient Majority” in this country is waking up to the fact that they have been duped .. by special interests, corporate greed, sleazy politicians who make a speech and get paid $ 600,000 dollars…by the Leftist PC police in the media who try to distort and twist perceptions.. this is truly a revolution.. Go Trump !!
6
However, what you are hearing is also a howl of protest at the tactics of the left, which have devolved into answering every attempt at rational dissent with 'racist, check your white privilege' etc. The column is just a regurgitation of the same insults.
I side with neither left nor right, and certainly not with Trump. But if you beat a dog enough, it will bite.
And how apt Ms West's new book is titled 'Shrill'. That choice shows more insight than I would have expected.
I side with neither 'left' nor 'right'. They nauseate me equally. A plague on both your houses.
I side with neither left nor right, and certainly not with Trump. But if you beat a dog enough, it will bite.
And how apt Ms West's new book is titled 'Shrill'. That choice shows more insight than I would have expected.
I side with neither 'left' nor 'right'. They nauseate me equally. A plague on both your houses.
13
I would never vote for Trump.
But when you cast his supporters as racists and anti-immigrant, you are shutting down any possible conversation. The 'immigrants' Trump supporters are most loudly against are illegals who cross our borders for work, primarily in low-paid, low-skills jobs. Precisely the jobs which Trump supporters have lost. Try telling a young Black guy in Oakland that complaining about 'immigrants' who are sucking up all the entry level jobs is racist! If I can't find a job that pays decently, of course I'm going to be against anyone who is coming to my country illegally and making my life worse.
If you had told me a month ago that "David Duke said such and such," I would have no idea who he was. And I'm pretty sure Trump has disavowed any connection with Duke, just not fast enough to suit the author.
Trump has the support of many, many people who feel like they are being shut out of the good life. Calling them racist fascists doesn't make their very real problems disappear.
But when you cast his supporters as racists and anti-immigrant, you are shutting down any possible conversation. The 'immigrants' Trump supporters are most loudly against are illegals who cross our borders for work, primarily in low-paid, low-skills jobs. Precisely the jobs which Trump supporters have lost. Try telling a young Black guy in Oakland that complaining about 'immigrants' who are sucking up all the entry level jobs is racist! If I can't find a job that pays decently, of course I'm going to be against anyone who is coming to my country illegally and making my life worse.
If you had told me a month ago that "David Duke said such and such," I would have no idea who he was. And I'm pretty sure Trump has disavowed any connection with Duke, just not fast enough to suit the author.
Trump has the support of many, many people who feel like they are being shut out of the good life. Calling them racist fascists doesn't make their very real problems disappear.
13
It seems contributors to the NYT can only address opposite points of view through name-calling and accusations of demagoguery. At the end of the day, you disagree with Trump. But seamlessly you extrapolate from his statements that he and his supporters hate everyone but white men; ignoring his black supporters, his female supporters, his migrant supporters, etc. With a quick nod to the fact he hasn't used racial slurs or any other form of derogatory language throughout his campaign, you quickly infer his stance on BLM based on his not disavowing support from a white supremacist quickly enough, and that he's called women bad names before. Obama admitted to doing drugs, and was socially connected to Bill Ayers (a terrorist) and Rev Wright - an anti-American preacher, and Bill Clinton committed adultery. Does that mean we can consider Obama a supporter of illegal drug use and terrorism, and Clinton a misogynist? Can we extrapolate from their follies that everyone who supports them endorses that same bad behavior?
So in short, your argument is purely predicated on attempts to judge Trump's character, and furthermore extrapolate from that the character of all of his supporters. I hope I've demonstrated the infantile measure of reasoning such an argument puts forth to your readership. Sure, it will gather applause from like-minded ilk, but anyone willing to hold it to self-scrutiny sees it for what it is: another ballyhoo, "Republican's are evil" in the liberal echo chamber.
So in short, your argument is purely predicated on attempts to judge Trump's character, and furthermore extrapolate from that the character of all of his supporters. I hope I've demonstrated the infantile measure of reasoning such an argument puts forth to your readership. Sure, it will gather applause from like-minded ilk, but anyone willing to hold it to self-scrutiny sees it for what it is: another ballyhoo, "Republican's are evil" in the liberal echo chamber.
10
Complaining about "political correctness" is a mantra of racists and bigots. Ironically, racists and bigots demand that they not be identified by those labels, even while they complain that they feel restricted from using the labels that THEY want to attach to others.
Obviously, this entire theme about political correctness is a fiction. We still live in an era, in 2016, when some police officers believe they can shoot an unarmed black man in the back and not be punished for it. Where were the "political correctness" police when Officer Slager shot Walter Scott in South Carolina? Officer Slager must have missed the memo about the PC police who control everything these days. Where were the PC police when anti-Muslim fascists tried to block a Muslim community center from being built in Manhattan because they didn't want one close to Ground Zero? Where were they when Balbir Singh Sodhi was shot to death two days after 9/11 because he looked like a Muslim? Did they have the day off that day? How about when Sureshbhai Patel, a visiting grandfather from India, was bodyslammed into the ground by an Alabama police officer for no reason, after which two juries refused to convict the officer of wrongdoing? Where on earth were the PC police who have these awesome minority-coddling powers? On vacation?
The answer is no, they weren't on vacation. The answer is that they don't exist. Political correctness is as real a problem in America as Puff the Magic Dragon selling weed to kids.
Obviously, this entire theme about political correctness is a fiction. We still live in an era, in 2016, when some police officers believe they can shoot an unarmed black man in the back and not be punished for it. Where were the "political correctness" police when Officer Slager shot Walter Scott in South Carolina? Officer Slager must have missed the memo about the PC police who control everything these days. Where were the PC police when anti-Muslim fascists tried to block a Muslim community center from being built in Manhattan because they didn't want one close to Ground Zero? Where were they when Balbir Singh Sodhi was shot to death two days after 9/11 because he looked like a Muslim? Did they have the day off that day? How about when Sureshbhai Patel, a visiting grandfather from India, was bodyslammed into the ground by an Alabama police officer for no reason, after which two juries refused to convict the officer of wrongdoing? Where on earth were the PC police who have these awesome minority-coddling powers? On vacation?
The answer is no, they weren't on vacation. The answer is that they don't exist. Political correctness is as real a problem in America as Puff the Magic Dragon selling weed to kids.
10
One of our most basic flaws is to blame someone else for everything that you perceive is wrong. Donald Trump supporters make no attempt to control this flaw. They are encouraged by Fox News and Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck and others on radio who encourage and embolden vulgarism.
16
People can be evil, and the brain is terrifyingly easy to manipulate.
I lived in Rwanda before the genocide. Friends I made there are dead or mutilated. People that were NEIGHBORS suddenly decided that it was OK to hack each other apart. We're talking professional, educated people in a bustling, fairly modern city, not farmers out in the bush... suddenly deciding that grabbing a machete to hack off a limb of a child, or forcing neighbors into a church to burn them alive was a good thing.
But, like Trump, a politician was willing to use the long-engrained prejudice of tribalism to stoke petty resentments into horrific acts of brutality.
It's chilling to watch the fervor at these rallies, and see my fellow Americans reveal just how disgustingly gullible humans can be when a carrot is dangled just out of reach.
I lived in Rwanda before the genocide. Friends I made there are dead or mutilated. People that were NEIGHBORS suddenly decided that it was OK to hack each other apart. We're talking professional, educated people in a bustling, fairly modern city, not farmers out in the bush... suddenly deciding that grabbing a machete to hack off a limb of a child, or forcing neighbors into a church to burn them alive was a good thing.
But, like Trump, a politician was willing to use the long-engrained prejudice of tribalism to stoke petty resentments into horrific acts of brutality.
It's chilling to watch the fervor at these rallies, and see my fellow Americans reveal just how disgustingly gullible humans can be when a carrot is dangled just out of reach.
31
The scary part is that the change can be broken down into little imperceptible steps that added together result in horror. I'm sure any individual comment or statement in Rwanda, taken by itself, could be thought to have had no impact. It's the accumulation of those acts that can spiral out of control. If the US spirals out of control. we won't be able to point back to a single thing that pulled the trigger - it will have been 40 years of hateful GOP rhetoric, spoken for temporary electoral advantage, that were added on top of each other.
4
This is an insightful and very welcome piece. Bigotry and violence are nothing new in American life; Trump is riding a new wave of old prejudices. We get the government we deserve.
I'd like to point out to everyone who is sure that Trump supporters are low-information, racist, misogynist bigots clamoring for an authoritarian government - you are very probably right, and I agree with you. However, these people also VOTE. Do you??
I'd like to point out to everyone who is sure that Trump supporters are low-information, racist, misogynist bigots clamoring for an authoritarian government - you are very probably right, and I agree with you. However, these people also VOTE. Do you??
12
I see no purpose in such a hateful jeremiad except to convince voters that both Mr. TRUMP and his supporters are unapologetic, unconditional racists, which is simply not true. Workers, both blue collar and white collar, have seen their standard of living go down over past decades due to the collusion of the establishments of both parties with corporate America, which has made exporting jobs a priority, and they are justifiably angry. To call his supporters racists is a misnomer, since according to social scientists, the word,"race," is not valid.To call them prejudiced is also unfair. Everyone is prejudiced in this world, in favor of one cause or another. To call DT a nationalist is equally not "franc jeu." To defend your civilization and its values, while making room for those of other faiths is not nationalistic in a negative sense. DT and his followers have the same the beliefs, but they are not jingoistic. RE PROTESTERS at his rallies, it should emphasized that their role is to disrupt, vilify the movement , They r not there to take part in a [political discourse. DT persoanally helped me and my family--JULIANA, my wife, who is from Ghana, and our son, Alister Hall Harrison, born in Lenox HILL HOSPITAL. jULIANA got her visa thanks in part to the Trump family's help.How does that square with West's characterization of a DT as a "nationalist dermagogue?"
13
If it is true that patriotism is the last refuge of coward, it can now be said that the rejection of "political correctness" is the last refuge of racists, bigots, war mongers and fascists.
Have 40% of Americans forgotten the basic tenant "that above all do unto others what you would have them do unto you".
Have 40% of Americans forgotten the basic tenant "that above all do unto others what you would have them do unto you".
16
I dislike Trump but this column is "hate speech".
Claiming that "He's built his campaign on demonizing black people,Latinos,Muslims, women" is inflammatory,dishonest demagoguery.
Today he welcomes Dr. Ben Carson's endorsement which is the opposite of demonizing.
The Democrats have incited racial animosity to "turn out the black vote" for political gain.
This tactic has further divided Americans when more unity is needed.
Claiming that "He's built his campaign on demonizing black people,Latinos,Muslims, women" is inflammatory,dishonest demagoguery.
Today he welcomes Dr. Ben Carson's endorsement which is the opposite of demonizing.
The Democrats have incited racial animosity to "turn out the black vote" for political gain.
This tactic has further divided Americans when more unity is needed.
23
Protesting a candidate or a policy with which you disagree is not only OK but it is your responsibility as a citizen in a democracy. John McGraw was arrested for attacking a protester. His language and attitude has, as its catalyst, that of Donald Trump who tacitly approves of this by his lack of an unequivocal response to such behavior. The only thing missing from Mr. McGraw's attire was a "black shirt" with two lighting bolts on the collar.
Without question not saying what you would like to say, says it all!
Without question not saying what you would like to say, says it all!
3
" We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, {he] is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections. You gather a group of middle-aged, middle-class, middle-income voters who remember with longing an easier time, and you talk to them about family and American values and character. "
-President Andrew Shephard, (The American President, 1995)
-President Andrew Shephard, (The American President, 1995)
14
The irony of the outrage against Trump is that supporters of the left, including here in the NYT comments are as bad or worse. It almost seems like it is a rule that you must make an ad hominem attack or contrast a strawman, when talking about a right wing politician.
The best examples are most of what is said against Cruz. Nearly all of it ascribes purely conjectural sinister motives to him rather than dealing with anything substantial. The Times commenters are just as full of hate and bile as anywhere else, they just direct it against their own enemies and know how to dress it up a little more with pseudo-intellectual decoration.
The best examples are most of what is said against Cruz. Nearly all of it ascribes purely conjectural sinister motives to him rather than dealing with anything substantial. The Times commenters are just as full of hate and bile as anywhere else, they just direct it against their own enemies and know how to dress it up a little more with pseudo-intellectual decoration.
15
Exactly.
3
Like everyone else who rails against political correctness, they're not "afraid" to say anything. They just don't want to be criticized for spouting racist, bigoted and misogynist views. They want to be rude and not get called on it.
151
"They want to be rude and not get called on it."
Could it be some don't want to have something they said taken out of context & twisted into a new meaning resulting in severe consequences? Or, does that simply not happen?
Could it be some don't want to have something they said taken out of context & twisted into a new meaning resulting in severe consequences? Or, does that simply not happen?
4
Liberal commentators are falling all over themselves, comparing Trump to Hitler. Of course they write the speech codes so they can say what they want themselves. When Hank Williams Junior compared Obama to Hitler, he lost his Super Bowl Job. But, of course when Beyonce staged a musical tribute to the Black Panthers during the last Super Bowl, liberals cheered.
31
All depends on whose ox is getting gored, I suppose.
Two words: Dixie Chicks.
2
Kudos Linduy. One of the best articles I have read on Trump ands his "supporters". As he attempts to "pivot" to being some kind of moronic statesman will his supporters allow that? As we know nothing on the internet is ever really deleted and Trump will have all of his garbage mouth utterance thrown back at him with a vengeance even Trump wont believe. The "man" is a living breathing study of a Sociopath not seen in modern American politics. "I really did not mean what I said then. It was just to keep my supporters happy". Can you hear it already?
7
Somehow, I hope you are wrong. You say that voting for the man means associating with his statements, supporting his views.
Is that really so? Ultimately that means, assuming Trump becomes the nominee, that 50% plus/minus of our co-citizens condone his views. A place populated by such a people would be unbearable purgatory.
But when you talk to such people the hatred does not come across so clearly; if at all. I conclude something else is at stake, perhaps just misguided protest voting?
Is that really so? Ultimately that means, assuming Trump becomes the nominee, that 50% plus/minus of our co-citizens condone his views. A place populated by such a people would be unbearable purgatory.
But when you talk to such people the hatred does not come across so clearly; if at all. I conclude something else is at stake, perhaps just misguided protest voting?
24
jzu
You're probably correct in most cases. The Left, however, fearful of being "the" reason for Trump's meteoric rise, must draw every convenient boogeyman (racism, misogyny, etc) out of the closet they can to divert blame.
Having one's ideas & values rejected by so many's not easy. For anyone.
You're probably correct in most cases. The Left, however, fearful of being "the" reason for Trump's meteoric rise, must draw every convenient boogeyman (racism, misogyny, etc) out of the closet they can to divert blame.
Having one's ideas & values rejected by so many's not easy. For anyone.
1
The cat is not out of the bag. It was never in the bag if you are a member of a racial minority, as I am. You always new that there was a huge cauldron of racism and hatred seething just beneath the surface of our great nations. It periodically bubbles up to the surface, but has remained at a steady rate for decades in favor of a more benign type of racism and hatred. Then people started experiencing the same hardships and reversals of fortune they believed they were immune from.
Trump speaks to that frustration. That sense of entitlement and need to blame other people for why things are not going right in their life. They have always had these feelings. But now we have cops being able to shoot unarmed blacks and go free. Now we have a Republican dominated congress who is so openly hostile and unwilling to work with our black president. And most of all we have the internet that enables people anonymously vent bigotry and anger and reach out to others who feel the same way. There is strength in numbers.
The most alarming thing the rise of Trump has done is expose just how many people still feel this way in our country, which came into being as a refuge of tolerance and freedom, but at the same time was also built upon the backs of slaves and migrant labor, and the decimation of the Native Americans.
Trump speaks to that frustration. That sense of entitlement and need to blame other people for why things are not going right in their life. They have always had these feelings. But now we have cops being able to shoot unarmed blacks and go free. Now we have a Republican dominated congress who is so openly hostile and unwilling to work with our black president. And most of all we have the internet that enables people anonymously vent bigotry and anger and reach out to others who feel the same way. There is strength in numbers.
The most alarming thing the rise of Trump has done is expose just how many people still feel this way in our country, which came into being as a refuge of tolerance and freedom, but at the same time was also built upon the backs of slaves and migrant labor, and the decimation of the Native Americans.
29
The internet has been built by all of us, yes, but there is also the internet "rule":
Don't feed the trolls.
Don't feed the trolls.
7
"Politically correct" is being turned into a slur by the right. This will be another victory for the Fox universe, along the lines of "death tax" and "government giveaway." How do people revel in not being "politically correct" and fail to see that the issue is one of simple respect? I'm beginning to feel very old in saying that when I was growing up I was taught simple politeness, that one does not say everything one thinks, that tempering one's words and being careful about how one expresses things enables us to preserve relationships and is a minimal expectation in social interactions.
If someone says "all Mexicans are rapists and drug dealers" it's not "politically incorrect," it's disrespectful, not to mention simply wrong, and if it's your first reaction, the appropriate thing to do is bite your tongue and pause for a few seconds. As Ashleigh Brilliant says, "don't believe everything you think." When we fail to use our brains and let our gut feelings rule, we invite retaliation in kind and throw sand into the gears of our polity.
The idea that blurting out your gut reaction is to be celebrated as "honest" is not a trait that I value in anyone. And most certainly not in a presidential candidate.
If someone says "all Mexicans are rapists and drug dealers" it's not "politically incorrect," it's disrespectful, not to mention simply wrong, and if it's your first reaction, the appropriate thing to do is bite your tongue and pause for a few seconds. As Ashleigh Brilliant says, "don't believe everything you think." When we fail to use our brains and let our gut feelings rule, we invite retaliation in kind and throw sand into the gears of our polity.
The idea that blurting out your gut reaction is to be celebrated as "honest" is not a trait that I value in anyone. And most certainly not in a presidential candidate.
27
Unstated by either candidate or supporters, Donald Trump is selling the fantasy of a long ago United States, pre-Roe v Wade, pre-Civil Rights, pre-internet, pre-globalization, pre-immigration and pre-9/11. As the title of Thomas Wolfe's book says: "You Can't Go Home Again." What does it take to jolt these Trump supporters out of their impossible dream and into the reality of the 21st century?
10
The Republican party has encouraged this for decades, with psychotics calling in on Talk Radio, with Rush Limbaugh's endless rants, National Review, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter--the list is endless. Well, the chickens have finally come home to roost. Trump should be the nominee because he does represent the Republican party of today better than anyone else. The Republicans have made their bed and now they get to sleep in it. I am delighted!
21
Why aren't more in the "press" calling out Trump for his lies, racism, misogynist past and just plain lies- he is not turning down millions in donations- he is not financing his own campaign- he is a pathetic waste of protoplasm. He has no plans for his hate- he is not a great negotiator- he's a bully- he doesn't pay many of his sub contractors, instead telling them to sue him- knowing it would cost them more to sue him than he owes them. Take the microphone away from this doofus.
17
One of the most unpleasant aspects of modern politics is the need to take complex ideas and distill them into overly simplified, easily digestible, polarizing friendly narratives.
To a certain extent everyone does this. It is about creating fear which drives votes and donations, about creating scapegoats (you're not to blame, you are a victim, it's ...), and about distraction and mischaracterizing your opponents real concerns and motivations by equating them with some monstrous alternative reality.
Republicans do this with their cries of "Socialism" and "Tax & Spend Democrats." Democrats do this with their "Republicans are heartless racists." Trump does this with... Most of everything he says. And this article does this, to almost a Trumpian extent.
I hate even this pseudo-agreement with the Donald because I loath everything he represents. But... Let's look at political correctness for example. Obviously the extent to which Trump takes his rhetoric is wrong headed, and at heart to be PC is simply to subscribe to that Golden Rule of treating others like we'd like to be treated ourselves. But let's be honest in recent years being PC has taken on an ugly authoritarian edge that stifles dialogue and minimizes dissenting voices.
Then there is Trump's wall. Yes it is a stupid idea. But for years and administrations we have done absolutely nothing about immigration. Now we at least are talking about it.
To a certain extent everyone does this. It is about creating fear which drives votes and donations, about creating scapegoats (you're not to blame, you are a victim, it's ...), and about distraction and mischaracterizing your opponents real concerns and motivations by equating them with some monstrous alternative reality.
Republicans do this with their cries of "Socialism" and "Tax & Spend Democrats." Democrats do this with their "Republicans are heartless racists." Trump does this with... Most of everything he says. And this article does this, to almost a Trumpian extent.
I hate even this pseudo-agreement with the Donald because I loath everything he represents. But... Let's look at political correctness for example. Obviously the extent to which Trump takes his rhetoric is wrong headed, and at heart to be PC is simply to subscribe to that Golden Rule of treating others like we'd like to be treated ourselves. But let's be honest in recent years being PC has taken on an ugly authoritarian edge that stifles dialogue and minimizes dissenting voices.
Then there is Trump's wall. Yes it is a stupid idea. But for years and administrations we have done absolutely nothing about immigration. Now we at least are talking about it.
33
Outmigration at our southern border exceeds immigration, so what exactly is it the country has done nothing about?
I pledge allegiance to my Donald and the party for which he pines, one party, one nation, with liberty and justice for the very few.
4
Look at that picture of the Trump brigade. See any brown facies there?
The sad fact of the matter is that Trump's people are whites who thought they had a deal with the Republican party -- the rich could have what they wanted as long as they took care of the white Republicans.
But the rich didn't.
The sad fact of the matter is that Trump's people are whites who thought they had a deal with the Republican party -- the rich could have what they wanted as long as they took care of the white Republicans.
But the rich didn't.
17
There are at least two, but they could be hostages.
Actually yes - he's there on the bottom row on the left, and there are two women in the fourth row up from the bottom, far left. Disclaimer: I'm no Trump fan and don't plan to vote for him. But you asked if I see any brown faces, and the fact is that there are some non-whites in the photo.
1
This again? Bottom row, third from the left in the picture. And Ben Carson.
The young black man punched at the Carolina rally wasn't a "protester." He was a black, rally attendee. He was escorted out of the building and was surrounded by sheriffs when the white attendee simply punched him in the face from the sidelines. At that point the cops shoved the attendee, who had been punched, to the ground, while telling the white puncher to go back to his seat. The only thing missing from this disgraceful show were the brown shirts.
The deniability on the part of Trump is front and center for all to see who care to take the blinders off. Only afterwards did the puncher get arrested and contrary to Trump's claim to be ready to pay any and all legal costs, the puncher spent the night in jail, unable to pay the $2500 in bail and not getting any help from Trump. If you like authoritarians Republicans are your party.
This season of the "angry have nots" is just a ratcheting up of the "my way or the highway" philosophy from the Party that is devoid of workable policy, hasn't passed meaningful legislation in seven years, only works a half week, and has the treasonous chutzpah to deny a President the Constitutionally mandated right to name a SC Justice because they don't like the color of his politics or his skin.
Republican fans may be right to be angry, but their enemy looks back at them from their mirrors: they keep electing people who work for the .01% and for corporate America. Talk about political correctness!
The deniability on the part of Trump is front and center for all to see who care to take the blinders off. Only afterwards did the puncher get arrested and contrary to Trump's claim to be ready to pay any and all legal costs, the puncher spent the night in jail, unable to pay the $2500 in bail and not getting any help from Trump. If you like authoritarians Republicans are your party.
This season of the "angry have nots" is just a ratcheting up of the "my way or the highway" philosophy from the Party that is devoid of workable policy, hasn't passed meaningful legislation in seven years, only works a half week, and has the treasonous chutzpah to deny a President the Constitutionally mandated right to name a SC Justice because they don't like the color of his politics or his skin.
Republican fans may be right to be angry, but their enemy looks back at them from their mirrors: they keep electing people who work for the .01% and for corporate America. Talk about political correctness!
262
Donald Trump is a completely ridiculous figure, plainly and obviously, but he has never been my main concern. My main concern is his millions of supporters and devotees that listen with rapt attention to his third grade vocabulary, his bigoted statements, and his megalomanic utterings and feel a devotion and strong kinship with him. The problem is not Donald Trump. It is the massive number of unabashed racists, sexists, homophobes and nationalists that make up his base (which includes a generous number of evangelical "christians"). They have always been a part of the electorate, but are now fully unmasked. They have been demanding their country back since the election of Barack Obama, and they will not be satisfied until they control Congress, the White House and the Supreme Court. History will not judge them kindly.
21
I am no supporter of Mr. Trump, and will vote Libertarian if he is the Republican nominee. However, supporting enforcement of our immigration laws and building a wall to keep illegal aliens out is not racist. We are allowed to enforce our immigration laws and to bring an end to immigration levels that are radically transforming our country. In 1970, there were 13 million people in our country who were born elsewhere; by 2010 that number had jumped to 50 million. With millions of Americans out of work and wages depressed for those who are working, we need to bring an end to these massive levels of immigration. That is not racist; that is common sense.
11
And how many white European middle eastern Asian students who have overstayed their student visas will trump's wall keep out? Trump wants to keep out Hispanics not Europeans
Reagan was the amnesty President. 11 million to start, and some of those 11 million had kids, so the actual number is closer to 20 million.
Now how is it that Reagan so revered by Trump ?
Reagan was THE AMNESTY President. If you're willing to denounce Reagan, I'll read past your first sentence.
Now how is it that Reagan so revered by Trump ?
Reagan was THE AMNESTY President. If you're willing to denounce Reagan, I'll read past your first sentence.
2
I am a progressive, but I agree with you that we need to discuss immigration, (including H1B visas). I don't think that's the issue at all.
What's a problem is what Trump's doing, claiming that Mexicans as "sending" rapists and drug dealers, that immigrants are more criminal than other people, and so on.
This is where the ugly rhetoric cuts off discussion in areas where the two sides COULD get together and talk.
What's a problem is what Trump's doing, claiming that Mexicans as "sending" rapists and drug dealers, that immigrants are more criminal than other people, and so on.
This is where the ugly rhetoric cuts off discussion in areas where the two sides COULD get together and talk.
Ms. Kemper and her compatriots at the Trump rallies are free to say whatever they like. They can even use "code" to say it. What they can't do is shut down the people who disagree with them (ala Patrick Henry). People are entitled to believe whatever nonsense they want, they are not entitled to be respected for those beliefs. The folks that support Trump can be called many things, but deep thinkers isn't one of them and when they get called out by others that are, dare I say it, more educated and less ignorant, let the chips fall where they may.
8
When I moved to Texas from Minnesota I got a culture shock greater than the one moving from Texas to Austria. I finished university in East Texas at Lamar, a great university just a few miles down the road from Vidor. Type just "Vidor Texas" into google and the first two suggestions for ending your search text are "KKK" and "racism".
There are many great people in Texas and I'm happy to call some of them friends and family. That being said, the words that come casually out of many "church-going" Texans' mouths about women and particularly people of color and/or Muslims fit right in at a Trump rally. Apropos: my anecdotal evidence lines up quite well with who won the Texas and Minnesota primaries.
There are many great people in Texas and I'm happy to call some of them friends and family. That being said, the words that come casually out of many "church-going" Texans' mouths about women and particularly people of color and/or Muslims fit right in at a Trump rally. Apropos: my anecdotal evidence lines up quite well with who won the Texas and Minnesota primaries.
13
I moved away from Minnesota and then back so I know what you mean. I am sure there are people here who like Trump, but Minnesota is basically a civil society.
1
This is how extremists operate. Remember how they are the "silent majority" while screaming and hollering at the top of their lungs. Remember how Christianity is under attack every Christmas regardless of how you see it everywhere. It's all just a fantasy created to give an excuse to their violence and uncivil ways. They have always been like this and will always be like this. The only thing that society has to take note is the amount of people who become frustrated about things and decide to join them and give them critical mass. I fear that sometimes societies tip over and the extremists reach critical mass and create a lot of havoc in society. I am hoping this doesn't happen anytime soon here or in most of Europe, but it is up to us to wise up and decry it.
14
I used to think that Trump supporters, and indeed most of the "modern" GOP, we pining for the halcyon days of the '50s. A white man was in the White House, dad had a good job with a local manufacturer and a pension plan, "those people" knew and stayed in their place, Dick and Jane walked to a neighborhood school. God was in His heaven, and all was well with the world. Sigh ...
I was right about the decade, but missed on the century. It isn't the 1950s, but the 1850s they are so nostalgic for -- and there wasn't even a Republican Party then. But I think there were the Know Nothings.
I was right about the decade, but missed on the century. It isn't the 1950s, but the 1850s they are so nostalgic for -- and there wasn't even a Republican Party then. But I think there were the Know Nothings.
11
Pension plan? In the 1800's?
There is nothing positive, as I see it, in D.T.'s assault on the American political scene. He seems to have nothing but contempt for any and all who do not idolize and lionize him. There is also nothing positive in the unearthing of the hateful, xenophobic, execrable, narrow-mindedness welling up from the antediluvian minds of his toadies. And, yes, I find it hard to respect these people, although I try hard to disrespect their actions and opinions and still maintain respect for these unfortunate fellow-humans. I hope that this sorry chapter in American history will conclude soon and on a positive note.
5
When economic disaster hit the USA in 2008, it was a moment of weakness and fear. White America overcame that fear by expiating its innate racism by electing a black man to the presidency. Thereby washing themselves of all the sins of the past centuries. They did the 'right' thing...how much more can one ask them to repent.
Having absolved themselves, and with a fresh slate, it was time to go back to the good old days of entrenched racism and xenophobia. Now they can live off it for another century or so.
Never, in recent memory, has the race divide been more violent than in the times of Barack Obama. If he was to reprimand or take action against race crimes, he would have been labeled Malcolm X. Unfortunately, he couldn't be a Martin Luther King.
I admire Obama, but he is leaving behind a country with more fear and ethnic hatred than he started out with. The bitter legacy he will bequeath his country goes by the name of Donald Trump.
Having absolved themselves, and with a fresh slate, it was time to go back to the good old days of entrenched racism and xenophobia. Now they can live off it for another century or so.
Never, in recent memory, has the race divide been more violent than in the times of Barack Obama. If he was to reprimand or take action against race crimes, he would have been labeled Malcolm X. Unfortunately, he couldn't be a Martin Luther King.
I admire Obama, but he is leaving behind a country with more fear and ethnic hatred than he started out with. The bitter legacy he will bequeath his country goes by the name of Donald Trump.
1
Obama's presence in the white house did not cause more racism. it only brought to the surface what has been suppressed since LBJ's civil rights act. many people think/believe/know the civil war is still not over. trump is a traitor.
3
Your admiration for our president should not be linked to blaming him for the increase in fear and ethnic hatred. In this country, that fear and hatred for non-whites has always been there and encouraged by those in our government who have always been racists.
2
The risk of having white-trash Trump in the White House where this populist propeller-head would be within an arm’s reach of the nuclear button should be enough to frighten any American.
Trump’s comment “I am a unifier” is a contradiction. The rancorous and widening schisms of deep ideological fissures prevailing in the GOP with the specter of chaos among its leaders and members will cause the Republican Party to implode if Trump wins the nomination of the GOP.
If Trump wins the GOP nomination this will guarantee a flipping in control of both the Senate and the House as American voters will reject the Republican Party which has descended to new depths of repugnance, revulsion and vulgarity.
The party of Lincoln does not exist anymore. The Republican Party has been on a downward skid since Regan when the focus shifted from paying attention to Americans and evolved to guiding national policies to the demands of its wealthy patrons, lobbyists and interest groups.
President Eisenhower warned Americans of the military industrial complex guiding national policies in his parting speech. He could have also warned Americans to beware of moneyed interests guiding national policies
Americans have always loved populist leaders like Regan and Dubya. And what are the results? The American middle class and poor have suffered greatly while the moneyed interests have grown wealthier. Now we have more of the same in the populist Trump
The Republican Party will lose in November big time !
Trump’s comment “I am a unifier” is a contradiction. The rancorous and widening schisms of deep ideological fissures prevailing in the GOP with the specter of chaos among its leaders and members will cause the Republican Party to implode if Trump wins the nomination of the GOP.
If Trump wins the GOP nomination this will guarantee a flipping in control of both the Senate and the House as American voters will reject the Republican Party which has descended to new depths of repugnance, revulsion and vulgarity.
The party of Lincoln does not exist anymore. The Republican Party has been on a downward skid since Regan when the focus shifted from paying attention to Americans and evolved to guiding national policies to the demands of its wealthy patrons, lobbyists and interest groups.
President Eisenhower warned Americans of the military industrial complex guiding national policies in his parting speech. He could have also warned Americans to beware of moneyed interests guiding national policies
Americans have always loved populist leaders like Regan and Dubya. And what are the results? The American middle class and poor have suffered greatly while the moneyed interests have grown wealthier. Now we have more of the same in the populist Trump
The Republican Party will lose in November big time !
5
Sad but true, Ms. West. The good news is that these "haters" are a minority of Americans. The bad news is that their anger, hate, and fear drive them to the voting booth. Thanks to Senator Elizabeth Warren who called out the "haters" in Congress yesterday who have refused to accept President Obama as the leader of OUR country for the last seven years and have done nothing but obstruct democracy in America. Thanks to ALL the women who are speaking up - and acting out - to say WE are half of humanity and WE will have an equal say in how America is run. WE want a civil, equitable America and WE will denounce the angry, fearful haters every single day and make sure they lose their power on November 8 and in every election before and after. It IS time to make America great again and getting rid of them is the best way to do it.
8
"They called him into being, not the other way around." This says it all, and it's what really scares me.
6
Although I try not to watch any coverage of Trump, from what I have read, I tend to think that many of Donald Trump's pitchfork crowd are not at all afraid to say whatever vile thing pops into their heads, but that they fear the consequences of breaking the law if they behave in such a thuggish ugly manner toward those they have been taught to fear and hate by the 24/7 rightwing media and many GOP political leaders. However, things are heating up, and I suspect we will see increasing obnoxiousness and violence over the coming months, egged on by the GOP's very own Frankenstein monster, Donald Trump.
4
To some extent we have been letting people get by with this behavior for several years or maybe forever, looking embarrassed but rarely confronting the issue and the blabber. A sweet-looking grandmother type mailed me an anti-Muslim and really stupid joke. I confronted her, and her response was "sorry you were offended." Not "sorry I was offensive." The same has happened with a neighbor who gloatingly defended a racist remark. And with someone who sent this crazy screed about the "good ol' days," which appeared to those very same days when because I was a woman, there was no need to apply to certain colleges because they weren't accepting women and same if I had been a black man or woman. Maybe those were the good ol' days when we went to nice new schools built for the Boomers while African-American students were crowded into a decaying building they'd been using for years. The days when there were white and black restrooms.
I never let people get by with that sort of hate or carelessness, whichever it is. But too often I'm met with the "sorry you were offended" nonsense. I wasn't offended, I was embarrassed for you and I was enraged. I was a little bit or sometimes a lot scared too.
Silence in the face of this sort of talk is the problem. It's the flip side of political correctness.
I never let people get by with that sort of hate or carelessness, whichever it is. But too often I'm met with the "sorry you were offended" nonsense. I wasn't offended, I was embarrassed for you and I was enraged. I was a little bit or sometimes a lot scared too.
Silence in the face of this sort of talk is the problem. It's the flip side of political correctness.
13
It occurs to me that when American men migrated to California during the Gold Rush, that the Californeanos who were already living there probably also looked at these scruffy, unkempt, unemployed, uneducated, fortune-seeking predominantly-white miners who had abandoned their families back east in search of gold and a better life, and thought, "They're bringing crime, they're rapists, and probably some of them are nice people, but they're not the best people. Maybe we should build a wall."
7
Yes, Jackie, they were called "oakies" and treated worse than today's immigrants - read "Grapes of Wrath" for a clear picture. So were the Chinese when they were brought to America as slave labor for the railroad barons. So were the Japanese who were interred during WWII. Haters are always looking for someone to take out their fear and anger on.
2
Thing is, if you read up about those "Forty-niners" the Californeanos were pretty accurate in their assessments.
2
Yup, every group has been demonized at one time or another. (It's "Okies," by the way, which, as a person who was born in Oklahoma, I find very offensive. And they came from the Dust Bowl states during the 1930's. But I was talking about the rich landowners of Spanish descent who probably did not welcome the men who came from the East and Midwest during the Gold Rush of 1849.) Even the English, Spanish and French immigrants who claimed land upon which dwelt the Native American tribes were not welcomed after they, the English, French and Spanish immigrants, proved themselves to be uncivilized according to Native American customs.
1
It does NOT mean make America "white" again. It means make America one again.
Not all trump followers are white non educated citizens. Many are minorities who are grateful of how far we have come, ready to continue progress between all races, and determined to preserve all our freedoms, our sovereignty and our character.
Not the perfect messenger, but an honest and courageous one.
E pluribus unum..
Not all trump followers are white non educated citizens. Many are minorities who are grateful of how far we have come, ready to continue progress between all races, and determined to preserve all our freedoms, our sovereignty and our character.
Not the perfect messenger, but an honest and courageous one.
E pluribus unum..
29
@RD -- What progress between races allows white men and women to shout racial slurs and pejorative names for female anatomy at an African American young woman?
Just wondering...
Just wondering...
5
THIS is a NY Times Pick??? Trump is an honest messenger? The man lies in his sleep. Courageous? How? He's a draft-dodging womanizer who can't even let a childish taunt about his penis size go--there's no courage there, just puerile privilege. I know the NYT wants 'balance' in its comment recommendations, but this is simply ridiculous.
4
"Many Trump fans are...ready to continue progress between all races..."
It never ceases to amaze me the shockingly inaccurate things people like RD will come out in public and say when their agenda is more precious to them than reality.
It never ceases to amaze me the shockingly inaccurate things people like RD will come out in public and say when their agenda is more precious to them than reality.
2
Its largely a Cult of Personality.
The Donald is a TV Celebrity....first and foremost.
And that is why 40% of republicans will vote for him, without reservation.
TV taught them to admire his behavior.
If Kim Kardashian announced she was running for President, she'd get 40% of the vote also.
The Donald is a TV Celebrity....first and foremost.
And that is why 40% of republicans will vote for him, without reservation.
TV taught them to admire his behavior.
If Kim Kardashian announced she was running for President, she'd get 40% of the vote also.
5
Putting the anger aside his supporters have no clue that as far as his tax policy goes, it is not in their best interest.
3
Words do not have meaning, people do. People define a term for a purpose(s); since the purposes of people differ, their definitions will often differ, also.
Despite Bloom, et al, the term, “Politically correct” as a pejorative expression makes no sense, and for that reason it fits well into Trump’s trash heap of expressions. Being correct politically is good.
The word “correct” implies rightness. That rightness is politically acceptable and very likely the referent of the term is likely to be something valued by a large majority. Those who use the term pejoratively are merely revealing and whining that as "Trumpeters" they are unconventionally wrong, and feel the embarrassment of being so and being in the minority. After all, the Constitution of the US is politically correct, is it not? And that is why GOPers and Trump don’t much like it. They are definitely not politically correct.
Despite Bloom, et al, the term, “Politically correct” as a pejorative expression makes no sense, and for that reason it fits well into Trump’s trash heap of expressions. Being correct politically is good.
The word “correct” implies rightness. That rightness is politically acceptable and very likely the referent of the term is likely to be something valued by a large majority. Those who use the term pejoratively are merely revealing and whining that as "Trumpeters" they are unconventionally wrong, and feel the embarrassment of being so and being in the minority. After all, the Constitution of the US is politically correct, is it not? And that is why GOPers and Trump don’t much like it. They are definitely not politically correct.
3
The unspeakable truth is that, the more of us there are, the less we are worth to each other.
3
An interesting and valid observation, Steve, one which I've been giving some thought to recently as well. The more people there are, and the fewer good jobs there are, the more we turn on each other...
2
More news than opinion here, shouldn't this be on the front page. Like many weeks ago. I'm reminded how Kate Zernike portrayed the tea party so kindly in these pages several years ago. The thing is these are the same people.
1
Lindy West, this is so pitch perfect. And horrifying.
3
"They’re saying what Mr. Trump can’t."
This is a crucial observation, that I have not seen anyone else make.
Thank you!
This is a crucial observation, that I have not seen anyone else make.
Thank you!
4
I hope all these people who say they will "sit this election out" if their presidential pick doesn't make it to the finish line, reconsider their civic duty to vote. What's the difference between the Republican senate refusing to even hold hearings on a Supreme Court nominee and refusing to vote? We all need to vote. It's our duty.
America finally crawled out of the hole we were in and things are going better then they have been in years and no one sees any hope in that? I will vote. I want to continue the gains we have made and not turn the country back into a wild West show down. If it's Hilary then I vote for Hilary. If it's Sanders then I will vote for Sanders. I can't vote for someone who calls women "dogs and pigs" and who wants people who throw tomatoes to be punched. "I will pay your legal fees. I promise." That's not the America I want to live in. I just hope that everyone who is disgusted and cares about America gets up and casts their vote.
America finally crawled out of the hole we were in and things are going better then they have been in years and no one sees any hope in that? I will vote. I want to continue the gains we have made and not turn the country back into a wild West show down. If it's Hilary then I vote for Hilary. If it's Sanders then I will vote for Sanders. I can't vote for someone who calls women "dogs and pigs" and who wants people who throw tomatoes to be punched. "I will pay your legal fees. I promise." That's not the America I want to live in. I just hope that everyone who is disgusted and cares about America gets up and casts their vote.
20
Many here have said "I have never seen Americans act like this before". Well, I have and so have most people my age, 72: it was the faces of white police and sherriffs, high school and college students when the law of the land brought a few terrified but resolute black students into their school or when their parents walked instead of riding the segregated buses or when a great parade of elders walked across a bridge in support of the basic Constitutional rights they were being denied. It's not jobs, it's not the economy. IT IS RACISM! And that's what they are afraid to say because they know it is despicable.
28
Correct. Anyone who remembers the 50's and 60's has absolutely seen this behavior. Don't forget that it was Richard Nixon who publicly called anti-Vietnam war protesters "bums." This country has never gotten over the rift caused by Vietnam and Trump's people are the last dying gasp of those who cheered for Bull Connor, George Wallace, the construction workers beating up demonstrators in NYC, the Chicago cops rioting at the 1969 DNC, and claimed that the college students killed at Kent State and Jackson State "had it coming." Oh yes, we know exactly who Trump supporters really are..
2
I think that we have exhausted the verbal possibilities of the dictionary with respect to characterizations of Trump.
All that can be said about Trump has been said. What is left to be said now regards the people who follow him. His program is impossible, both practically and constitutionally so he cannot deliver on his promises. What he will do is create huge social and diplomatic problems for the country. In every country, there is always a sizable group that it will follow the latest demagogue. Let's up that here they are a minority.
As for people who say that if my candidate is not nominated, I won't vote at all, it is not only a grave political error but a counterproductive act. Not only they are not getting what they want, they are getting precisely what they do not want.
All that can be said about Trump has been said. What is left to be said now regards the people who follow him. His program is impossible, both practically and constitutionally so he cannot deliver on his promises. What he will do is create huge social and diplomatic problems for the country. In every country, there is always a sizable group that it will follow the latest demagogue. Let's up that here they are a minority.
As for people who say that if my candidate is not nominated, I won't vote at all, it is not only a grave political error but a counterproductive act. Not only they are not getting what they want, they are getting precisely what they do not want.
6
This piece does not go far enough in analyzing the dangers of Trump's rhetoric. Insofar as he rebels against the shibboleth of political correctness, he is a breath of fresh air because he states things that are manifestly true. SOME Mexicans crossing the border are criminals and drug dealers. MANY Muslims across the world support Daesh and related terrorist organizations. MANY black communities have crime rates far above the average. These are facts and people are tired of having to treat them the same way Victorian prudes treated the facts of human reproduction: as unmentionables. But Trump is no defender of free inquiry. He takes grains of truth and throws them into a witch's brew of authoritarianism, cult of personality, and poisonous populism. But the left should take a good hard look at ourselves: we helped to birth this monster by putting certain subjects outside the bounds of political discourse.
10
Agree that the left, which I support, bears some blame here. Sugar-coating unpleasant facts, in an effort to be inclusive and compassionate, leaves us wide open to these scary over-reactions from the right. It's not just the American left. You see the same phenomenon in Europe,where the scary rise in xenophobic far-right parties is fuelled in part by the left's tendency to "gommer certaines verites".
3
You might add, also, that many whites are racist in varying degrees, and the republicans in congress and now trump have made it OK to express it.
I'm afraid the author has it wrong. Trump supporters are less thrilled with him and his statements because he says what they are "afraid" to say, but what the politicians are afraid to say.
Most politicians speaking to anywhere but to their own bathroom mirrors are afraid to call a spade a spade for fear of angering some portion of their constituency. I had hoped that Trump's rhetoric would force some of them to own up to their thoughts and desires. Alas, they find it easier to try to attack him.
Most politicians speaking to anywhere but to their own bathroom mirrors are afraid to call a spade a spade for fear of angering some portion of their constituency. I had hoped that Trump's rhetoric would force some of them to own up to their thoughts and desires. Alas, they find it easier to try to attack him.
4
A very shrill column, appropriate for the author I suppose. I literally laughed out loud after a clumsy introductory bit, in which she quotes a female support of Trump, and (paraphrasing) saying that since she is afraid to say what she thinks, but supports Trump - who I say is a misogynist - then she must be a misogynist or support misogyny herself (What an overused word).
She attempts to paint Trump a racist, but the lead photo for the column shows about 10% of the crowd, in just that one very small spot, are African-American. I supposed they are self-hating blacks, just as Ms. Elizabeth Kemp who is quoted is a supporter of the "Patriarchy". Another attempt quotes a student "jostled" who says Trump supporters said mean things at her. 3 black women from University of Albany said very similar things happened to them on a bus, and they are being charged with crimes for lying. Stick with things you can verify, please.
The only real meat - and this wasn't even substantially explored - was the supporter who sucker punched the BLM protester, then gave interviews saying "we might have to kill him next time". But I don't think even he was representative of Trump supporters.
She attempts to paint Trump a racist, but the lead photo for the column shows about 10% of the crowd, in just that one very small spot, are African-American. I supposed they are self-hating blacks, just as Ms. Elizabeth Kemp who is quoted is a supporter of the "Patriarchy". Another attempt quotes a student "jostled" who says Trump supporters said mean things at her. 3 black women from University of Albany said very similar things happened to them on a bus, and they are being charged with crimes for lying. Stick with things you can verify, please.
The only real meat - and this wasn't even substantially explored - was the supporter who sucker punched the BLM protester, then gave interviews saying "we might have to kill him next time". But I don't think even he was representative of Trump supporters.
6
It appears Trump supporters are not afraid of saying much of anything. The ones that are afraid now have found a vessel for their hate, prejudices, and puerile interests. We voters with common sense will need to be vigilant more than normal this November.
Trump's hate of all those beneath him is striking. He detests the very working class slobs who admire him. Trump is a strange man. His supporters are dopes, like lemmings, willing to follow him off the cliff to be washed away into the sea.
We will not miss Trump of his kind. We will take it as a warning that the disappearing mad dog angry White Male American is as dangerous as any foreigner they fear is coming to take their jobs away.
DD
Manhattan
Trump's hate of all those beneath him is striking. He detests the very working class slobs who admire him. Trump is a strange man. His supporters are dopes, like lemmings, willing to follow him off the cliff to be washed away into the sea.
We will not miss Trump of his kind. We will take it as a warning that the disappearing mad dog angry White Male American is as dangerous as any foreigner they fear is coming to take their jobs away.
DD
Manhattan
10
I get it - these are folks who are tired of euphemisms generated by Liberals:
They are illegal aliens - not undocumented guest-workers
They wonder why if Black Lives Matter - no one moves to call-out or slow down the murders of young black men in Chicago and across the USA.
They are confused folks don't comprehend that single individuals who hold thousand-person rallies to hostage are ejected forcibly from those rallies.
They are illegal aliens - not undocumented guest-workers
They wonder why if Black Lives Matter - no one moves to call-out or slow down the murders of young black men in Chicago and across the USA.
They are confused folks don't comprehend that single individuals who hold thousand-person rallies to hostage are ejected forcibly from those rallies.
4
So Trump supporters harangue the poor, Blacks, Muslims, Mexicans, and refugees while supporting the epitome of those that have actually taken their jobs, homes, and aspirations away from them, businessmen like Trump. Trump who employs the poor, Blacks, Muslims, Mexicans, and refugees, over his very supporters because they are cheap labor. An irony that isn’t even funny anymore.
So we blame children dying of starvation in Africa on their economic leaders. We blame refugees’ plights on the economic leaders in their countries. We blame immigration on the economic leaders in their home countries. But n America the blame for all our economic problems are the poor, starving and refugees. Another irony that isn’t funny anymore.
Meanwhile Trump supporters believe that using racial, ethnic and sexual slurs are going to make it easier for them to get good jobs, nice houses, and live good lives as if that is what has been holding them back rather than the bad financial practices of our economic leaders. Not irony, just incomprehensible.
So we blame children dying of starvation in Africa on their economic leaders. We blame refugees’ plights on the economic leaders in their countries. We blame immigration on the economic leaders in their home countries. But n America the blame for all our economic problems are the poor, starving and refugees. Another irony that isn’t funny anymore.
Meanwhile Trump supporters believe that using racial, ethnic and sexual slurs are going to make it easier for them to get good jobs, nice houses, and live good lives as if that is what has been holding them back rather than the bad financial practices of our economic leaders. Not irony, just incomprehensible.
17
"I'm plain spoken" now prefaces anachronistic sexism, racism and willful ignorance. I don't deny our least educated and most nostalgic citizens their opinion but don't lower the bar, hop over it and expect a medal for being simple.
11
After allowing complete disrespect towards the sitting president, after declaring to destroy the presidency of the new incoming president , after denying to correct misguided accusations towards the sitting president , why is it a surprise that the mob mentality has grown too large and too ugly to sweep under the rug anymore?
15
The Founding Fathers created the Electoral College to act as a high-pass filter to the low-life contingent of voters. Perhaps we should move to strengthen it and not, as is being suggested, eliminate it.
4
The Trump supporters who shout, "American values!" ironically are displaying "values" of which I want no part! The 78 year man who resorted to violence at Mr. Trump's rally is a prime example. That person's values resulted in him acting like a thug. The more people who show up at Trump's rallies, shout him down and expose his flawed agenda the better.
9
The more people who show up at Trump's rallies to shout him down, the more clear it becomes that political correctness is just another form of fascism.
1
Trump toned it down in last night's debate, which is interesting. If he's the nominee, he'll have to continue to become more mainstream because the number of his supporters is not enough for him to win the general election. As he tones down his rhetoric, his supporters will realize they were sold a bill of goods and will back away, not vote at all, and leave him with even fewer votes. He's painted himself into a corner with this controversial statements, and he's damned whether he tones it down or keeps it up. Either way, the numbers simply aren't sufficient for him to be elected.
7
There is no such thing as "political correctness". It is called respect. Bigots don't want to be respectful to those who disagree with them or are different from them. Adherence to law and basic human respect are the only things keeping America from descending into civil war. We are all different, we all live together, and we all have to get along.
11
Bush made me want to renounce my citizenship. Trump makes me want to renounce my gender and ethnicity. (Needless to say, I'm a white guy.)
1
Some of us have noticed that certain groups in America don't adhere to the law - but to point this out is not politically correct.
2
The late Emilia Rathbun once said that, in order to make effective, benevolent change, we mustn't go from the gutter on side of the street to the gutter on the other side. Rather, we should get up on the crest and drive forward down the road.
I wonder, as we consider Mr. Trump's popularity, if these words of wisdom might not be useful. If we dislike politicians for giving us "canned" answers, and we like Trump because he is "real"... would it not make sense that there is a third way to look at this?
Be honest and real. For sure. But what are you being honest and real about?
Our country is certainly being challenged to think. Let's stay focussed and ensure that our discussions and voting decisions have the greater good in mind... globally as well as for our own country. Then, maybe we can look back and tell our children and grandchildren that we did the right thing.
We are being called to become as wise and loving as the system that produced us. That's my "crest of the road." What's yours?
I wonder, as we consider Mr. Trump's popularity, if these words of wisdom might not be useful. If we dislike politicians for giving us "canned" answers, and we like Trump because he is "real"... would it not make sense that there is a third way to look at this?
Be honest and real. For sure. But what are you being honest and real about?
Our country is certainly being challenged to think. Let's stay focussed and ensure that our discussions and voting decisions have the greater good in mind... globally as well as for our own country. Then, maybe we can look back and tell our children and grandchildren that we did the right thing.
We are being called to become as wise and loving as the system that produced us. That's my "crest of the road." What's yours?
1
All of the Republican candidates are reactionary, not conservative. They want to repeal or suspend laws so that we can go back to an earlier time. It is crucial to make this distinction.
7
The phrases used by the Trump people I know are, We need to make America great again, and We need to take our country back. Press them on what they mean and eventually, after dodging and ducking and complaining about how politically correct you are for questioning them, to a person they announce that Barack Obama is the reason and the reason they dislike him is because he is black.
8
Hello Lindy,
Thanks for the summary. Yes, it's bad out there.
Yet, I wonder if it's not exactly what we need? For years every few months I'd listen in on our local "Christian" radio station. I was curious to find out what was on their minds, and discover the outrage of the day. (Strangely, I often wanted to call in, not to refute what was being said, but to push them a few steps further into the land of the delusional and paranoid - I didn't. Sadly, it seems our current crop of GOP candidates has actually done that.)
I tuned in to hear what was being said and what my neighbors were thinking and willing to say. If we're ever going to make any real progress towards justice and health, isn't it better to know? The sickness is there, is it better to live with the delusion that it isn't?
Thank you Donald, for laying bare the reality of who we are. Regardless of the causality of his ascendence (did you cultivate our hate, or did our hate make his candadicy possible, or more likely, a bit of both) what we are witnessing is real.
Let's get to the real work, of building the world we want to live in, and I for one don't think it's the one Mr Trump trying to create. Let's truly make America great - for everyone.
Thanks for the summary. Yes, it's bad out there.
Yet, I wonder if it's not exactly what we need? For years every few months I'd listen in on our local "Christian" radio station. I was curious to find out what was on their minds, and discover the outrage of the day. (Strangely, I often wanted to call in, not to refute what was being said, but to push them a few steps further into the land of the delusional and paranoid - I didn't. Sadly, it seems our current crop of GOP candidates has actually done that.)
I tuned in to hear what was being said and what my neighbors were thinking and willing to say. If we're ever going to make any real progress towards justice and health, isn't it better to know? The sickness is there, is it better to live with the delusion that it isn't?
Thank you Donald, for laying bare the reality of who we are. Regardless of the causality of his ascendence (did you cultivate our hate, or did our hate make his candadicy possible, or more likely, a bit of both) what we are witnessing is real.
Let's get to the real work, of building the world we want to live in, and I for one don't think it's the one Mr Trump trying to create. Let's truly make America great - for everyone.
4
When was common decency recast as "political correctness?"
7
If Trump gets nominated, poll watching in November is going to be more important and probably more dangerous than ever before.
3
Ronald
Important - YES.
More dangerous? Not here in my neck of the woods. There is a police office stationed at the polls. When I voted in the MA primary on March 1, I thanked the officer present for his service, and we had a short chat about people who DO NOT vote.
My comment is:
"If you do not vote, do NOT come complaining to me about what you do not like in the government. On the day your opinion counts, you choose to stay home. What good is complaining to any of us ordinary citizens on all the other days? What can we do for you?"
GO VOTE on November 8, 2016.
Important - YES.
More dangerous? Not here in my neck of the woods. There is a police office stationed at the polls. When I voted in the MA primary on March 1, I thanked the officer present for his service, and we had a short chat about people who DO NOT vote.
My comment is:
"If you do not vote, do NOT come complaining to me about what you do not like in the government. On the day your opinion counts, you choose to stay home. What good is complaining to any of us ordinary citizens on all the other days? What can we do for you?"
GO VOTE on November 8, 2016.
2
"He says what I’m afraid to say".....ok, yeah. I get that....I wouldn't vote for you either.
4
I may be an idiot but I do try not to put on Facebook or any other place, things I wouldn't say to another person. The survival of a person or a society does depend upon being civil in one's conversation, writing, etc. Just because it's anonymous or not in front of others doesn't mean it's okay to be all out nasty or threatening to others. Besides that, the minute anyone descends into threats, name-calling, or other sorts of intimidation they reveal themselves to be unworthy of serious consideration as a civilized, thoughtful, intelligent human being. Donald Trump is none of the above. Politics aside, we do need to work together to ensure everyone's success. We don't do everything on our own. We do need others and if we alienate those we need we will get stuck or worse.
I may not agree with your opinions, ideas, or how you live your life. However, until you force them on me or kill others I will defend your right to those opinions. I don't have to like them or agree with them. I do reserve the right to disagree but not in a threatening manner.
I may not agree with your opinions, ideas, or how you live your life. However, until you force them on me or kill others I will defend your right to those opinions. I don't have to like them or agree with them. I do reserve the right to disagree but not in a threatening manner.
4
Thank you for doing what has long needed to be done by the commentariat. Trump is shameless. So the only thing left is to try and shame the Trump voters. And they richly deserve it for their aggressive ignorance of history, modern economics, the basics of science, and our constitution.
Look at the faces. Then look at news photos from the civil rights movements of the 50s and 60s. Same faces we saw at Birmingham, Selma, Little Rock. These are the people who cheered on Bull Connor. Who terrified Ruby Bridges. I can't believe we aren't better than this.
Look at the faces. Then look at news photos from the civil rights movements of the 50s and 60s. Same faces we saw at Birmingham, Selma, Little Rock. These are the people who cheered on Bull Connor. Who terrified Ruby Bridges. I can't believe we aren't better than this.
6
I thought about attending a Trump rally,simply to assert my democratic right to do so & to get a real, live sense of his support base.....I have attended other political rallies in the past of nominees who I have not supported......but in Trump's case I just don't want any association,whatsoever ,with him or his supporters......it is just too scary.
Yes. . . and No. I would offer a slightly different argument for the phenomenon that is "The Donald". Bernie and the Donald are brothers of a different mother- both animated by, sired by, the economic angst of their supporters. The Donald's approach is to take the populist road and blame external forces- China, immigrants, implicitly the same minority bogey man the republicans always use i.e. "welfare cheats" who want "free stuff". Bernie on the other hand follows the socialist path - our problems are of our own making brought on by the economic system we have chosen that favors, for no good reason, some over others and by the slavish devotion to the chimera of "free trade" our leaders have engaged in.
There is a great deal of racism, nativism, misogyny and religious intolerance in Trump's appeal but it seems to be a by product in the sense that, for some people, it 'feels' good to blame others for your problems.
There is a great deal of racism, nativism, misogyny and religious intolerance in Trump's appeal but it seems to be a by product in the sense that, for some people, it 'feels' good to blame others for your problems.
5
Mr. Trump's vulgarity and thoughtless remarks have given people permission to act and speak likewise. His mantra could well be a version of the '60 s hippy saying "If it feels good do it." It takes mental discipline to bite your tongue. That's why holiday family meals, fueled by alcohol, can be gruesome.
Most of us learn in school and at work that getting along requires a lot of checking the urge to tell the boss what a jerk he is or a co-worker that you think he is nuts. Now, Mr. Trump comes along and gives people permission to say whatever bobble-headed thing comes into their mind and to feel good about it.
The attraction to the Don Rickles of this election year is really strong. How else to explain people who support someone whose foreign policy is getting trigger-happy heads of state into a room with him for real estate negotiations?
PS. Don't tell his supporters but Mr. Trump may not be part of the elected political establishment but that doesn't mean he is anti-Establishment. Just listen to his name dropping.
Most of us learn in school and at work that getting along requires a lot of checking the urge to tell the boss what a jerk he is or a co-worker that you think he is nuts. Now, Mr. Trump comes along and gives people permission to say whatever bobble-headed thing comes into their mind and to feel good about it.
The attraction to the Don Rickles of this election year is really strong. How else to explain people who support someone whose foreign policy is getting trigger-happy heads of state into a room with him for real estate negotiations?
PS. Don't tell his supporters but Mr. Trump may not be part of the elected political establishment but that doesn't mean he is anti-Establishment. Just listen to his name dropping.
2
"They called him into being, not the other way around." Except for the fact that they've been fed a rich nutritious diet of hate, racism, misogyny, and a wish to magically make the last 30 years disappear. Unfortunately, decisions have been made by the GOP and the Democrats that have negatively impacted the state of our union. But that is not how the GOP has defined it for them. They created the "liberal" label for any Democrat, regardless of where they stand on issues. They've demonized the media, except for their very narrow own. They trash the idea of sending kids to college, because they might get too smart and therefore become a liberal. The list goes on and on. I would say that Trump recognized the fruit was ripe.
3
Trump is a racist, a misogynist, a narcisist and a vulgarian without a coherent set of policies. How is it possible that he is leading in the GOP race? What is the one thing that allows him to win? In my opinion, people believe that he will get things done. That he'll get them done through bullying tactics doesn't matter too much to them. The difference is the GOP has spent the last 7 years not getting things done, but blocking every avenue that President Obama attempted to drive down to get things done. Look at who is challenging Trump, the ultimate do-nothing politician, Ted Cruz, who was instrumental in shutting the government down!!! So defeating someone as inept finally as Ted Cruz is not terribly difficult. Trump must look like a demi-god next to Ted. But he is so toxic and dangerous that the American people must and I think will finally reject him. You can only go against political gravity for so long before finally dropping with a Thud, or a Thump.
"They called him into being, not the other way around. " By "They" Ms. West presumably means the dog-whistling Republican Establishment, not merely the resentful white underclass it has so cynically and--until this year--successfully exploited.
I'm getting tired of the term "political correctness." It's a term from the late 1980s, but what does it mean anymore? If it's coming to mean being a decent human being who believes the principles this country was founded on, then I don't see how "incorrectness" is a good thing.
2
It is stunning to live in a world where people can claim to be "afraid" to express racism and misogyny, when the internet has become a verbal public sewer unparelleled in history. Manifestly, they can only mean they are afraid to express their prejudices with their names signed onto them. Latently, they are afraid because, in a truly public forum rather than in a self-confirming bubble such as a Trump rally, they can see that their beliefs are embarrassing, ill-informed, and not approved of by the majority of their fellow citizens, especially anyone with an education and a vocabulary of words over one syllable. They're not afraid of being silenced. They're afraid of being effectively contradicted so that even they can't believe their own garbage.
5
Probably a lot of people -- even people posting here -- say racist, xenophobic, nasty things in their living rooms. But most of us realize that we aren't supposed to say these nasty things out loud in public - -because we want to live in a civil society. Trump has made incivility acceptable.
3
Like everyone else, we can only guess at what a President Donny Trump might do in office. The only thing he promises is platitudes, and unsubstantiated generalizations, which suggests the details of what he would do will be so onerous that no good American will long be able to keep their gag reflex in check once we hand Trump the keys to the oval office. But what Trump is, is the natural progression of the republican position demonstrated over the last few decades to vastly prefer fantasy over reality. To hear their worst and most massive failures as deserving only praise and parades (see George W. Bush; Tax cuts for the uber-Rich, exporting Jobs like the work of Mitt Romney and Bain Capital, etc.) Those who will vote for him will allow the lie that Trump is a Christian, denying as they must the vast evidence that the man has no evidence of that (see hates the Poor, Multiple Wife revolving door, praising his money, etc.) Trumps, " Beatitudes' might well be: Blessed are the Filthy Rich, for they own you; Blessed are those who hate 'the stranger in our midst', for they can Export them, Blessed are the Merciless for they can ignore the plight of low wage American workers, and I could come up with many more. All of this is standard Republican boilerplate, so the White Supremacists, the KKK, the Aryan Nation etc. all heartily endorse the man, and the fact that Trump said he didn't know anything about David Duke, as casually as he might have said," Hitler ? He wasn't so bad."
2
I would likely vote Bernie were I an American, but this kind of throw-paint-at-the-wall PC tirade really serves no purpose in understanding Trump, any more than labelling him crude or bad helped understand why Berlusconi was so persistently popular;
the author here has given up on trying to understand Trumps political appeal, largely rooted perhaps in anxiety about trade and declining wages just as much as Bernie's is, but also in resentment for the wordy urban professional class that the author seems to embody
the author here has given up on trying to understand Trumps political appeal, largely rooted perhaps in anxiety about trade and declining wages just as much as Bernie's is, but also in resentment for the wordy urban professional class that the author seems to embody
7
100% correct. Yes, it's about the economy but not the economics and the solutions. It's about finding scapegoats to blame for corporate greed, the dismantlement of workers and unions, and austerity budgets leaving our infrastructure crumbling. Many European Americans long for the past, the good old days--the days that never really existed for all of the people in the country. (If you think there was a good era, please reply to this message and tell me when it was.) This "political correctness" is about allowing their bigoted, racist, hateful feelings to come out without apology and having this nut of a leader condone them.
6
What I find so interesting about this is that "political correctness" appears to be the go-to phrase whenever someone makes an argument that you do not want to bother refuting. Certainly, a lot of "political correctness" is simply common decency: not using slurs, avoiding stereotypes, etc.
But another definition I've seen in the comments here and elsewhere is basically labeling any argument that comes from the liberal end of the spectrum as "politically correct." For example, one commenter here claimed that gun control advocates who want to restrict all firearms are engaging in "political correctness." When did that stop being a political opinion that one could argue for or against? Likewise, how is saying that Pro-Life advocates are opposed to women's rights a "politically correct" act? It just seems like generic political argumentation. Can't Pro-Lifers come up with an actual counterargument to that? "This is how we help women..."
Just the other day I listened to Dr. Osterholm characterize criticisms of public health calls to avoid pregnancy in areas with Zika as "political correctness," because the criticisms cited poverty, limited womens rights, and lack of birth control access. I just don't see it. The criticisms are based in reality, but apparently the public health expert didn't want to bother formulating an actual counterargument, even when the counterarguments are strong. So much easier to shout "political correctness."
But another definition I've seen in the comments here and elsewhere is basically labeling any argument that comes from the liberal end of the spectrum as "politically correct." For example, one commenter here claimed that gun control advocates who want to restrict all firearms are engaging in "political correctness." When did that stop being a political opinion that one could argue for or against? Likewise, how is saying that Pro-Life advocates are opposed to women's rights a "politically correct" act? It just seems like generic political argumentation. Can't Pro-Lifers come up with an actual counterargument to that? "This is how we help women..."
Just the other day I listened to Dr. Osterholm characterize criticisms of public health calls to avoid pregnancy in areas with Zika as "political correctness," because the criticisms cited poverty, limited womens rights, and lack of birth control access. I just don't see it. The criticisms are based in reality, but apparently the public health expert didn't want to bother formulating an actual counterargument, even when the counterarguments are strong. So much easier to shout "political correctness."
4
Perhaps the author's disapproval of Trump was blocking the author's comprehension of the Trump phenomenon.
Trump fans, and Trump himself, have been quite clear about the targets of their anger and fear all along. One doesn't have to agree with them to understand it. One doesn't even need to wrestle with the Trump message's contradictions and falsehoods to understand why rational scrutiny doesn't burst their bubble.
I would argue that the only baffling aspect of the Trump phenomenon is "Why do so many people, like the author, not understand?"
Trump fans, and Trump himself, have been quite clear about the targets of their anger and fear all along. One doesn't have to agree with them to understand it. One doesn't even need to wrestle with the Trump message's contradictions and falsehoods to understand why rational scrutiny doesn't burst their bubble.
I would argue that the only baffling aspect of the Trump phenomenon is "Why do so many people, like the author, not understand?"
1
Trump fans are noticeably free of that chronic affliction afftecting the Liberal-Left, Political Correctness. In other words they value the Truth and reject the Leftist agenda on all things. Especially the left's penchant for designating blacks, latinos and muslims as official 'victims' and therefore immune from any criticism on grounds of 'insensitivity.'
4
Political correctness isn't about spewing racism or anti-feminism and getting called on it. Often its about trying to have a open discussion and being painted as racist et al based on the facts you choose. If one supports police officers, gets queasy about third trimester abortions, or shows concern that union carpenter's are losing work to companies that hire illegals he is been painted as racist, against women's health, or xenophobic regardless of whether his ideas have merit. Political correctness is not about debate it's about labels and stopping debate and discussion. It's about there being only one way to believe and declaring all disbelievers stupid, backward or racist. Unfortunately, the torch is being carried by a "racist, nationalist demagogue-for-hire with no sincere ideology beyond his own vanity."
71
You're right: SOME people on the left use PC to shut down argument, just as some on the right use religion and patriotism to discourage debate. I've been called a traitor and threatened with hell from the right and labeled a racist and pro-police-state from the left, sometimes over the same point of view.
What I've found is that you can push back, especially if the facts are on your side. You have to have a tough hide and lots of patience, and you have to love to argue (I do), but you can get your point across eventually.
If you expect applause for your opinions and get the finger instead, don't whine about oppression and being labeled--use your words to support your case. And never lose sight of the fact that you may be *gasp* WRONG. BTDT!
What I've found is that you can push back, especially if the facts are on your side. You have to have a tough hide and lots of patience, and you have to love to argue (I do), but you can get your point across eventually.
If you expect applause for your opinions and get the finger instead, don't whine about oppression and being labeled--use your words to support your case. And never lose sight of the fact that you may be *gasp* WRONG. BTDT!
1
Here in Alabama, I almost never see Trump bumper stickers, yard signs or any other visual indication of support. Yet we all know the outcome of the Republican primaries in the deep south. I suspect people are at some level embarrassed to publicly show support - perhaps partially out of fear of repercussions from their employer or community. Really the only candidate for whom I see bumper stickers is Bernie Sanders!
65
I too have noticed the general absence of bumper stickers up here in Rhode Island. I've got my Bernie 2016 sticker on, and I think I've noticed one other. Nothing for anyone else. I do wonder, with you, if embarrassment is a factor.
If I were to place a "Trump" bumper sticker on my car, I'd fully expect my car to be vandalized. Sanders supporters don't seem to have that concern, which speaks volumes about the opposition.
1
Trump fans/supporters have been expressing their views for a long time but the Republicans have until this point been able to largely contain and control them, manipulating them to serve and promote their own agendas on issues such as same-sex marriage, gun control, immigration and abortion, to name a few, much in the same way they used the evangelicals, whom they denounced when they got a little too close and public for comfort. But enough people spoke and now we have Ted Cruz cruising the halls of congress. And if Mr. Trump does not win the nomination or the election, he may choose to continue his dabble into politics. If not, someone with his views who isn't afraid to say anything will surely become someone's next elected representative. Sadly, what is less clear is if there's anything that can be done to stop it.
2
I've often thought that the true danger in the mysterious social dynamic surrounding the massive flow of illegal immigration to our country was going to bear bitter, mutant fruit. Every side of the official power structure was committed to turning a blind eye, albeit for vastly different reasons. Simplified; the right welcomed the package of depressed wages and disempowered workers, while the left welcomed "diversity" and the crop of nascent future voters. I myself noticed there was zero tolerance, among my liberal friends, to discuss the situation from any other perspective than an open-arms embrace; to be worried or unsupportive of illegal immigration was the stamp of a "racist".
Now we witness a similar pattern unfolding in Europe, which I believe is a significant factor in the rise of Trump. From the very first reports, mainstream media attached an automatic adjective, "xenophobic right wing" to any dissenters. This is free discourse? And people are surprised by Trump?
If Trump has egged on the debased aspects of his supporters, left wing zealotry was the midwife of the movement. Fascism cuts both ways.
Now we witness a similar pattern unfolding in Europe, which I believe is a significant factor in the rise of Trump. From the very first reports, mainstream media attached an automatic adjective, "xenophobic right wing" to any dissenters. This is free discourse? And people are surprised by Trump?
If Trump has egged on the debased aspects of his supporters, left wing zealotry was the midwife of the movement. Fascism cuts both ways.
4
I suspect the real question is whether or not "political incorrectness" gives you the license to lie or to take selective facts and twist them for your own benefit. One small one, albeit the one with which Mr. Trump launched his campaign, involves his notion that immigrants are "pouring" over our borders in numbers that will completely overwhelm us.
The inconvenient fact that he and others continually fail to note is that 40 percent of the illegals in the country, got here legally, using work visas or other kinds of visas. The country that he thinks is so "ungrate" appears to be rather something else to those who have deliberately, I suspect, overstayed their visas and want to remain.
The other fact they ignore is that the net number for Mexicans entering the U.S. under Mr. Obama, is a minus number. He has deorted many morfe than have come in.
So, if it's okay or ignore facts, than the Donald is your man and apparently there are millions ready to accept that and that is what's really troubling about the events unfolding before us.
Read Thomas Patterson's book...Out of Order, written about the 1992 Presidential election and you get a good idea as to why these millions are led, or lead, as Ms West suggests.
The inconvenient fact that he and others continually fail to note is that 40 percent of the illegals in the country, got here legally, using work visas or other kinds of visas. The country that he thinks is so "ungrate" appears to be rather something else to those who have deliberately, I suspect, overstayed their visas and want to remain.
The other fact they ignore is that the net number for Mexicans entering the U.S. under Mr. Obama, is a minus number. He has deorted many morfe than have come in.
So, if it's okay or ignore facts, than the Donald is your man and apparently there are millions ready to accept that and that is what's really troubling about the events unfolding before us.
Read Thomas Patterson's book...Out of Order, written about the 1992 Presidential election and you get a good idea as to why these millions are led, or lead, as Ms West suggests.
1
As Donald Trump gains support from a large segment of the middle working class voters, it is the media and the left to center "Political Correct" self proclaimed darlings of model citizens that are propagating similar rhetoric just in a more subtle fashion to which they are attempting to disavow Trump's candidacy by attacking his supporters as though they are closeted fascists.
It was obvious that early on that Trump knew how strike a nerve and the media, the center to left pundits and even to some extent the establishment of the GOP have been left dumbfounded only to bend to his level of tactics in an attempt to main the "status quo" to which is actually the heart of his campaign that people support.
So perhaps Hillary and even Bernie should evaluate the tactics used so far in an attempt to stop Trump since these have clearly not worked, perhaps since his supporters know themselves are rarely offended in being summed up as fascists, racists , bigots to which they've been labeled.....
It was obvious that early on that Trump knew how strike a nerve and the media, the center to left pundits and even to some extent the establishment of the GOP have been left dumbfounded only to bend to his level of tactics in an attempt to main the "status quo" to which is actually the heart of his campaign that people support.
So perhaps Hillary and even Bernie should evaluate the tactics used so far in an attempt to stop Trump since these have clearly not worked, perhaps since his supporters know themselves are rarely offended in being summed up as fascists, racists , bigots to which they've been labeled.....
I believe that things have really changed. I was one of the very few liberals in the executive suite of a major corporation and it used to be difficult and I just kept my mouth shut. But now, my former colleagues are livid that "I am still a liberal!" and tell me so. These are smart people but the level of their delusions, visceral hate of President Obama, and outright racism is shocking to me. They simply deny the existence of facts and frame their points of view in terms of conspiracy theories. I find it very disturbing. They are all white and privileged but you'd think that they live miserable lives because of government. You cannot reason with them on anything. I have given up.
5
"Politically correct" is another way of saying "civil."
Those who express dismay over the purely vanilla verbiage allowed under its auspice lack a vocabulary sufficient to express their discontent and opposition in terms devoid of the emotional outrage and stranglingly frustrations they feel and, to which, so often has manifested itself in either profane, inaccurate, inappropriate and/or purely prevaricated hyperbole of little value beyond "relieving the spleen" and "getting that off the chest."
Those who express dismay over the purely vanilla verbiage allowed under its auspice lack a vocabulary sufficient to express their discontent and opposition in terms devoid of the emotional outrage and stranglingly frustrations they feel and, to which, so often has manifested itself in either profane, inaccurate, inappropriate and/or purely prevaricated hyperbole of little value beyond "relieving the spleen" and "getting that off the chest."
Trump supporters may believe that they are the vanguard of a backward-looking movement to restore the good-old days of white, male supremacy in the US, but eventually the joke will be on them. More non-white than white children are being born in this country, and whites are quickly becoming the minority. In less than 20 years, the majority of voters will be other than white. The young protesters at Trump rallies could be the ones making the laws and setting policies then. All candidates for President could be other than white, as could all police officers, judges, prosecutors. You never know how things might turn out.
All that you say is true.
What flies in the face of reason is that you seem to believe that Whites should welcome, not oppose, their dispossession.
What flies in the face of reason is that you seem to believe that Whites should welcome, not oppose, their dispossession.
Our political problems all root back to congressional irresponsibility, government corruption and the fact that we voters let our "representatives" get away with bankrupting our nation in more ways than just financially.
We are waking up. We want this corrected. We have only one way that the government allows us to effect any correction. That is our vote.
If we vote for people who are not incumbents or professional politicians we might be able to start to turn this boat around. Get laws changed to not favor bribes and rampant greed of government representatives.
"Put down the magnifying glass and pick up the mirror." There is our problem and we CAN fix it.
We are waking up. We want this corrected. We have only one way that the government allows us to effect any correction. That is our vote.
If we vote for people who are not incumbents or professional politicians we might be able to start to turn this boat around. Get laws changed to not favor bribes and rampant greed of government representatives.
"Put down the magnifying glass and pick up the mirror." There is our problem and we CAN fix it.
Are we human by birth, or only human by culture (which we might call "civilization," but for the slighting of the human cultures of small tribes)? If it is by birth, we should slight no one as not human. If it is by culture, we might consider whether Mr. Trump, and his followers, qualify. This could become an important question, as it's distinctly possible that, if Trump should lose the general election, his followers will cry "Fraud" and riot in the streets. Should they then be treated gently, with all the rights of human beings, rights which they themselves refuse to grant to any beyond their own closed circle?
1
Which presidential candidate is a person with a sadistic personality demonstrating a pervasive pattern of cruel, demeaning, and aggressive behavior?
Which presidential candidate gains satisfaction from intimidating, coercing, hurting, and humiliating others?
Which presidential candidate is frightening and cruel, and appears to relish the acts of menacing others, and forcing others to cower and submit, while gaining satisfaction from bullying others?
Do you want this kind of person to be a role model for your children and grandchildren?
Do you want the President of the United States to behave in these ways?
By the way, people who behaved this way and who behave this way were and are slave drivers and were and are those who chased down and chase down runaway enslaved people.
Which presidential candidate gains satisfaction from intimidating, coercing, hurting, and humiliating others?
Which presidential candidate is frightening and cruel, and appears to relish the acts of menacing others, and forcing others to cower and submit, while gaining satisfaction from bullying others?
Do you want this kind of person to be a role model for your children and grandchildren?
Do you want the President of the United States to behave in these ways?
By the way, people who behaved this way and who behave this way were and are slave drivers and were and are those who chased down and chase down runaway enslaved people.
3
You're talking about Hillary, I presume, who denigrates, attacks, and degrades all sex crime victims of her predator husband. You know, that 'trailer trash' that dares complain about being raped or otherwise sexually assaulted by Bill Clinton. And the Hillary who embracing lying, violent BLM thugs who shout 'burn this bi*ch down'. Yes, what a vile, evil, sadistic phony, with a 'smile' appropriated from a wax museum.
1
The demon that possesses Trump is as old as the hills. It possessed J. Edgar Hoover. It inspired the Peekskill riots. It has helped transform the U.S.A. into Bad Boys and prison culture. It has elevated male macho, violence, and corrupted policing. It conflates Anti-Semetism, with anti-African American, and added anti-Muslim and anti-Mexican to the mix. That's the secret sauce. At its roots, that's all it is.
Trump may be the only candidate who so obviously taps the secret sauce, but he is far from the only one using the Tabasco. Virtually every clown on the Republican's crowded stage this year has used a dash. Even Bernie's ''billionaires'' has a different nuance in Colorado or Michigan than in Prospect Park, rest assured.
There has really been only one candidate running who seems to think that there might be a human being under the label to talk to and respect in this election, and it is, surprisingly and infuriatingly to many, the women so many love to hate irrationally. Part of what people hate about Hillary is her caution in having her words twisted in some way that might hurt someone unintentionally. She is too nice! How horrible is that? If she points out that Bernie's explanation of how we're going to pay for giving Social Security to everyone and making public colleges free again is as devoid of detail as it lacks nuance, ''Boo!''
As for the Trump loyalists, like ''Robin'' of Texas below - spare them the Liberal preaching they want to hate.
Trump may be the only candidate who so obviously taps the secret sauce, but he is far from the only one using the Tabasco. Virtually every clown on the Republican's crowded stage this year has used a dash. Even Bernie's ''billionaires'' has a different nuance in Colorado or Michigan than in Prospect Park, rest assured.
There has really been only one candidate running who seems to think that there might be a human being under the label to talk to and respect in this election, and it is, surprisingly and infuriatingly to many, the women so many love to hate irrationally. Part of what people hate about Hillary is her caution in having her words twisted in some way that might hurt someone unintentionally. She is too nice! How horrible is that? If she points out that Bernie's explanation of how we're going to pay for giving Social Security to everyone and making public colleges free again is as devoid of detail as it lacks nuance, ''Boo!''
As for the Trump loyalists, like ''Robin'' of Texas below - spare them the Liberal preaching they want to hate.
4
To pretend that Trump is just an embodiment of right wing dingbats is to miss the point of his popularity with a segment of America.
He is holding up a mirror to the country. That means all of us!
Would his supporters be so angry if there were good paying middle class jobs at local plants?
Would his supporters be so angry if they hadn't been inundated 24/7 with the underlying propaganda tenet of "It's everyman for himself!" Which is what they hear from Fox News.
Would his supporters be so angry if they knew there was a way to a better life for them and their children if they just worked hard and played by the rules?
They wouldn't.
Laid bare in this gigantic Hoovering up of America's middle class wealth by the .1%ers is the desperation and hopelessness economically disenfranchised Americans of all stripes feel.
But's it's not just that, I'm afraid to say. The misogyny, racism, and bigotry that Trump both expresses and represents isn't that far below the surface in American society. A land where 50 years ago KKKers paraded around Washington. A land where this current Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act. A land where abortion clinics seem to get shuttered virtually every day and Planned Parenthood's work is reviled.
So before we start casting stones here, let's remember that we all bear responsibility for the vileness that is The Donald.
The Donald deserves thanks for helping us remember exactly where we are and what work still needs to be done.
He is holding up a mirror to the country. That means all of us!
Would his supporters be so angry if there were good paying middle class jobs at local plants?
Would his supporters be so angry if they hadn't been inundated 24/7 with the underlying propaganda tenet of "It's everyman for himself!" Which is what they hear from Fox News.
Would his supporters be so angry if they knew there was a way to a better life for them and their children if they just worked hard and played by the rules?
They wouldn't.
Laid bare in this gigantic Hoovering up of America's middle class wealth by the .1%ers is the desperation and hopelessness economically disenfranchised Americans of all stripes feel.
But's it's not just that, I'm afraid to say. The misogyny, racism, and bigotry that Trump both expresses and represents isn't that far below the surface in American society. A land where 50 years ago KKKers paraded around Washington. A land where this current Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act. A land where abortion clinics seem to get shuttered virtually every day and Planned Parenthood's work is reviled.
So before we start casting stones here, let's remember that we all bear responsibility for the vileness that is The Donald.
The Donald deserves thanks for helping us remember exactly where we are and what work still needs to be done.
3
If Trump were a racist, would Ben Carson be endorsing him? Certainly no one is claiming that a brilliant neuro surgeon is uneducated, illiterate, and uninformed. Interestingly, the very people who have negative things to say about Trump, hurl hate speech at Trump and his supporters because they disagree with his positions. I would say people who can't stand ideas other than their own, and have to degrade people with whom they disagree, are the real dangerous people because they are the haters.
6
What about people who call names, mock the physically disabled, and self-aggrandize while running for political office? (Or is it OK to do those things as a candidate and not be a "hater"?)
1
Show me the money.
1
At this point I see two possible "good" outcomes:
The best outcome is that Trump wins the nomination, and then comes clean and says he's not really interested in being President; he was just trying to help ensure that his friend Hillary would win, and his lark turned into an experiment to see just how fascist he could become and continue to fool gullible Americans. "I read up on Hitler's early speeches and emulated him as accurately as I could, and it turns out a lot of Americans fell for it. I said the most awful things I could dream up, and contradicted myself at every turn, to see who would fall for it. It's depressing how many did. To my supporters: you are YUGE suckers, and you really shouldn't vote. Please go back to watching reality TV and professional wrestling and don't get involved in politics any more."
The other (slightly more) possible good outcome is that Hillary...who I detest and loathe...wins by the largest landslide in presidential election history, and that the Republican party either tears itself apart and reforms as a more centrist and reasonable party, or that it goes down in flames and a new party emerges that actually appeals to the vast number of "socially liberal, fiscally conservative" voters.
The best outcome is that Trump wins the nomination, and then comes clean and says he's not really interested in being President; he was just trying to help ensure that his friend Hillary would win, and his lark turned into an experiment to see just how fascist he could become and continue to fool gullible Americans. "I read up on Hitler's early speeches and emulated him as accurately as I could, and it turns out a lot of Americans fell for it. I said the most awful things I could dream up, and contradicted myself at every turn, to see who would fall for it. It's depressing how many did. To my supporters: you are YUGE suckers, and you really shouldn't vote. Please go back to watching reality TV and professional wrestling and don't get involved in politics any more."
The other (slightly more) possible good outcome is that Hillary...who I detest and loathe...wins by the largest landslide in presidential election history, and that the Republican party either tears itself apart and reforms as a more centrist and reasonable party, or that it goes down in flames and a new party emerges that actually appeals to the vast number of "socially liberal, fiscally conservative" voters.
"Politically correct" is simply a different way of defining civility toward each other. Some may even make an analogy toward Christian or religious values. "Going back to some of those values" as one Trump supporter said, in reality is regressing to an equally difficult time, where simple solutions ruled the day...such as lynching, segregation, accepted use of racial slurs and names. Those times were easier for some people, but not for minorities. Trump and his supporters need to understand and appreciate that we live in a pluralist society culturally and religiously, where the soup of gender, race, ethnicity and spiritual belief or disbelief is truly what makes us strong and unique. This essay is spot on, yet I worry that it only preaches to the choir. Let us please hope the choir gets out to vote. Whatever the Republican party has become, it clearly lacks creative ideas and leaders progressive enough to appeal to an intellectual mandate. To see Trumps fellow Republican candidates now support him, as well as long time Republicans like Sen. McCain is repugnant. If it is an opportune time for a demagogue to step in, it is also a perfect time for a truly inspirational candidate to step up. Are there any?
2
Trump feeds on victims of the economy/lack of opportunity who blame their circumstances on other victims of the same.
8
Listen to the hot talk of today. BLM, rampant uncontrolled illegal immigration, feminism, fat acceptance. Your average working class citizen is told they cannot speak on any of these topics. They wish to have an opinion of their own. Saying anything negative about the above is quickly to be perceived of as a bigot or racist. They have no voice. Are you that surprised they cling to someone who speaks his own?
4
Perhaps if your "average working class citizen" could find something positive to say about the above it would not be perceived as bigoted or racist. I'm just saying...
1
Could it be that politically correct is code for the trait of our elected officials and candidates to avoid saying anything that might degrade their ability to win. Witness the Senate jJudiciary committee and their convoluted justification for the position of not holding SOTUS confirmation hearings. This type of "artful political speak" occurs at all levels, by both parties, on all topics. Although I would never support any of the circus clowns within the GOP tent I am not very happy with what the Ds have to offer either and this is one of the main reasons.
1
If we are looking to understand Donald Trump, here is an idea:
==============================================
Trump reminds me of the "Wizard of Oz." Here is the scene where the dog, Toto, exposes the Wizard: (2min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZR64EF3OpA
Perhaps showing voters this scene would help them to cope with fear of the Donald.
Maybe if we see Trump as a Wizard, we can find ways to expose him, so we can find our way back to the reality of "Kansas."
==============================================
Trump reminds me of the "Wizard of Oz." Here is the scene where the dog, Toto, exposes the Wizard: (2min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZR64EF3OpA
Perhaps showing voters this scene would help them to cope with fear of the Donald.
Maybe if we see Trump as a Wizard, we can find ways to expose him, so we can find our way back to the reality of "Kansas."
1
He's a wizard all right, a grand wizard.
4
Sometimes I try to give Trump the benefit of the doubt and think the man's more centrist than appears, he's drifting right to get the nomination; surely as a New Yorker, he's more multi-cultural than meets the eye?
Then I read articles like this with verbatim quotes from the man himself, I watch a debate where he says he's willing to torture people, and realize that my own naivete might be as dangerous as the simple-minded zealots supporting this man.
Then I read articles like this with verbatim quotes from the man himself, I watch a debate where he says he's willing to torture people, and realize that my own naivete might be as dangerous as the simple-minded zealots supporting this man.
12
After 30+ years of Thanksgiving dinners, some in Jewish homes and some in Christian homes, I know precisely what Trump supporters think. In Christian homes, the typical line would be "well, you know, we're not prejudiced, why some of our best friends are Jewish." In Jewish households, the typical line would be "well,, you know, we're not prejudice, some of our friends are black." Around both tables, blacks, hispanics, and asians were discussed differently. Blacks were generally viewed as shiftless, poorly educated and received too much economic benefits from whites. Hispanics were good workers as long as
they knew their place. And, Asians were to be viewed with suspicion because they were taking too many university spots from more deserving whites - usually their children. The tables were multi-generational, so these prejudices were passed on from one generation to another. So, it is not a big surprise that Donald Trump has so easily tapped into this deep pool of prejudice.
they knew their place. And, Asians were to be viewed with suspicion because they were taking too many university spots from more deserving whites - usually their children. The tables were multi-generational, so these prejudices were passed on from one generation to another. So, it is not a big surprise that Donald Trump has so easily tapped into this deep pool of prejudice.
6
I prefer "morally correct" to "politically incorrect" ....more accurate. But the insights in Ms. West's piece ring true. Trump and his legions are immersed in a narcissist pas de duex in which they encourage one another to positions that skew more and more radically rightward, tapdancing toward fascism, racism, bigotry, and ever more violent expression of those morally incorrect, and dangerous, beliefs. It is worth pointing out that political correctness aside, Trump's values are not ones we have aspired to as a country over the two plus centuries of our nationhood.
2
A lot of condescension in there, but still a thought-provoking piece about an interesting topic: how a culture self-censors. I loath Donald Trump, but his "honesty" has occasionally named real truths that no one else (even Bernie) has dared touch, like our thoroughly corrupted culture of military weapons procurement. No one dares touch it, because we all benefit from it: congressmen, weapons contractors and all their employees throughout the land.
2
You're kidding, right? Who will get the contract for the 'mighty wall'?
Trump, in a nutshell, is the America of the white man's emphatic embrace of manifest destiny, of a belief in an invisible myth of Caucasian physiognomy, willfully blind to the fact that his numbers dwindle, proportionally and absolutely, with each passing day. Trump, in speaking out, is actually less dangerous than those who blame political correctness as the source of their accumulated prejudices and hatred. These people will be with us regardless of who occupies the White House.
3
I guess what I would like to know is why so many are focused on the "racist" aspect when there are some African-Americans present. As another commentator pointed out, there are several. As other commentators have said, I believe very strongly that one of the main reasons he has a lot of support is that a great deal of Americans are sick and tired of the system that has focused on the rich and not the average American. Trump is the ugly side of this frustration and anger. However, Sanders, who barely gets any press is the other side. He is trying to stand up for the 99% with positives. I wish more people would take a look at him instead of screaming for Trump. Unfortunately, unless the media gives Sanders better coverage, we're doomed with Trump. But, to perfectly honest, I'd rather take Trump than Cruz. He is evil personified.
3
I find it ironic that Trump represents people who are not rich. Has anyone caught the absurdity inherent in his self-funding a campaign? Not beholden to special interests indeed....Trump is his own special interest. His self-funding indicates to me that anyone who is rich enough can buy his or her way into political position. Rather than some moral virtue, Trump's self funding indicatesto what extent money is a corrupting influence in politics. Being a billionaire allows this morally reprehensible bigot to get his voice heard everywhere, all the time. Moneyed interests are an evil in politics, and there's no way Trump isn't his own moneyed interest.
1
I wonder how many of his supporters are buying Trump bottled water and steaks?
1
@Karla - To your point about black Trump supporters: just as there were slaves who abused fellow slaves in order to curry favor with slave owners, there will always be minorities who identify more closely with the majority than with their fellows.
Trenchant analysis, Ms. West. I think what we're seeing here are the death throes of a sub-culture in the grips of extinction. It's not everyday that we get to witness an entire way of living slowly being extinguished before our eyes, and no, it's not about jobs and trade. It's about the elimination of archaic social structures and institutions that propped up those like the Trump fans: people made to believe that they were "superior" when, in fact, they were being fed lies about their real stations in life. It's about us going through the process of finally becoming a more perfect union; it's about the world getting smaller; it's about people who were always better, kinder, and smarter -- and don't look like them -- finally getting their chance at success and winning. Trump fans, welcome to the future.
5
Many Trump supporters are angry and rightfully so. America's history of white privilege guaranteed them that no matter how hard things got or how steep their fall, there would always be blacks or Latino's who would cushion the bottom. Whether through last hired first fired policies, immigration laws, segregated education, mass incarceration or abusive police and drug laws, the state would always enforce this social distance between themselves and the coloreds.
White supremacy wear's thin if it's based on the myth of superiority. At some point being white has to provide real, tangible advantages that one can count on, literally and physically take to the bank and make a part of America being great again dream. For the most part white leadership delivered this to white America. Sometimes with a vengeance as the history of lynching attests to.
But recently in this period of rapacious capitalism it is their job that went to China, their kids saddled with student loans, their streets that are full of potholes and their prospects for a future that are declining. The fact that black and brown folk are even worse off is no solace. They have fallen into the ranks once reserved for "them" and it is their white privileged American dream that the empty suits like Mit Romney and George Bush have shattered.
They are angry and want their white privilege back. They believe the old guard of the GOP has turned its attention to the lords of capital and so they have turned to Trump.
White supremacy wear's thin if it's based on the myth of superiority. At some point being white has to provide real, tangible advantages that one can count on, literally and physically take to the bank and make a part of America being great again dream. For the most part white leadership delivered this to white America. Sometimes with a vengeance as the history of lynching attests to.
But recently in this period of rapacious capitalism it is their job that went to China, their kids saddled with student loans, their streets that are full of potholes and their prospects for a future that are declining. The fact that black and brown folk are even worse off is no solace. They have fallen into the ranks once reserved for "them" and it is their white privileged American dream that the empty suits like Mit Romney and George Bush have shattered.
They are angry and want their white privilege back. They believe the old guard of the GOP has turned its attention to the lords of capital and so they have turned to Trump.
11
I don't care about economic inequality or middle-class stagnation or women's reproductive rights or equal rights for gays or terrorist threats to America or affordable health care or long-term unemployment or global warming. I just want to know when I can use the "n" word again.-
Quntessential Trump Supporter
Quntessential Trump Supporter
5
White supremacy is a learned behavior, passed down from generation to generation. White supremacists lack a moral compass. Admonishing this bad behavior is rarely effective. One effective tactic for changing bad behavior is to inspire good behavior. Morally upright leaders can inspire good behavior however most people seeking power and influence find it easier to cater to the lowest common denominator, to take the low road because the high road is fraught with complications. Most politicians learn that pandering is the expedient way to gain power. As Lindy West correctly stated, "they’re leading Mr. Trump as much as following him. They called him into being, not the other way around."
Humans by nature are terribly flawed and have a great capacity for cruelty to others. Most people like to think that they are as good or better than the other person and use destructive ways to make themselves feel superior. White is better than black. Men are superior to women. Gays are deviant. Hispanics are dangerous criminals. Islamic believers are inherently evil.
We may be more technologically, industrially and institutionally advanced, but can anyone make a case that civilization today is more civilized? The good news is that humans have the capacity to become more civilized, more compassionate and more generous toward others. The bad news is that we're human.
Humans by nature are terribly flawed and have a great capacity for cruelty to others. Most people like to think that they are as good or better than the other person and use destructive ways to make themselves feel superior. White is better than black. Men are superior to women. Gays are deviant. Hispanics are dangerous criminals. Islamic believers are inherently evil.
We may be more technologically, industrially and institutionally advanced, but can anyone make a case that civilization today is more civilized? The good news is that humans have the capacity to become more civilized, more compassionate and more generous toward others. The bad news is that we're human.
83
Dear Global Citizen
When Democratic debaters were asked to choose between Black lives matter" and "all lives matter" they unanimously chose the former. Pandering? Cowardice? When Democrats bow before the fraud, Al Sharpton, pandering?
When "hands up, don't shoot" is exposed as fiction, but is still supported, pandering?
There is, as you point out, hatred, racism, cruelty and a host of other human failings, but they exist on a two way street, not as an exclusive franchise.
When Democratic debaters were asked to choose between Black lives matter" and "all lives matter" they unanimously chose the former. Pandering? Cowardice? When Democrats bow before the fraud, Al Sharpton, pandering?
When "hands up, don't shoot" is exposed as fiction, but is still supported, pandering?
There is, as you point out, hatred, racism, cruelty and a host of other human failings, but they exist on a two way street, not as an exclusive franchise.
1
A case can definitely be made that "civilization today is more civilized", if one accepts a definition of civilized as "...having an advanced or humane culture, society; polite; well-bred; refined."
Drop back a couple thousand years, study it in detail - not superficially - and you'll see a world whose values prominently featured rule by the ultra-elite, conquest and subjugation as the be-all end-all to national identity, grotesque income inequality as the accepted standard, almost unbelievable cruelty, slavery of whole peoples accepted as normal and even essential, satisfaction of blood lust as entertainment, and genocide as routine, not an aberration.
And I'm not speaking merely of late republican/early imperial Rome. I'm speaking of the Hittites, the Parthians, the Cimbric (and other) Germans, the Carthaginians, the Egyptians and a seemingly endless list of Eastern potentates.
It was a world that would leave almost all current day humans - their "nature" notwithstanding - aghast with horror.
Humankind has come a long way. Yes, we're still omnivores and all that implies, and yes, we still act mostly out of self-interest, "enlightened" or otherwise. And finally, yes, there are elements of ancient society that some among us might approve (unrestricted warfare heading the list, most likely)... but not all of it. Not by a long shot.
Drop back a couple thousand years, study it in detail - not superficially - and you'll see a world whose values prominently featured rule by the ultra-elite, conquest and subjugation as the be-all end-all to national identity, grotesque income inequality as the accepted standard, almost unbelievable cruelty, slavery of whole peoples accepted as normal and even essential, satisfaction of blood lust as entertainment, and genocide as routine, not an aberration.
And I'm not speaking merely of late republican/early imperial Rome. I'm speaking of the Hittites, the Parthians, the Cimbric (and other) Germans, the Carthaginians, the Egyptians and a seemingly endless list of Eastern potentates.
It was a world that would leave almost all current day humans - their "nature" notwithstanding - aghast with horror.
Humankind has come a long way. Yes, we're still omnivores and all that implies, and yes, we still act mostly out of self-interest, "enlightened" or otherwise. And finally, yes, there are elements of ancient society that some among us might approve (unrestricted warfare heading the list, most likely)... but not all of it. Not by a long shot.
I have only one question:
When did we stop trying to do better and be better? When did we decide that slipping back to the jungle was the way to go?
And my advice to the followers of Trump: you don't want to push this to it's natural conclusion because many of you are too pampered and too soft to win.
When did we stop trying to do better and be better? When did we decide that slipping back to the jungle was the way to go?
And my advice to the followers of Trump: you don't want to push this to it's natural conclusion because many of you are too pampered and too soft to win.
7
Great column! Thanks for publishing this reasoned and well worded piece. If only the voice of reason and humanity, as so well represented here, were the prevailing level of political discourse in our society - then we would be a truly "great" USA.
2
Any campaign that begins with make and great, is one to be very fearful of. We have fought two great wars and many smaller ones over becoming great again.
4
I have friends who often proclaim happily when I visit, "In this house it's the 1950s!"
To which I reply, "Hooray!!!????"
Hooray, for the 1950s when all-white juries still routinely exonerated lynch mobs.
Hooray, for days when women looked for jobs in the "Pink Pages" of the want ads and employers could make their standards for appearance a job requirement.
Hooray, for out of wedlock birthrates that per capita far eclipsed today's numbers.
Hooray, for hushed-up deaths from homemade abortions.
Hooray, for seatbelt-less cars and drunk driving without penalty.
Hooray, for ten fewer years of life expectancy.
Hooray, for watching television in a ten-inch screen in a five-foot cabinet when "must see" TV shows couldn't use the word "pregnant."
And God bless all the people in this picture of a Trump rally who want the old days but never lived a day there.
To which I reply, "Hooray!!!????"
Hooray, for the 1950s when all-white juries still routinely exonerated lynch mobs.
Hooray, for days when women looked for jobs in the "Pink Pages" of the want ads and employers could make their standards for appearance a job requirement.
Hooray, for out of wedlock birthrates that per capita far eclipsed today's numbers.
Hooray, for hushed-up deaths from homemade abortions.
Hooray, for seatbelt-less cars and drunk driving without penalty.
Hooray, for ten fewer years of life expectancy.
Hooray, for watching television in a ten-inch screen in a five-foot cabinet when "must see" TV shows couldn't use the word "pregnant."
And God bless all the people in this picture of a Trump rally who want the old days but never lived a day there.
25
You describe exactly what "conservatism" is all about; preserving what once was. Since progress is the natural phenomenon, conservatism by definition is always on the wrong side of history.
Why people yearn to be on the wrong side is the mystery to me.
Why people yearn to be on the wrong side is the mystery to me.
1
Amen, Jack. Excellent comments.
1
So one explanation we get is that these nasty Trump supporters are angry about their downward mobility due to loss of jobs and decades of stagnant wages.
If so, why aren't they out there protesting against Wall Street, the big corporations, and supporting Bernie Sanders who wants to actually do something about rising inequality and keeping jobs in America?
Why are these these Trump supporters the same "rabid right-wing base" who vote against their own economic self-interest to vote for the tea party and political candidates that spout John Birch Society values and white culture?
Trump's mob mentality appeals are as old as history and play to the worst aspects of human nature. Trump is overtly (as opposed to the GOP's more subtle dog whistling) giving angry weaklings permission to park what little social skills and decency they have at the curb and operate on the basis of their warped ids unchecked. Oh yes, and let's make sure they have unfettered access to guns and whatever else they want.
The perfect storm created for decades by the Republican party and our trashy, exploitative culture has brewed and is being unleashed.
But wrong is wrong, and I think most Americans know it. Trump's unfavorable rating went from 58% to 60% in Jan. 2016. My bet is it is climbing higher in March.
http://www.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/188936/trump-negative-imag...
If so, why aren't they out there protesting against Wall Street, the big corporations, and supporting Bernie Sanders who wants to actually do something about rising inequality and keeping jobs in America?
Why are these these Trump supporters the same "rabid right-wing base" who vote against their own economic self-interest to vote for the tea party and political candidates that spout John Birch Society values and white culture?
Trump's mob mentality appeals are as old as history and play to the worst aspects of human nature. Trump is overtly (as opposed to the GOP's more subtle dog whistling) giving angry weaklings permission to park what little social skills and decency they have at the curb and operate on the basis of their warped ids unchecked. Oh yes, and let's make sure they have unfettered access to guns and whatever else they want.
The perfect storm created for decades by the Republican party and our trashy, exploitative culture has brewed and is being unleashed.
But wrong is wrong, and I think most Americans know it. Trump's unfavorable rating went from 58% to 60% in Jan. 2016. My bet is it is climbing higher in March.
http://www.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/188936/trump-negative-imag...
3
With all the advancements in the technologies available today, a lot of the "hot" or "PC" topics in this election can be reasonably managed by such technologies.
For example, "Illegal Immigration" can be managed by imploring "smart card" technology when people apply for green cards, student visas, etc., which would track where these people are and also provide them assistance to manage their stay and even provide them a legal path to citizenship if they so choose....
The same technology can be used for the sale of fire arms, which pose many benefits to both sides of the gun control argument. If firearms have a tracking device implanted, the device would act as the starting point for registration of ownership thus simplifying the back ground checks process and making the "private sale" of guns more transparent. The device could even help law enforcement to know if a gun was used in specific crime, if the device could also be programmed to trace and time stamp when a gun was fired.
Perhaps the ugliness of this entire election process will have a silver lining and make the society within the United States more transparent, to which appears to be the shared goal of many, be it transparent on how we treat our fellow human being.
However, the social transparency so desired must take into account the need for safe guarding both private matters in conjunction with national security, since one without the other only offsets and even undermines our society....
For example, "Illegal Immigration" can be managed by imploring "smart card" technology when people apply for green cards, student visas, etc., which would track where these people are and also provide them assistance to manage their stay and even provide them a legal path to citizenship if they so choose....
The same technology can be used for the sale of fire arms, which pose many benefits to both sides of the gun control argument. If firearms have a tracking device implanted, the device would act as the starting point for registration of ownership thus simplifying the back ground checks process and making the "private sale" of guns more transparent. The device could even help law enforcement to know if a gun was used in specific crime, if the device could also be programmed to trace and time stamp when a gun was fired.
Perhaps the ugliness of this entire election process will have a silver lining and make the society within the United States more transparent, to which appears to be the shared goal of many, be it transparent on how we treat our fellow human being.
However, the social transparency so desired must take into account the need for safe guarding both private matters in conjunction with national security, since one without the other only offsets and even undermines our society....
The main issue here is not what people think or write on Facebook pages, protected by their anonymity. The real problem lies in the fact that Trump overtly supports the increasing number physical assaults on protesters and journalists at his rallies.
Words alone cannot injure people. Bottom line is that it has nothing to do with "political correctness or incorrectness," either.
When Trump points out the locations of protesters, and then enthusiastically looks on and supports the violence used against them, it is not only disgusting, it also flies in the face of the principles on which this country was founded.
This is not the way to "make America great again." These actions simply underscore and encourage physical violence perpetrated by that segment of the population that glories in white supremacist ideology, xenophobia, and misogyny.
Shame on him, and shame on them!
Words alone cannot injure people. Bottom line is that it has nothing to do with "political correctness or incorrectness," either.
When Trump points out the locations of protesters, and then enthusiastically looks on and supports the violence used against them, it is not only disgusting, it also flies in the face of the principles on which this country was founded.
This is not the way to "make America great again." These actions simply underscore and encourage physical violence perpetrated by that segment of the population that glories in white supremacist ideology, xenophobia, and misogyny.
Shame on him, and shame on them!
6
These trends are not new, and have been simmering -- and not always just simmering -- for many years, predating the Obama years. I always called these voters "South Park conservatives." A kind of balance to the self-conscious sanctimony of social conservatives, South Park conservatives revel in political vulgarity. This makes them a largely reactionary political movement, who seemed to be guided by measuring the degree to which they outrage the liberal bourgeoisie.
Or maybe another way of putting it, kind of like a political punk movement on the right, a movement driven by its calculation to reject and outrage. Except unlike the punks of the late 70's and early 80's, this actual "Reagan Youth" is rather lacking much in the way of any interesting music and fashion. At least the old punks had that.
And, at least South Park is funny.
Or maybe another way of putting it, kind of like a political punk movement on the right, a movement driven by its calculation to reject and outrage. Except unlike the punks of the late 70's and early 80's, this actual "Reagan Youth" is rather lacking much in the way of any interesting music and fashion. At least the old punks had that.
And, at least South Park is funny.
2
According to an article in the Atlantic, the most predictive feature of a Trump supporter is the lack of a college degree. His base also skews male and, obviously, white. So, by and large, we are talking about uneducated white men here.
It is undeniable that this demographic is in big trouble. Among other challenges, they are dying in unprecedented numbers in middle-age, largely from drug abuse and suicide. A lot of hopelessness. A lot of anger, some self-directed to be sure, but much other-directed. They perceive that other people in their near cohort - women, blacks, etc - have more opportunity than previously, and they conclude that these people's gains come at their expense.
How in the world can Democrats reach this demographic? They are not people who come with the mindset to be a part of the solution. They are fueled by resentment. "Hope" isn't a slogan they connect with. "I'd like to punch him in the face" is. Bernie is trying mightily to speak reason with this cohort. But Trump has largely drowned him out. If we're going to survive as a country, we're going to have to figure out how to un-alienate this very alienated, angry, and potentially violent demographic.
It is undeniable that this demographic is in big trouble. Among other challenges, they are dying in unprecedented numbers in middle-age, largely from drug abuse and suicide. A lot of hopelessness. A lot of anger, some self-directed to be sure, but much other-directed. They perceive that other people in their near cohort - women, blacks, etc - have more opportunity than previously, and they conclude that these people's gains come at their expense.
How in the world can Democrats reach this demographic? They are not people who come with the mindset to be a part of the solution. They are fueled by resentment. "Hope" isn't a slogan they connect with. "I'd like to punch him in the face" is. Bernie is trying mightily to speak reason with this cohort. But Trump has largely drowned him out. If we're going to survive as a country, we're going to have to figure out how to un-alienate this very alienated, angry, and potentially violent demographic.
6
Larry Wilmore's spot-on satiric name for this phenomenon is "Blacklash: The Unblackening." Insecure Trump-o-philic white people have been suffering for seven long years under the presidency of a black man, and they're mad as hell about it.
When Trump voters speak of "political correctness," they're not talking about how people express themselves - Republicans in Washington and throughout the country have amply expressed their view that President Obama is inferior, illegitimate, and out of his proper place.
No, when Trump voters complain of "political correctness," they're complaining that their leaders weren't successful in containing President Obama, much less in running him out of office. Obama actually won a second term, and Republican leadership couldn't even get it together to impeach him!
In 2008 and early 2009, I regarded President Obama's election as both a manifestation of racial progress in America and as a catalyst for further racial progress. What I missed then but see now is that President Obama's election was also a catalyst for racial backlash - or, in Larry Wilmore's word, blacklash.
politicsbyeccehomo.wordpress.com
When Trump voters speak of "political correctness," they're not talking about how people express themselves - Republicans in Washington and throughout the country have amply expressed their view that President Obama is inferior, illegitimate, and out of his proper place.
No, when Trump voters complain of "political correctness," they're complaining that their leaders weren't successful in containing President Obama, much less in running him out of office. Obama actually won a second term, and Republican leadership couldn't even get it together to impeach him!
In 2008 and early 2009, I regarded President Obama's election as both a manifestation of racial progress in America and as a catalyst for further racial progress. What I missed then but see now is that President Obama's election was also a catalyst for racial backlash - or, in Larry Wilmore's word, blacklash.
politicsbyeccehomo.wordpress.com
6
If the author were self-aware, she'd realize that in this article she is doing exactly what Trump and his supporters are doing: casting an individual or group of people as evil without attempting to understand them.
I don't see this as wrong; it's quite natural and understandable why she would feel this way, just as I understand why Trump's supporters feel the way they do. But simply labeling them as evil diminishes their humanity and makes them easy to despise. They are people too, you know. I would hope most of us are the kind of person that would stop and help a human being without first asking if they are liberal or religious or gay or black or a Trump voter.
If we started off with the assumption that all people are driven by love and are doing what they feel is best, we'd see Trump's (or Cruz's or Hillary's or Bernie's) supporters differently. We would no longer be infuriated or terrified by them.
Indeed, we might actually see Trump's supporters as no different than ourselves, motivated by the same desires and fears, just expressed in a different way.
But for that to happen, first our hearts must be big enough to love the entire universe, including all manifestation. Once we've accepted things as they are, then we can see things with clarity.
"Judge not", "Resist no evil", "Do unto others as you would have them do to you". These aren't meaningless phrases. Perhaps it's time for us to apply them to our lives. Then the world will change by itself.
I don't see this as wrong; it's quite natural and understandable why she would feel this way, just as I understand why Trump's supporters feel the way they do. But simply labeling them as evil diminishes their humanity and makes them easy to despise. They are people too, you know. I would hope most of us are the kind of person that would stop and help a human being without first asking if they are liberal or religious or gay or black or a Trump voter.
If we started off with the assumption that all people are driven by love and are doing what they feel is best, we'd see Trump's (or Cruz's or Hillary's or Bernie's) supporters differently. We would no longer be infuriated or terrified by them.
Indeed, we might actually see Trump's supporters as no different than ourselves, motivated by the same desires and fears, just expressed in a different way.
But for that to happen, first our hearts must be big enough to love the entire universe, including all manifestation. Once we've accepted things as they are, then we can see things with clarity.
"Judge not", "Resist no evil", "Do unto others as you would have them do to you". These aren't meaningless phrases. Perhaps it's time for us to apply them to our lives. Then the world will change by itself.
5
Yet, two thousand years after that injunction was given, here we are.
I think one of the reasons that Trump and Sanders draw a lot of support is the fact that the median income is not going up with this economic "recovery". In the 1980's more women entered the workforce which increased household income, in the 1990's the internet gave a boost to economic growth. In the early 2000's there was a real estate bubble that gave people the feeling their economic situation was improving. But this economic recovery has been going on for 6 to 7 years and people don't see their situation improving. Even though I didn't vote for President Obama I don't believe it is his fault. As you look around the world there is no advanced economy doing well, regardless of their political leadership. It seems the world has changed. People are angry about this and want it to change.
2
Trump is riding a wave of ignorance, frustration, and hate. His supporters are looking for scapegoats for the rising tide of stagnant wage growth for the working class. They long for the days when being white all but guaranteed them a louder voice, more opportunities, more money, and greater social status. They follow his suggestion that "political correctness" is to blame for all their problems and feel like hero's when they attack, verbally and physically, those who they believe political correctness protects. He has created such a powerful a cult of personality that his followers raise their hands and pledge their loyalty to him. They don't care that he lies. They don't care that he doesn't know what he is talking about. They don't care that his policies are without detail or substance. He tells them they are great. He tells them all their darkest fears and thoughts are right. He makes them feel better. He makes them feel powerful.
These tactics were used to disastrous effect by Mussolini and Hitler.
Trump's followers can not be reasoned with. They will vote for him no matter what.
Having secured their loyalty, Trump will now try to be more reasonable, to seem more Presidential, to broaden his base. He will hide his uglier face and conceal his vile nature. We must not let him succeed in his efforts to deceive the undecided.
We are too great a nation and too great a people to give a man as evil as Trump power.
We are better than Donald Trump
These tactics were used to disastrous effect by Mussolini and Hitler.
Trump's followers can not be reasoned with. They will vote for him no matter what.
Having secured their loyalty, Trump will now try to be more reasonable, to seem more Presidential, to broaden his base. He will hide his uglier face and conceal his vile nature. We must not let him succeed in his efforts to deceive the undecided.
We are too great a nation and too great a people to give a man as evil as Trump power.
We are better than Donald Trump
7
I agree but I'm very concerned about Texas voters. Will they go for Hillary? I'm sure Austin isn't an issue but what about Dallas?
To tacitusO:
I can only hope that we are indeed a greater nation that will not support or elect anyone who attempts to rule through degredation of others, hatred, prejudice, devisiveness, and the baser instincts of humanity. I hope I am right, yet, I remain fearful I may be wrong. I cannot help but think that, "The Better Angels "within us are no longer easily stirred.
I can only hope that we are indeed a greater nation that will not support or elect anyone who attempts to rule through degredation of others, hatred, prejudice, devisiveness, and the baser instincts of humanity. I hope I am right, yet, I remain fearful I may be wrong. I cannot help but think that, "The Better Angels "within us are no longer easily stirred.
1
Fleurdelis:
Texas will vote for whoever the Republican candidate is. That R that will appear next to Trump's name on the ballot is, unfortunately, the only thing he needs to win my state.
Texas will vote for whoever the Republican candidate is. That R that will appear next to Trump's name on the ballot is, unfortunately, the only thing he needs to win my state.
Civilization is a collection of memes created by human beings - memes are like viruses, some die within short time, some survive and spread and remain amongst us for long time a and some spread like pandemic. Trump memes are spreading like pandemic and many white Americans are infected by it. The reason they are infected, their immune system against the bigotry viruses is weak.
The cultural immune system is strengthened through many factors, education, family culture and history - there is no simple antidote to boost it. We have to live with this pandemic and hope it will pass without making major damage to our country and culture.
The cultural immune system is strengthened through many factors, education, family culture and history - there is no simple antidote to boost it. We have to live with this pandemic and hope it will pass without making major damage to our country and culture.
2
Ms West hits the nail on the head: Drumpf is just the tip of the iceberg. The main body of the iceberg is the bigoted section of the electorate.
She is also absolutely correct on the "political correctness" mirage. This is a favorite right-wing shibboleth, used to throw a harsh light on low-grade goings on in humanities departments in universities and colleges and so deflect attention away from the ongoing entrenchment of the American oligarchy. The propaganda machine directs its victims' ire at "liberals" and "elites" in universities, while the real elites -- the moguls of finance and Wall Street -- establish their total control over our economy and society.
Fed their opinions directly from bottomless bile-pits of the Ann Coulters and Rush Limbaughs of the world, the average rightists' complaints about "political correctness" are really just whines from ignoramuses about being required to take other people's feelings into account. This, in their eyes, is some sort of tyranny.
And that pretty much says all you need to know about them.
She is also absolutely correct on the "political correctness" mirage. This is a favorite right-wing shibboleth, used to throw a harsh light on low-grade goings on in humanities departments in universities and colleges and so deflect attention away from the ongoing entrenchment of the American oligarchy. The propaganda machine directs its victims' ire at "liberals" and "elites" in universities, while the real elites -- the moguls of finance and Wall Street -- establish their total control over our economy and society.
Fed their opinions directly from bottomless bile-pits of the Ann Coulters and Rush Limbaughs of the world, the average rightists' complaints about "political correctness" are really just whines from ignoramuses about being required to take other people's feelings into account. This, in their eyes, is some sort of tyranny.
And that pretty much says all you need to know about them.
7
When people start engaging in equivalency, e.g. Cruz is a creep too, I note that other candidates rallies do not include pushing, shoving, manhandling, punching or calling the N word. Only Trump rallies. So my conclusion is that the candidate is in favor of this, and his followers want it and think it's a hoot. I note that Trump's follower could not post his bail and the Trump campaign says it's got nothing to do with them. So much for Trump paying the legal fees. I have decided that none of this is about genuine issues, Trump supporters do not care about the economy, jobs, immigration etc. they just want to be in an environment where they can push people around, call slurs, and be accepted. It's like a great, big, affirming therapy group. So the entertainment question is, how will Trump "trump" the sucker punch in Charlotte?
4
I am not afraid to say why do so many people support the movement and party of the conservative movement? They made it easy supporting the corporations and big money folks to move our plants, industries and skill set
out of the country. They let foreign companies buy up our American companies. They allow money to be held overseas and don't block the movement by major companies to headquarter over sea's to dodge tax rates.
Any revitalization of training and improving our workforce with the government funding some of it is not allowed. So why do these people think that food stamps and entitlements are the enemy. Their is nothing wrong with a foreign car plant in America but their should be a price to for Toyota to do that. Stimulus is not dirty word Japan supported their major car companies R&D
(as the US has done for past years with great success) and the Toyota Prius was invented. The Republican's have a majority in Congress now. Where is one idea to start solving issues. Raise the cap on paying SS tax some and make adjustments to the current program. Problem solved. Take 1% off of all budgets in the US for five straight years. Problem solved. Create a job corps.
and do what Germany does train our workers and start new factories and industries. No new tax is ridiculous. Funding is needed for infrastructure.
Start now. Today. This I am not afraid to say.
out of the country. They let foreign companies buy up our American companies. They allow money to be held overseas and don't block the movement by major companies to headquarter over sea's to dodge tax rates.
Any revitalization of training and improving our workforce with the government funding some of it is not allowed. So why do these people think that food stamps and entitlements are the enemy. Their is nothing wrong with a foreign car plant in America but their should be a price to for Toyota to do that. Stimulus is not dirty word Japan supported their major car companies R&D
(as the US has done for past years with great success) and the Toyota Prius was invented. The Republican's have a majority in Congress now. Where is one idea to start solving issues. Raise the cap on paying SS tax some and make adjustments to the current program. Problem solved. Take 1% off of all budgets in the US for five straight years. Problem solved. Create a job corps.
and do what Germany does train our workers and start new factories and industries. No new tax is ridiculous. Funding is needed for infrastructure.
Start now. Today. This I am not afraid to say.
5
What the Trump supporters do not understand is that are being pointed toward the wrong targets! What they really want are jobs and security and safety. Instead of blaming tech advances, poor education, corporations moving overseas, corrupt lobbies and politicians, the media, etc., it is easier for them to blame foreign workers and those who are different from them. They will not get anywhere until they understand what the real issues facing our country have become. And that is the last thing the Establishment wants.
10
I am amused by statements such as "Trump supporters are real tired of political correctness or that political correctness goes too far". What drivel, just exactly what does that mean? What we are talking about here are our fellow citizens, individuals whose rights including the right to dignity exactly equals ours. Do Trump supporters have a right to free speech? Then so do the demonstrators. To me Trump supporters aren't tired of political correctness as much as having difficulty with impulse control. Sounds like they need babysitters.
7
highly insightful, highly decriptive novalaria of what makes Trump "triumph"!
this ever growing dark political rhetoric has been, in the past, closely nuritured behind closed doors and well hid in the folds of marry discussions, lead by half intelects and narrow minds. Talking about race, religion and all spiteful domains that are looked upon by those as lost battles in the field of previous privilege rather than victories against repentful injustices.
Hence forward, a man lurkes in the scene of politics, loudly reciting these near urban mythical believes, that any social advance is their social decline.
With agenda of this kind, support for him was and still is inevitable.
this ever growing dark political rhetoric has been, in the past, closely nuritured behind closed doors and well hid in the folds of marry discussions, lead by half intelects and narrow minds. Talking about race, religion and all spiteful domains that are looked upon by those as lost battles in the field of previous privilege rather than victories against repentful injustices.
Hence forward, a man lurkes in the scene of politics, loudly reciting these near urban mythical believes, that any social advance is their social decline.
With agenda of this kind, support for him was and still is inevitable.
3
In my mind, "Political Correctness" refers to a social censorship which prevents intelligent debate on contentious topics. So, if we are debating women's rights and someone is shouted down for highlighting an unpopular statistic regarding women's choice not to work long hours, then his would be political correctness.
But it is not political correctness when unsubstantiated, mean-spirited venom is rejected. This is simply the outcome of the intelligent debate process.
We need to stop letting purveyors of small-minded, uninformed vitriol claim to be defenders of free speech. Unless they are prepared to discuss things in a respectful, fact-based way, I hereby express my right not listen to them.
But it is not political correctness when unsubstantiated, mean-spirited venom is rejected. This is simply the outcome of the intelligent debate process.
We need to stop letting purveyors of small-minded, uninformed vitriol claim to be defenders of free speech. Unless they are prepared to discuss things in a respectful, fact-based way, I hereby express my right not listen to them.
163
Reaction to the incident in NC, the "fan" who "sucker-punched" a black guy, tells us a lot about American perceptions of reality. A punch, until now anyway, was a blow with a fist. Old guy McGraw struck the black guy with his forearm or elbow... I'd need to see a slomo of the video. To me, that says he wasn't just an angry old curmudgeon who reacted hastily. It says he's someone who's practiced in brawling. He knows how to save his fist.
A small detail? At a time when a brawl on Gerry Springer and a MMA cage-fight vie for ratings, maybe. But it tells us that facts don't matter to many Americans, assumptions and perceptions and prejudices are what matter.
A small detail? At a time when a brawl on Gerry Springer and a MMA cage-fight vie for ratings, maybe. But it tells us that facts don't matter to many Americans, assumptions and perceptions and prejudices are what matter.
4
When I see interviews with people at Trump rallies, I see them saying, "I like Trump because he's rich," or "I like Trump because he's successful," which means rich in this country. We live in a celebrity obsessed culture. It's why we worship women with lots of plastic surgery and don't bother to read about the women and men who are seeking cures for diseases.
People are voting for Trump because he's a reality star celebrity. That's how far we've digressed. Next thing we know, the Kardashians will be moving into the White House.
People are voting for Trump because he's a reality star celebrity. That's how far we've digressed. Next thing we know, the Kardashians will be moving into the White House.
3
Dear Linda:
Don't be surprised when Trump picks of the Kardashians as his running mate.
I first voted for Hillary in 2000 for Senate, again in '06, and in the '08 primary. She is capable, competent and knowledgeable. She did an admirable job as my Senator, and I'm sure she will work just as diligently as our first woman president. I look forward to seeing her in July in Philadelphia accepting her party's nomination for president.
DD
Manhattan
Don't be surprised when Trump picks of the Kardashians as his running mate.
I first voted for Hillary in 2000 for Senate, again in '06, and in the '08 primary. She is capable, competent and knowledgeable. She did an admirable job as my Senator, and I'm sure she will work just as diligently as our first woman president. I look forward to seeing her in July in Philadelphia accepting her party's nomination for president.
DD
Manhattan
1
I disagree with Ms. West in her last paragraph when she describes Trump as the "populist sensation" of this election. A thorough examination reveals he is no such thing.
Starting with Ronald Reagan, the "image" of a candidate became more important than the reality of that candidate. Once you grasp that, you understand the success of Reagan and George W. Bush, as well the failure of G.H.W. Bush. Trump is a "faux" populist. He is an inheritor of wealth masquerading as a self-made man, when in reality he's have more money if he had simply done nothing with his inherited wealth.
To call Trump a "populist" is to insult populism. He is a huckster; a P.T. Barnum; a candidate so awful he might have been created by Mencken just to prove his point about the intelligence of the average American.
He's not a populist - he's a Republican.
Starting with Ronald Reagan, the "image" of a candidate became more important than the reality of that candidate. Once you grasp that, you understand the success of Reagan and George W. Bush, as well the failure of G.H.W. Bush. Trump is a "faux" populist. He is an inheritor of wealth masquerading as a self-made man, when in reality he's have more money if he had simply done nothing with his inherited wealth.
To call Trump a "populist" is to insult populism. He is a huckster; a P.T. Barnum; a candidate so awful he might have been created by Mencken just to prove his point about the intelligence of the average American.
He's not a populist - he's a Republican.
7
They are afraid to say that Trump is counting on the greater stupidity and outrageous ignorance of the electorate which is widely rooted in religion. Today's most dominate religions are primarily the cults of the past who had the most weapons and money. Trump is the human version of Las Vegas playing with the whole country.
7
One of the most bizarre aspects of the "politically correct" speech issue is that the people who chafe under its supposed yoke also practice their own version of political correctness.
Any attendee at a Trump rally who dares to question the orthodoxy of the crowd gets assaulted. Try criticizing the military or police in front of these people, question the value of organized religion, have less than resolute idolatry for Saint Reagan and see how fast you're being called unamerican for merely expressing a view that contravenes their sense of the world, you better be outfitted like an NFL defensive lineman.
A column in the NY Daily News today by a sports writer detailed the pervasive right leaning views in baseball clubhouses, he quotes an intelligent and articulate Ron Darling, a pitcher for the 80's Mets who admits he was somewhat intimidated expressing his left leaning opinions in the clubhouse during his playing days. No doubt his teammate critics had no compunction espousing their views. Is it any different in today's clubhouses, but political correctness has run amuck.
Any attendee at a Trump rally who dares to question the orthodoxy of the crowd gets assaulted. Try criticizing the military or police in front of these people, question the value of organized religion, have less than resolute idolatry for Saint Reagan and see how fast you're being called unamerican for merely expressing a view that contravenes their sense of the world, you better be outfitted like an NFL defensive lineman.
A column in the NY Daily News today by a sports writer detailed the pervasive right leaning views in baseball clubhouses, he quotes an intelligent and articulate Ron Darling, a pitcher for the 80's Mets who admits he was somewhat intimidated expressing his left leaning opinions in the clubhouse during his playing days. No doubt his teammate critics had no compunction espousing their views. Is it any different in today's clubhouses, but political correctness has run amuck.
8
I'm a progressive, but this editorial by Lindy West is a banal rant. It is as if someone copied and pasted various paragraphs from Reddit into a MS Word document and then e-mailed the rambling contents to The New York Times.
My least favorite sentence:
"[...] angry white people primed and frustrated by the past century of Republican dog-whistling."
"The past century"? The Republican Party began race-baiting in 1916? Huh? Why that particular year, pray tell? And how did U.S. historians overlook this landmark era when William Howard Taft's Republican Party apparently began "dog-whistling"? Does Lindy West live in the same historical universe as us?
Given her factual inaccuracies, Lindy West needs to learn basic U.S. History 101 before lecturing others with her views. Her generic rant would have been more appropriate for Blogspot or Reddit, not The New York Times. Worse, the factual inaccuracies of her rant will only give Trump supporters another reason to discredit their opposition.
My least favorite sentence:
"[...] angry white people primed and frustrated by the past century of Republican dog-whistling."
"The past century"? The Republican Party began race-baiting in 1916? Huh? Why that particular year, pray tell? And how did U.S. historians overlook this landmark era when William Howard Taft's Republican Party apparently began "dog-whistling"? Does Lindy West live in the same historical universe as us?
Given her factual inaccuracies, Lindy West needs to learn basic U.S. History 101 before lecturing others with her views. Her generic rant would have been more appropriate for Blogspot or Reddit, not The New York Times. Worse, the factual inaccuracies of her rant will only give Trump supporters another reason to discredit their opposition.
10
New York Times writers pretend that there are no reasons for anger that so many Americans feel. Unfortunately, Donald Trump directs that anger to the wrong people and scapegoats -- and age-old tactic of fascist leaders.
1
Not a day goes by that Trump doesn't get pages of free PR. Can we all stop obsessing about him?
What if the established media gave the same focus on Bernie Sanders' principles and serious issues? Not 'sexy' + entertaining enough? Then we are no better than Trump.
What if the established media gave the same focus on Bernie Sanders' principles and serious issues? Not 'sexy' + entertaining enough? Then we are no better than Trump.
6
A muppet can "say it the way it is" - but in reality, it is a puppet with a man or women's hand controlling it. Apparently, Trump does not mind if the hate groups of America try to manipulate him like a puppet - time to tell the hate groups that you do not need their endorsement.
I have thought for a long time that what Trump does is hold up a mirror to a segment of the American populace that used to hold a central place in our society. Many in that group hold attitudes that are no longer acceptable to express, including in their workplaces, where they, who used to be the empowered majority, have been told they cannot express feelings they actually hold. They see in Trump someone defiantly flouting the very restrictions they have been chafing under for years. Their earnings have stagnated or shrunk, their jobs have disappeared or they have to share them with people who don't look or speak like them, they can no longer afford the hope of a brighter future for their kids, AND they've been told to put a lid on expressing hateful attitudes about women, minorities, foreigners, and the disabled, one of the few things that made them feel they still have power and privilege.
Welcome to the Trump team, where no one tells YOU you're a loser and where you can actually believe that someone can and will put you and the country the way it used to be back on top if you can just get him elected.
Trump is not only a mirror; he's a release valve for the frustrations of many of those who long thought they were the center of the American universe. What neither he nor they understand is that there is no going back. None of the forces of change is going to let up. The only question is how ugly and dangerous the next stage of continuing change is going to be.
Welcome to the Trump team, where no one tells YOU you're a loser and where you can actually believe that someone can and will put you and the country the way it used to be back on top if you can just get him elected.
Trump is not only a mirror; he's a release valve for the frustrations of many of those who long thought they were the center of the American universe. What neither he nor they understand is that there is no going back. None of the forces of change is going to let up. The only question is how ugly and dangerous the next stage of continuing change is going to be.
17
It is entirely fair and reasonable to characterize Trump.
It is misleading to characterize "Trump supporters." They are many things.
Trump provides a welcome home to some very nasty stuff. That is not all of his supporters.
Trump is like all the other candidates in having a wide range of supporters. He is unlike the others in having a rather large proportion of some very distasteful supporters.
Over generalization is dangerous. It hides the opportunity to appeal to, and peal away, the more reasonable among Trump's supporters. His opposition can't get and would not want some of his support. He can keep David Duke. But an election contest will be aimed at getting away from him some of his support.
We won't get it away from him by insult and generalization of what jerks they ALL are. That just drives them together and reinforces his hold.
It is misleading to characterize "Trump supporters." They are many things.
Trump provides a welcome home to some very nasty stuff. That is not all of his supporters.
Trump is like all the other candidates in having a wide range of supporters. He is unlike the others in having a rather large proportion of some very distasteful supporters.
Over generalization is dangerous. It hides the opportunity to appeal to, and peal away, the more reasonable among Trump's supporters. His opposition can't get and would not want some of his support. He can keep David Duke. But an election contest will be aimed at getting away from him some of his support.
We won't get it away from him by insult and generalization of what jerks they ALL are. That just drives them together and reinforces his hold.
14
Perhaps he, and the entire GOP, should completely disavow all the "nasty stuff," before they expect a rational, non-bigoted person to take them seriously.
If someone is a bigot, a theocrat, a homophobe.. I don't much care what their tax policy is.
This is what the right is not getting.
If someone is a bigot, a theocrat, a homophobe.. I don't much care what their tax policy is.
This is what the right is not getting.
As anyone who knows me from this forum also knows, I’m no racist, sexist or misogynist. And my Spanish is as good as Marco Rubio’s. But I AM a little surprised that people in the public eye who have known Donald Trump for years haven’t been more vocal in defending him against pieces like this – and not people who have endorsed him but who only know him from “Apprentice”, such as Mike Tyson, but those who have known him personally and well, such as Barbara Walters (this is a tangled skein, as Trump was involved with NYC lawyer Roy Cohn years ago, who also was involved with Walters) and Martha Stewart, to name only a couple of well-known and respected people.
A lot of Trump’s supporters ARE tired of the political correctness that they don’t necessarily associate with racial or sexist remarks in a work setting but what’s going on in our campuses of late, where the pronounced trend is to empower the least resilient among us to control the terms of debate to those that don’t offend THEM.
I haven’t had major problems over a life accommodating to an increasingly more politically correct set of tolerated interactions – and indeed find a lot of them welcome. But as with all things, such movements can go overboard and our society has become notably too politically correct. I understand the reaction against it, and I also understand that any such counter-reaction likely would be excessive, as it’s emotional.
A lot of Trump’s supporters ARE tired of the political correctness that they don’t necessarily associate with racial or sexist remarks in a work setting but what’s going on in our campuses of late, where the pronounced trend is to empower the least resilient among us to control the terms of debate to those that don’t offend THEM.
I haven’t had major problems over a life accommodating to an increasingly more politically correct set of tolerated interactions – and indeed find a lot of them welcome. But as with all things, such movements can go overboard and our society has become notably too politically correct. I understand the reaction against it, and I also understand that any such counter-reaction likely would be excessive, as it’s emotional.
13
If you are sick of political correctness, fine. But what ever happened to civility?
1
Fine, but the counter to a movement that has gotten too extreme is NOT going to the other extreme.
And as for Trump, all he is really saying is that America is terrible, it's people are terrible, and only he and his never named cabal of establishment cronies can do anything right.
He lied about Obama's birth certificate. Until he proves that Obama wasn't born here, I have no time to listen to the rest of it.
And as for Trump, all he is really saying is that America is terrible, it's people are terrible, and only he and his never named cabal of establishment cronies can do anything right.
He lied about Obama's birth certificate. Until he proves that Obama wasn't born here, I have no time to listen to the rest of it.
So whats your point? Typically anybody who starts a conversation with " well, i'm not a racist or a sexist and i speak some Spanish ..but" is making excuses for their own racism, sexism, etc..... Famous people are not standing up for him because he is coming out in public very strongly as the guy who you were brought up not to tolerate. Whats fun on reality TV or great at that backyard BBQ (or high priced soiree) isn't so much fun when you realize that it isn't an act and the guy really is a vile human being who actually believes these thoughts. OK, perhaps we as a country have gone too far in some areas but I kind of like that people don't get away with calling women ugly pigs, or that the KKK is not tolerated by people with any kind of a conscience or handicapped reporters shouldn't be openly mocked for their handicap (you know, handicapped people would probably prefer not to be if given the choice but they weren't - they are playing the hand that was dealt to them and deserve respect not mockery.)
2
It's a relief to see writers finally focusing on the real problem. Trump is just the latest symptom of decades of Republican pandering to and empowering of lowest common denominator voters. Need more proof? Look who's running second.
318
What is the "real problem"? As I see it, the "real problem" is that too many Americans can no longer live a modest middle class lifestyle. They have lost their jobs, their standard of living. They blame it on the immigrants - -that is what they learn from Republicans.
But it's not the immigrants who are to blame; it's the 1% -- and Bernie Sanders' supporters well understand.
But it's not the immigrants who are to blame; it's the 1% -- and Bernie Sanders' supporters well understand.
The pot is reaching a boil. If working class men could get decent jobs the heat would be turned way down, if not off.
Then we could just argue about stuff, like usual.
Then we could just argue about stuff, like usual.
14
@Madeline
Women now are the bread winners in 40% of all families. Why are you saying "if only MEN" could get decent jobs? Why aren't the billionaire "job creators" creating work for both sexes? Women are engineers, masons, brick layers too. Because even though our economy recovered so well that "banks too big too fail" the ones that WE bailed out are now 40% BIGGER.
But corps aren't hiring! They found out that if they pushed their workers harder, required longer hours without paid sick leave, vacations, health insurance, or pensions they didn't need to hire workers back. And their stockholders were ecstatic. Corporate profits have NEVER been higher! And 43% of these increased profits are going to the 1%.
The civil engineers of America say we need $3.1 TRILLION right now to repair, and replace our failing infrastructure. We have shovel ready projects...construction materials have never been cheaper! But congress--well the GOP REFUSES to increase gasoline taxes, hell ANY taxes to pay for such work. Gas taxes were raised ~18 cents back in 1993!! Raise them NOW while gas is under $2/gal. I have patients who are Sons of the Confederacy who want Bernie to win! These workers all say "When Democrats are in office, I ALWAYS have work!
Our airport runways are the worst in the world. Out ports need to be deeper, more expansive to handle the new super sized ships. Only 20% can handle them now.
We need houses to be re-engineered green! Ask the GOP why they REFUSE jobs!
Women now are the bread winners in 40% of all families. Why are you saying "if only MEN" could get decent jobs? Why aren't the billionaire "job creators" creating work for both sexes? Women are engineers, masons, brick layers too. Because even though our economy recovered so well that "banks too big too fail" the ones that WE bailed out are now 40% BIGGER.
But corps aren't hiring! They found out that if they pushed their workers harder, required longer hours without paid sick leave, vacations, health insurance, or pensions they didn't need to hire workers back. And their stockholders were ecstatic. Corporate profits have NEVER been higher! And 43% of these increased profits are going to the 1%.
The civil engineers of America say we need $3.1 TRILLION right now to repair, and replace our failing infrastructure. We have shovel ready projects...construction materials have never been cheaper! But congress--well the GOP REFUSES to increase gasoline taxes, hell ANY taxes to pay for such work. Gas taxes were raised ~18 cents back in 1993!! Raise them NOW while gas is under $2/gal. I have patients who are Sons of the Confederacy who want Bernie to win! These workers all say "When Democrats are in office, I ALWAYS have work!
Our airport runways are the worst in the world. Out ports need to be deeper, more expansive to handle the new super sized ships. Only 20% can handle them now.
We need houses to be re-engineered green! Ask the GOP why they REFUSE jobs!
2
Welcome to the real world.
I grew up in an upper middle class family, went to a college prep school, earned two engineering degrees.
But I'll never forget the summer before college when I worked as a mover. My fellow work mates were incredibly racist, misogynous, vulgar, and frequently hung over.
These are the Trump supporters. They live in an alternate, parallel universe. As the economy eliminates their jobs, they have become bigger and more vocal.
If the Republican elites deny their candidate, they will explode.
Do you remember the summer of 1968? Get ready for a repeat.
I grew up in an upper middle class family, went to a college prep school, earned two engineering degrees.
But I'll never forget the summer before college when I worked as a mover. My fellow work mates were incredibly racist, misogynous, vulgar, and frequently hung over.
These are the Trump supporters. They live in an alternate, parallel universe. As the economy eliminates their jobs, they have become bigger and more vocal.
If the Republican elites deny their candidate, they will explode.
Do you remember the summer of 1968? Get ready for a repeat.
38
growing up as a lower middle class jew, with an engineering degree, and living just above the poverty line, my early days in NYC left me with a certain bias towards lazy, dangerous, non productive, drug addictive playmates. Nearly 45 years later I have had the pleasure of meeting two recently retired Physicians where we live in Florida. One is Jewish, the other Hindu. Both were the strongest Trump supporter I have met to date. The idea that Trump is building on a base of classless rednecks, or white supremacist is exactly how this election is being staged. My wife (mother of 8) finally convinced me to vote Trump. I think he is our next president and it is hard for me to believe, but continued fantasy thinking by the liberal geniuses led to this moment. It is difficult for me to see him as a president but the choice of Hillary or Sanders makes it easy. Some advice if you want to defeat Trump>> reel in you incorrect and poorly thought out theory of who the Trump supporter are and direct your message to the real power behind him. Trump is Obama in the sense he is a hope and dreams man. Except he has actually held a job and runs a business that actually produces a net gain. America sees him as a hero right now, trying to know down the reality of that only fires up the base. I am convinced that without some tactical change, the Dems are going to have to sit this one out.
36
I am available if you care to put money on that.
3
Larry does us the favor of showing us, yet again, the dangers of a sample size of one. "Anecdote" is not the plural of "data"
8
This is, by far, the most insightful (and superbly written) assessment of what is driving the Trump "phenomenon." The folks who support Trump have been lurking amongst us all along. "The Donald" didn't conjure them into existence; rather, he has coaxed them into the open and given them permission to parade their ignorance and their anger before a disgruntled and confused national audience. More importantly, he has provided a public forum in which it seems okay for them to voice their long-held "basest prejudices". How sad. How infuriating. How dangerous.
33
The article has it backwards. Trump is not saying what his supporters are afraid to say. He's saying what other politicians are afraid to say. His supporters have been saying these things for many years and feel the poiticians don't hear them. As the saying goes - they hear them now! And his supporters are saying thank God there's finally someone who will listen. You could say it's the Silent Majority, part deux.
133
No, other politicians are not "afraid to say" what Trump says. They either do not believe "these things" or they believe that "these things" represent base instincts that are better suppressed and discouraged than encouraged and inflamed. "These things" may refuse to die when suppressed, and may burn in hidden corners of human hearts, but is it not better to encourage our better nature and at least to prevent evil from bursting into well-fed flame, with harm to our neighbors and ultimately even to ourselves?
1
This line of reasoning is misguided.
Children are told from a very young age that some things shouldn't be said aloud in public. This is very basic manners, it's not much more than that.
Teaching children manners is not something developed during the Obama administration.
Children are told from a very young age that some things shouldn't be said aloud in public. This is very basic manners, it's not much more than that.
Teaching children manners is not something developed during the Obama administration.
2
Well the article did have a quote from a Trump supporter about being afraid to say stuff.
Lindy, it is wonderful to see your by-line! I have been a fan since Jezebel. Excellent piece, frightening days we are living in.
2
Trump is the bad boy his supporters can vicariously vandalize through.
8
In attempting to take the moral high ground Ms. West fails, indulging herself in ad hominem attacks on Trump supporters. She would be more persuasive were she not to mock how Mr. Trump's supporters dress nor ascribing baser motives to them, which she does not know. Rather she should provide alternative solutions to the issues Mr. Trump raises.
14
Spend a few days on most any college campus these days and let students and faculty overhear you talk and act like an ordinary person and you will see where the real hate, bigotry and totalitarianism is most prevalent in America. If you are overheard criticizing black crime, transgenderism, Muslim fascism, among just a handful of the countless verboten topics, or heaven forbid support Israel, remark on the attractiveness of a coed, or criticize BLM, you will at least be verbally bullied if not physically attacked. And that's your so called 'Progressivism'. Seems regressive to me.
15
I think you are exaggerating if not making your story up entirely. Stay away from college campuses unless you are student or faculty. Then you won't be so frightened by the future. Besides remember how everyone thought the Hippies would ruin America? Turned out that the Hippies all turned into greedy and now angry White people
3
DrPaul,
Funny how revealing your comment is, in ways I am sure you are unaware. Yes, I am sure that on most campuses that aren't Liberty University, expressions of bigotry or sexism would be frowned upon. The idea that you would be physically attacked - not so much.
Funny how revealing your comment is, in ways I am sure you are unaware. Yes, I am sure that on most campuses that aren't Liberty University, expressions of bigotry or sexism would be frowned upon. The idea that you would be physically attacked - not so much.
3
I have taught college classes for many years. I have never -- ever -- even heard of anyone being beaten up, roughed up, or thrown out of a class for espousing a viewpoint. In fact, civil decorum in a classroom is the expectation.
3
I have all along believed that civilization helped us to become better people - by helping us to accept gender, ethnic, and race-based differences as natural and by teaching us to distinguish people based on traits only. We have great books that describe prejudice and bigotry as evil that should be shunned and instead tolerance to b pursued for everlasting peace. Trump and his followers are taking us back to the state of nature, the uncivilized world, where Man was barbaric.
8
Yeah, let's "go back." My parents and grandparents would have washed all their mouths out with soap and sent them to bed immediately.
23
Sadly, I think the Trumpist are correct at least partially. If you ever to dare say something against leftist orthodoxy you will shortly be branded a racist, bigot, misogynist, xenophobe, homophobe, whatever. It's tiresome. The left is supposed to be the opened minded part of America. It's not. Trump is a jerk, but it is refreshing to see something new happen once in a while.
11
There is nothing new about racism, misogyny, xeonphobia, homophobia. There is nothing new about hatred. What is tiresome is that behind political correctness is the bigotry and hatred that are behind the "restraint" some people seem to need to keep these hateful ideologies under check, which is the reason political correctness is necessary.
Open-minded does not mean being willing to be accepting of such expressions in education and elsewhere in the public sphere, expressions that have been proven to breed and lead to violence against minorities, then it should be shut down in its track. The fact is, what you are describing is not open-mindedness but closed-minded discrimination and non-acceptance of differences.
This is hate speech you describe and such prejudicial discourse is threatening to minorities -- for good reason -- as well as other free thinkers. Threatening others is not new and it should not be allowed in public discourse. Education should be about nurturing minds not leading them toward the kind of hateful rhetoric that fuels hate crimes and perpetuates prejudice and discrimination.
Since when has political correctness lead to widespread violence? Too bad to those that you think speaking your mind will brand you of the perpetrator of discrimination and violence in contemporary society that you are. Maybe you should try opening your mind a little to the fact that your sense of entitlement is contributing to what that is rotten about "great" America.
Open-minded does not mean being willing to be accepting of such expressions in education and elsewhere in the public sphere, expressions that have been proven to breed and lead to violence against minorities, then it should be shut down in its track. The fact is, what you are describing is not open-mindedness but closed-minded discrimination and non-acceptance of differences.
This is hate speech you describe and such prejudicial discourse is threatening to minorities -- for good reason -- as well as other free thinkers. Threatening others is not new and it should not be allowed in public discourse. Education should be about nurturing minds not leading them toward the kind of hateful rhetoric that fuels hate crimes and perpetuates prejudice and discrimination.
Since when has political correctness lead to widespread violence? Too bad to those that you think speaking your mind will brand you of the perpetrator of discrimination and violence in contemporary society that you are. Maybe you should try opening your mind a little to the fact that your sense of entitlement is contributing to what that is rotten about "great" America.
1
Kudos to Donald for successfully harnessing and giving voice to the hatred that the RNC and its leaders have been brewing for years and then riding it to victory after victory. His GOP coronation speech will have to show gratitude to so many people, from Atwater to Rove and from Nixon to Palin. It will be a huge, marvelous, really wonderful speech!
11
Thank you for adding to the conversation, by saying what I was afraid to say.
11
It is quite simple: Trump does give voice to what his supporters "think": the hatred so many Americans feel for anything or anyone challenging their patriarchal, fascistic world view. America has become Amerika, loudly, in public, shamelessly.
9
Take a look at the photo of the man who sucker-punched the protester; it tells me all I need to know about something that exists in our culture that is beyond frightening. It's like the faces you see in photos from the days of civil rights marches, faces twisted up in hatred and contempt. Supporters of Trump like this one and many others are the reincarnation of George Wallace, one of the most hateful persons that ever lived.
I don't like being reminded of what life is really like "out there", but there ya have it...
I don't like being reminded of what life is really like "out there", but there ya have it...
33
There have been greater disasters in U.S. history, floods, fires, shipwrecks, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc., but the election of Donald Trump as President is bound to end-up ranking right up there with the best of them. This time, however, there will no mystery at all regarding the cause of it. Ordinary Americans are sick to death of political correctness, affirmative action programs they believe are affirmative for everyone but them, Hollywood values, protests /demonstrations/riots without end, schools that teach little, jobs that aren’t there and the pervasive moral rot that is evident just about everywhere; all of which they bame on liberals.
Where it will all end I don’t know, but one thing I believe is certain, this is not going to be one of those disasters where you wake-up in a few days and find out that the water has gone down and the sun is shining.
Where it will all end I don’t know, but one thing I believe is certain, this is not going to be one of those disasters where you wake-up in a few days and find out that the water has gone down and the sun is shining.
4
Okay, but if people are really sick and tired of moral rot and Hollywood values, why are they cheering on a reality television show host who talks about his penis during presidential debates, mocks women for menstruating and urinating, and boasts that he would like to have sex with his hot daughter if she weren't his daughter. This just doesn't add up for me. I'd love to hear your cut on this seeming contradiction. To this observer, it looks like Trump and his supporters embody moral rot and Hollywood values (read: sex, violence, and outrageous behavior as entertainment).
3
There's always a clean-up after a flood.
1
Trump's formula is not complicated: drop the responsibility of acting as an example of civility, forbearance and compassion. These are qualities that great leaders not only possess, but hold forth as worthy of emulation. None of these characteristics are in evidence in the boorish behavior of Donald Trump.
12
A neighbor of mine of many years who is known in the neighborhood for being illiterate, racist, paranoid, controlling of his wife, built a fence between him and his closest neighbor, and who didn't pay his respect when this neighbor died, has a large poster stating I support Trump in the front lawn. I rest my case.
16
You've made no case. Do you think it difficult to find unattractive supporters of any candidate or cause?
2
Trump is child lifting rocks, exposing all the hideous creatures hiding beneath.
Scurry, slither, run back to the good old days in the dark.
Scurry, slither, run back to the good old days in the dark.
13
Trump is just shinning the light on what has always been part of our country, the big underbelly of ignorance, hate for the other, and petty jealousies. No different than what was unleashed in the Germany of the 1930 s.
14
How to explain that we have approximately the same number of xenophobic, misogynist voters (roughly 30%) in most Western democracies today? Trump's rhetoric is no different than the more extreme rhetoric of our local Swiss People's Party, for example, yet Switzerland has nowhere near the same social and economic problems as in the USA, suggesting, as does this opinion piece, that the problem is above all cultural. What happened?
147
If that 30% is accurate (and I am shocked that it might be) then keep in mind that 30% of 1,000 is very different in sheer weight and noise than 30% of 1,000,000, multiplied. The media have picked up on, reflected that noise so that we are living in echo chambers. Mr Trump is revealing himself as ignorant of the nuts and bolts of government, national and international, rather like most of us in that respect. What his popularity shows is not necessarily a respect for his opinions of today or yesterday, but an extreme dislike, bordering on anger of professional politicians who have lost contact with the people they profess to represent.
1
"...Switzerland has nowhere near the same social and economic problems as in the USA, suggesting, as does this opinion piece, that the problem is above all cultural. What happened?"
You ask, "What happened?" Well, Patrick, it's a rather Orwellian "happening." It seems that while all animals are equal, it came to pass that some among them became wiser, more perceptive, more compassionate and kinder, and just "way smarter" -- at least in their own minds -- so that those animals became more equal than and disdainful of their poor benighted fellow citizens, and began to treat them that way...
You ask, "What happened?" Well, Patrick, it's a rather Orwellian "happening." It seems that while all animals are equal, it came to pass that some among them became wiser, more perceptive, more compassionate and kinder, and just "way smarter" -- at least in their own minds -- so that those animals became more equal than and disdainful of their poor benighted fellow citizens, and began to treat them that way...
1
What happened? Well the pundits theories are just that, theories backed by meaningless polling, which from all accounts this election cycle are meaningless given the fact that Bernie Sander's should have easily lost to Hillary in Michigan last week since she had a double digit lead according tot the polls but, as we now know that did not happen....
"They called him (Trump) into being and not the other way around." True, as far as it goes. But if you get beyond the obvious you'll discover fear and insecurity as the prime movers of "they".
Fear and insecurity are the ingredients of the "wedge" issues that politicians use to divide voters and hamper any meaningful discussion of important issues.
Fear and insecurity are the ingredients of the "wedge" issues that politicians use to divide voters and hamper any meaningful discussion of important issues.
5
People are seduced by Trump’s bluster and narcissistic self confidence; and so they are willing to entrust him to steer the world’s largest economy, regardless of his multiple business bankruptcies, which left numerous suppliers, many of them small businesses, crushed by his unpaid bills. Then there is his snake oil “Trump University” scam in which people paid tens of thousands of dollars for promised personal mentorship, but never met him and received a cardboard cutout of Himself instead. He is the perfect sociopathic, perversely charismatic demagogue. And many people in their sick way love him. As they loved Hitler. And, recalling the last line of 1984, Big Brother.
The Republican party, once the party of science, environmental protection, and progressive thinking has worked hard in the last decades to dumb down its potential electorate in order to advance the corporate interests that it now abjectly serves. Donald Trump is the monstrous spawn that it has accidentally empowered.
The Republican party, once the party of science, environmental protection, and progressive thinking has worked hard in the last decades to dumb down its potential electorate in order to advance the corporate interests that it now abjectly serves. Donald Trump is the monstrous spawn that it has accidentally empowered.
13
I'm very tired of SPIN like this. Let's vote NOW and move on, please. Thank you.
8
What spn do you prefer to put on this phenomenon? And why do you capitalize "spin" when it s not an acronym?
Do I read too mch not you post, if I say that you seem to consider spin a negative thing, rather than a neutral term?
Do I read too mch not you post, if I say that you seem to consider spin a negative thing, rather than a neutral term?
Der Donald Drumpt is ever so in error – re-institutionalizing racial bigotry, xenophobia and misogynism will not “Make America Great Again” but, conversely, make the United States a pariah among the World’s enlightened democracies. Reporting of the dismay and guarded concern felt among foreign sovereigns over the Republican primary in general, and Der Donald specifically, has already begun surfacing…for those willing to seek out and accept the criticisms, guarded as they are in political correctness, of our foreign allies.
6
"re-institutionalizing racial bigotry, xenophobia and misogynism"
Don't kid yourself. That was Nixon's Southern Strategy and Republicanism since 1968.
The only difference was the use of code words, which were fairly transparent and so not as much different as they would like to pretend.
Don't kid yourself. That was Nixon's Southern Strategy and Republicanism since 1968.
The only difference was the use of code words, which were fairly transparent and so not as much different as they would like to pretend.
6
"Make America Great Again!" Substitute "White" for "Great." You get the message.
14
"I am with Bernie all the way. If he is not the Dem nominee, I am sitting this one out."
That would be a misguided cop-out .
A tantrum if you cannot have your way.
And do you honestly think that it makes no difference to the country if Trump or Cruz is President rather than Hillary Clinton?
That would be a misguided cop-out .
A tantrum if you cannot have your way.
And do you honestly think that it makes no difference to the country if Trump or Cruz is President rather than Hillary Clinton?
49
Cruz would be worse than Hillary.
Trump might be better. She is that bad.
Trump might be better. She is that bad.
4
Really! A guy who incites violence against protesters, approvingly quotes Mussolini, and flirts with the KKK is better than Hillary Clinton. With all due respect, you've allowed your emotions to run away with your judgement.
3
criticizing someone for having principles
thats th america i know
thats th america i know
Nice piece. Good insights. Intelligent dialogue. Thank you.
11
If Trump doesn't win the WH, what will his angry mob do? The violence is barely contained now it will need an outlet.
12
They will heap hatred and obstruction on Hillary Clinton, crippling her presidency and further damaging our nation.
This nightmare isn't going to end any time soon.
This nightmare isn't going to end any time soon.
6
The AmeriKKKa we see at these events is our America. Trump's candidacy has made it impossible to deny how xenophobic and racist many Americans are. I pray daily Trump doesn't become president, but I also pray every day for strength in US all to be a nation of inclusion and love. This is the real work that lies ahead.
24
The sucker punch thrown by 78 year old John McGraw pretty much sums up the Trump candidacy. Fear not, express your anger, frustration, fear, bigotry, nativism, narrow minded ignorance. Donald Trump will stand beside and support you.
29
I believe that the 78-year-old is the one who choked the black woman and not the perpetrator of the sucker punch. The 78-year-old has been arrested.
And don't forget the comments McGraw made after the punch. They lend a further disturbing nuance on the Trump campaign. McGraw said, "Next time we might have to kill him." And I thought Cruz was outrageous when he single-handedly shut down the government when he didn't get his way. Violence and death threats as policy initiatives! What a great idea.
A further comment: One of the things I noticed about the picture accompanying this article is that none of those folks "look" much like the Donald. Sure, they're mostly white, but if he wasn't trying to sell this country a monstrously huge bill of goods, he wouldn't be caught dead with of any of these people. If he gets elected it will be interesting to see how long it takes him to tell them all to get out of here and go home to Mommy. It will be too late then when they wake up and realize that they were all simply tools in the advance his own raw unadulterated ego.
A further comment: One of the things I noticed about the picture accompanying this article is that none of those folks "look" much like the Donald. Sure, they're mostly white, but if he wasn't trying to sell this country a monstrously huge bill of goods, he wouldn't be caught dead with of any of these people. If he gets elected it will be interesting to see how long it takes him to tell them all to get out of here and go home to Mommy. It will be too late then when they wake up and realize that they were all simply tools in the advance his own raw unadulterated ego.
3
Lindy West, sweet god, you are a genius and I have so missed your voice in the world. Seeing your byline here made me want to jump out of your chair.
2
Hypocrital article no one should take seriously.
Why? Because you poublished an article from a guy about a month and a half ago who said, paraphrasing here, "all Sanders supporters are blind racists who only care about equality when it effects them".
Or because you seemed ot be just fine with it when Hillary was doing it. BernieBros fabrication; the NV caucus infiltration, lie and publicing of it by two Hillary supporters. And you let them do this to a guy whose spent his whole life working for equality in all forms including race and gender...long before Clinton ever cared. NY Times didnt say a word.
You reap what you sow.
Why? Because you poublished an article from a guy about a month and a half ago who said, paraphrasing here, "all Sanders supporters are blind racists who only care about equality when it effects them".
Or because you seemed ot be just fine with it when Hillary was doing it. BernieBros fabrication; the NV caucus infiltration, lie and publicing of it by two Hillary supporters. And you let them do this to a guy whose spent his whole life working for equality in all forms including race and gender...long before Clinton ever cared. NY Times didnt say a word.
You reap what you sow.
5
Op Ed pieces do not express the opinion of the newspaper. You are thinking of editorials.
7
Bernie has spent his "whole life?" He spent 26 years in DC, comfortably voting for resolutions and then heading home to his beloved Vermont. Lovely state, Vermont. Fighting? Spare me!
4
This is hypocritical because someone else wrote a different article? Nice logic.
1
"It doesn’t take clairvoyance, or even tremendous mental dexterity, to see what Mr. Trump means by “make America great again.”
It means: make America white again with all women behaving like June Cleaver.
It means: make America white again with all women behaving like June Cleaver.
26
Except that, as I recall, the June Cleaver character was a nice woman, if a limited one. She was kind and smiling, a good mother full of wise lessons. The women at Trump events, on the other hand, all look as angry, snarling, and unhinged as the men.
1
You are insulting June Cleaver.
Ms. Kemper is blazing, passionate, incredulous. “I think this country better go back to some of those values. Some of the values my parents grew up with, my grandparents grew up with,” she says. “Whatever was wrong, they could point it out and tell you.” Like hating all those black folks down the road.
21
These people only point out why they think God mistreats them and the US.
Quick everybody! Before you vote please read "Dark Money" by Jane Mayer - you will find out who the few oligarchs are who are
pulling the strings!!
pulling the strings!!
10
@Pat Boice
Earth to Pat...I think Trump is mostly funding his low budget campaign, aided considerably by the MSM.
Earth to Pat...I think Trump is mostly funding his low budget campaign, aided considerably by the MSM.
3
I read it.
Problem is the electorate has been "dumbed" down so much, they don't read anymore. "Dark Money" and "In the Garden of Beasts"; two books that could save this country but the electorate will never read.
Problem is the electorate has been "dumbed" down so much, they don't read anymore. "Dark Money" and "In the Garden of Beasts"; two books that could save this country but the electorate will never read.
You can't protect someone stirring up and fabricating race and gender issues in Hillary and then call out Donald for doing the same thing becaue he is doing it better/worse than her.
You can't have your reporters/writters call all of Sanders supporters blind racists who dont care about equality until it effects them; itself a racist article that NY Times published and expect anyone to listen to anything you have to say on race.
You can't do these things and expect to take back the high-ground when someone else is beating you at your own game. It's all dangerous and should stop. You reap what you sow.
You can't have your reporters/writters call all of Sanders supporters blind racists who dont care about equality until it effects them; itself a racist article that NY Times published and expect anyone to listen to anything you have to say on race.
You can't do these things and expect to take back the high-ground when someone else is beating you at your own game. It's all dangerous and should stop. You reap what you sow.
9
@Thorninyourside:
I'm sorry, but I do not have th honor of understanding what you are talking about. Can you take a couple of deep breaths and try again with context? I'd really like to hear what you have to say.
I'm sorry, but I do not have th honor of understanding what you are talking about. Can you take a couple of deep breaths and try again with context? I'd really like to hear what you have to say.
1
You need to read more slowly, and more carefully. You are outraged about an article that you don't seem to have read. No one in this paper has ever claimed that all, or even most Bernie supporters were racists. The article you are so worked up about did, however, point out that Sanders supporters who say that minorities don't know what's good for them, or only vote for Hillary because they don't understand, are being patronizing. That's what the article said. And further, it has NO bearing on the arguments made in this article, by another writer, about another candidate.
2
"We cannot ignore...the populist sensation of this election [has]...been a racist, [a] nationalist demagogue-for-hire with no sincere ideology beyond his own vanity...a cipher [who]...does nothing but hold up a mirror to their basest prejudices and bask in the feedback loop of narcissism [and]...They called him into being, not the other way around."
Well now...that pretty much dots the ahy.
Well now...that pretty much dots the ahy.
10
For most Trump voters it 's about lost jobs, security first and an end to graft and corruption that the Democrat establishment over the last 8 years have mostly profited from. THE SIN IS THAT THOSE IN CHARGE KNOW THIS AND LIE, LIE LIE.
5
"an end to graft and corruption that the Democrat establishment over the last 8 years have mostly profited from"
Taking it back for Republicans to expand and enjoy.
Taking it back for Republicans to expand and enjoy.
3
Where on earth are you getting your information?
Never mind. I think I know.
Never mind. I think I know.
3
Can you be more specific about this "graft and corruption...over the last 8 years?" I ask becuase be of the things that stands out to journalists and historians of all ideological stripes about the Obama administration is how upright and free of major ethical scandal it has been compared to the previous several administrations (possibly xcepting Ford).
You might not agree with the people, but the are pretty clean compare to the last few decades of US federal administrations.
You might not agree with the people, but the are pretty clean compare to the last few decades of US federal administrations.
3
it shocked me just like it shocked me to find out there was gambling at Ricks cafe that Lindy West is a feminist from Seattle who regularly writes for MSNBC and other balanced news (heh, heh) type outlets. The day I see a balanced editorial about Trump in the NYT is the day I learn an asteroid is going to obliterate earth before dinner. Keep it up NYT, right up to the Trump swearing in next January.
10
The essay was labeled 'opinion' not news
10
@kennedy-- which is, of course, why I labeled it as an "editorial"
3
This comment unintentionally demonstrates the author's main points.
2
Pandora's Box has been opened.
10
This article is the best thing I've read about Trump's supporters yet!!!!
8
Trump is the extremist comic uncle who shows up at Thanksgiving, dominates the conversation with nonsense and makes you wince when he's alone with the kids. Sanders is the grumpy, shabby grandpa who sounds like chicken little when he complains about the poor parenting of his children. But you want him around the kids because the moral inheritance he has accumulated through time from hard work and suffering is something you want for your kids.
13
I have a domineering, narcissistic, bloviating braggart of a brother (now estranged – – a great relief) who channels Donald Trump powerfully. I also had a (now deceased) preachy, judgmental old socialist Jewish uncle-by-marriage from Vermont. Each in his own way sucked all the oxygen out of a room. Neither is missed at Thanksgiving.
2
I'd be happy if both Uncle Donald and Grandpa Bernie stayed home for the holidays...
1
You hit upon an issue that I discuss daily. Most people, let me say the vast majority of people from the United States have hidden prejudices. I am willing to bet that Lindy West has hidden prejudices as well.
I have a customer who is African American but the most discerning eye would never ever be able to figure it out. "I asked her how often do people make racist comments in front of you?" "She replied, at least once a day."
Half of my family is Jewish. I have none of the physical "characteristics" of a Jewish person and I listen to people make anti-Semitic comments all day long. Thankfully, I could care less.
The empirical data I have collected over the years? It's not just white guys chewing tobacco that act like this. It's your liberal white feminist, your African American, and your Silicon Valley entrepreneur. Racism, xenophobia, misogyny and religious hatred is not a white guys only club. Oh yeah, one last thing......if you want to hear angry upset anti-semitism hang out at your local mosque with your friendly moderate Muslims. I also happen to be half Syrian from Daraa' so save your comments till you have walked a mile in my shoes.
I have a customer who is African American but the most discerning eye would never ever be able to figure it out. "I asked her how often do people make racist comments in front of you?" "She replied, at least once a day."
Half of my family is Jewish. I have none of the physical "characteristics" of a Jewish person and I listen to people make anti-Semitic comments all day long. Thankfully, I could care less.
The empirical data I have collected over the years? It's not just white guys chewing tobacco that act like this. It's your liberal white feminist, your African American, and your Silicon Valley entrepreneur. Racism, xenophobia, misogyny and religious hatred is not a white guys only club. Oh yeah, one last thing......if you want to hear angry upset anti-semitism hang out at your local mosque with your friendly moderate Muslims. I also happen to be half Syrian from Daraa' so save your comments till you have walked a mile in my shoes.
376
Thank you for some clear-eyed honesty.
1
Thank you for a thoughtful, honest post. It is true that the vast majority of US persons "have hidden prejudices" even non-Trumpeters as you point out--actually everybody has hidden prejudices, but most, unlike you, don't see them as part of the human condition and therefore perhaps malleable.
4
You're right; fear of the "other" is an ingrained part of our brains; before civilization came around, you could never know what the male walking down the path towards you would do. That's where the action of raising a hand in greeting came from, as well as the hand shake: "Look, I have no weapon in my hand, I'm not going to kill you and take your stuff".
No-one can say that they're completely free of prejudice: You see a dude with a beard and skinny jeans, automatically a hipster weiner. You see a guy in an expensive suit, they're automatically a Wall Street jerk. You see a woman in a tight dress, she's automatically a slut.
It goes on, and on, and on....
It's simply easier to keep oneare able to see our prejudices for what they are... instinctive, lizard brain impulses... and step past that noise to see the human being beneath the initial appearance.
Not sure that'll happen in my lifetime, though.
No-one can say that they're completely free of prejudice: You see a dude with a beard and skinny jeans, automatically a hipster weiner. You see a guy in an expensive suit, they're automatically a Wall Street jerk. You see a woman in a tight dress, she's automatically a slut.
It goes on, and on, and on....
It's simply easier to keep oneare able to see our prejudices for what they are... instinctive, lizard brain impulses... and step past that noise to see the human being beneath the initial appearance.
Not sure that'll happen in my lifetime, though.
4
While I'm no fan of Trump, I take issue with the opening paragraph of this essay:
"RHINESTONES twinkling around the perimeter of her shades, cornsilk curls undaunted by the Pensacola sun, Elizabeth Kemper, a supporter of Donald J. Trump, is all certainty."
While denouncing Trump supporters for their bigotry and the Republican Party for its dog-whistling, the author starts this story by denigrating Elizabeth Kemper for her appearance with this subtle mocking reference to her "rhinestones twinkling". She is indulging in her own form of negative stereotyping - albeit in a politically correct way - before belittling this woman's views. It wasn't necessary to mock this woman's look to make her point about her views. It seems even the anti-Trump fans are not immune to belittling the appearance of those they disagree with, either.
"RHINESTONES twinkling around the perimeter of her shades, cornsilk curls undaunted by the Pensacola sun, Elizabeth Kemper, a supporter of Donald J. Trump, is all certainty."
While denouncing Trump supporters for their bigotry and the Republican Party for its dog-whistling, the author starts this story by denigrating Elizabeth Kemper for her appearance with this subtle mocking reference to her "rhinestones twinkling". She is indulging in her own form of negative stereotyping - albeit in a politically correct way - before belittling this woman's views. It wasn't necessary to mock this woman's look to make her point about her views. It seems even the anti-Trump fans are not immune to belittling the appearance of those they disagree with, either.
412
Your sensitivity is endearing Cassowary, but let's face it, tacky is tacky.
4
the majority of average price sunglasses made for women have rhinestones on them, dont know why, its just the style...so how is that denigrating Miss Kemper ??
1
i completely disagree with your assessment , there is nothing wrong with the author's description of Elizabeth….the "mocking" is in your head, not in the text of the article.
4
The United States was on a Honeymoon for 50 years post WWll. We overstayed in the Honeymoon Suite for 49 of those years, and the room was on a credit card we are now paying for. People who speak of how things were, and going back to a better time, fail to realize, we absorbed the fruits of winning a very big war, in a world shortly after where any economic rivals were scrambling to rebuild a system. They did. Quite well. Suddenly we were being kicked out of the suite and asked to pay. All those years we should've been softening our "wants" and moderating our "needs". Trump supporters are the children of the generation that enjoyed an American with no rival. They can't bear to face, the world caught up with us and our only chance was to outsource jobs. Their Republican leaders, rather than tell them the hard facts, chose to demonize every minority, every immigrant, every person who differed with them. Donald Trump saw the sizable potential of this group. He relates but knows clearly "going back" is not possible nor is it a viable, healthy option for the country. These folks are angry at themselves for being left behind. But they have themselves to blame. Trump applied his carnivorous business skills and cut and paste them into political maneuvering. He's an opportunist of the worst kind, preying on ignorance and anger. What an absolute disgrace.
18
I hope the Trump rallies are checking for guns.
Violence is inevitable with this group.
Violence is inevitable with this group.
13
In another NYT article I read that Trump has his followers "pledge allegiance to him" at his rallies. Reading that I got a feeling of gut-punch shock. Are they all going to start dressing alike now? In brown shirts, maybe? There has always been a vein of hideous mob mentality running through our history, breaking out in ugly times. I thought that Trump was bring it out again. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it is true that we create our own gods.
13
Tell me more about the "humanity" of refugees, particularly the ones who have invaded Europe with a penchant for groping Caucasian women at train stations and public swimming pools. Tell me more about their inability to see women as equals in some of the most basic aspects of human behavior: speech, dress, education and mobility. How can you, an apparently committed feminist, overlook such transgressions? Trump may go overboard on many aspects of these issues, but at least he is not afraid to point out examples of political correctness run amuck which should be obvious to everyone.
17
I wish Ms. Kemper had been asked what those values are that she is talking about. I also wish that one of the moderators at the debates, or an interviewer, would ask Donald Trump what he means when he says "make America great again." What, to him, is great?
6
America used to be an Economic powerhouse. anywhere between WW2 and 2008, (though maybe earlier as far as the economy under the surface goes)
even at our worst economic points in the 70's, we were still "#1".
the European union exists solely to compete with us on an even playing field.
but since 2008, we have gone down. Morally, we've been in the dumps since 2003-5 at least, when the War on terror started and we started realizing it would not end.
but certainly economically, we still have not properly recovered from 2008.
and many of the reasons for that lie with economic trade policies of the 80's and especially 90's, where Free trade allowed the US Industrial sector to forsake American workers for cheaper shores.
an industrial nation is a powerful nation. Period. We are no longer an industrialized nation. We are a service economy. And a Service Economy does not generate wealth. At least not countrywide.
So that is, I would argue, what that means.
even at our worst economic points in the 70's, we were still "#1".
the European union exists solely to compete with us on an even playing field.
but since 2008, we have gone down. Morally, we've been in the dumps since 2003-5 at least, when the War on terror started and we started realizing it would not end.
but certainly economically, we still have not properly recovered from 2008.
and many of the reasons for that lie with economic trade policies of the 80's and especially 90's, where Free trade allowed the US Industrial sector to forsake American workers for cheaper shores.
an industrial nation is a powerful nation. Period. We are no longer an industrialized nation. We are a service economy. And a Service Economy does not generate wealth. At least not countrywide.
So that is, I would argue, what that means.
1
DMiller,
Our future great President Donald Trump has made it abundantly clear that making America great again requires putting an end to bad trade deals with foreign countries, taking control of our borders, and negotiating with foreign leaders.
(What, to you, is great?)
Our future great President Donald Trump has made it abundantly clear that making America great again requires putting an end to bad trade deals with foreign countries, taking control of our borders, and negotiating with foreign leaders.
(What, to you, is great?)
Trump supporters want to go back to the 50's. The problem is that the 50's were the 50's for reasons that had very little to do with the racism,sexism, and homophobia that was so prevalent at the time.
The good parts of the 50's, jobs, security, prosperity, etc., were because of a set of economic circumstances that we can't recapture. Post World War II rebuilding and the state of technology(in particular the lack of automation) are two examples of things that that existed in the 50's but will never come back.
We have to move forward in R&D, develop brave solutions to the issues generated around automation, and move into a time that will make the 50's look like Europe during the black death.
Either that or we move into a time that will make Europe during the black death look like the 50's.
The good parts of the 50's, jobs, security, prosperity, etc., were because of a set of economic circumstances that we can't recapture. Post World War II rebuilding and the state of technology(in particular the lack of automation) are two examples of things that that existed in the 50's but will never come back.
We have to move forward in R&D, develop brave solutions to the issues generated around automation, and move into a time that will make the 50's look like Europe during the black death.
Either that or we move into a time that will make Europe during the black death look like the 50's.
10
Nicely stated, but I keep looking for evidence of progress toward whatever "brave solutions" we might come up with. Please don't tell me that "technology" will somehow save our world, if "technology" means another silly smart phone app.
1
This is a truly, laughably poor argument.
Although free speech may be hurtful, hurtful speech need not be freely said. Your mama may not have taught you to be PC but she did teach you to be polite. It was enough, and still is.
20
The Trump campaign thrives on a combination of grievance, vindictiveness, and above all, victimhood. Just one example, from Ryan Lizza's August 2015 New Yorker article on the campaign: a 60-ish New Hampshire voter lamented, "Immigrants are destroying the country. And we're paying for it." As friend at the gym sang in response to that line, "There's no pity like self-pity like no pity I know!"
16
Good one!
The dictionary defines bigot as " one intolerantly devoted to his own church, party, belief, or opinion". Who determines who is a bigot? Is it someone who just has a different opinion on a particular subject?
6
Depends. Is it someone who punches you in the face because he/she doesn't like the way you look? Screams obscenities at you and spits on you?
8
there's an easy response to this one, though it may not be dictionary-correct:
I do not care what you think or believe as long as you keep it to yourself. I do not care that you say or publish what you think or believe as long as it does not involve hating or proselytizing or hurting others. if you're going to spread something, make sure it's not diseased.
if you let hate creep into it, just shut up - it doesn't do anyone any good except to make you feel good for a short time.
I do not care what you think or believe as long as you keep it to yourself. I do not care that you say or publish what you think or believe as long as it does not involve hating or proselytizing or hurting others. if you're going to spread something, make sure it's not diseased.
if you let hate creep into it, just shut up - it doesn't do anyone any good except to make you feel good for a short time.
4
That word "intolerant". Do you understand what it means?
1
The way the term “political correctness” is used by its critics these days seems to amount to this complaint: people no longer accept my lazy thinking and sloppy stereotypes, and they don’t laugh at my racist/ethnic/sexist/gay jokes anymore.
Certainly there are some high profile examples of PC culture run amok. But were all of these victims of PC culture at Trump rallies the same people who were told that they can’t wear a sombrero to the “fraternity at elite university” house party? Doubtful.
Certainly there are some high profile examples of PC culture run amok. But were all of these victims of PC culture at Trump rallies the same people who were told that they can’t wear a sombrero to the “fraternity at elite university” house party? Doubtful.
17
Trump is surfing a wave of voter anger with the careful targeting of lesser intellects that is not without historical precedent. As disconcerting as that may be, any next phase is best avoided.
In my view, he's enough of a threat for real dialogue across the ideological divide to oppose him wherever and whenever we can. I would encourage other independents like myself to declare for Republican primaries where permitted and to oppose him by voting for someone, anyone else (even Cruz if you must).
In my view, he's enough of a threat for real dialogue across the ideological divide to oppose him wherever and whenever we can. I would encourage other independents like myself to declare for Republican primaries where permitted and to oppose him by voting for someone, anyone else (even Cruz if you must).
11
Those able to spot "lesser intellects" obviously possess greater intellects, right?
1
I'm a college educated mid 20's voter living in NY, decently employed while finishing my degree.
Am I a "lesser intellect" to you? That's insulting.
Am I a "lesser intellect" to you? That's insulting.
1
“Ah-Ha, Tramps!” (A local ad) My Mom and Dad had 78-RPM records (I called them “Yecords”; problem with my “R’s”) of radio broadcasts from annual 1930’s Nuremberg rallies. You can find them on the web, via your favorite search engine.
Merely to confront my own shortcomings, prejudices, and bigotry, I recently did just that.
Laughing with embarrassment at my own blindness, I was pulled up short at hearing myself in these broadcasts, and I have never been a Trump supporter. I am an Independent voter but usually lean a bit right of center; nevertheless, it was unsettling to listen to my own shortcomings.
Try it; it doesn’t take a lot of time, and, like me, you might find it illuminating.
Or, if you are a 1970’s person (I am), you might want to re-view one of the funniest movies of that era ---The Rocky Horror Picture Show. “Did we just PASS a gas station? No … but the fox did.”
Merely to confront my own shortcomings, prejudices, and bigotry, I recently did just that.
Laughing with embarrassment at my own blindness, I was pulled up short at hearing myself in these broadcasts, and I have never been a Trump supporter. I am an Independent voter but usually lean a bit right of center; nevertheless, it was unsettling to listen to my own shortcomings.
Try it; it doesn’t take a lot of time, and, like me, you might find it illuminating.
Or, if you are a 1970’s person (I am), you might want to re-view one of the funniest movies of that era ---The Rocky Horror Picture Show. “Did we just PASS a gas station? No … but the fox did.”
3
I don't any Trump, Clinton, Sanders, Kasich, Cruz or Rubio fans are afraid to say anything. Some people who want to secure our borders are labeled racists. People are so "robotized" into saying politically correct responses the nation has become accustomed to it. The truth is this country has a lot of problems: a serious debt, Isis terrorism, illegal immigrants which pose a tremendous financial and social pressure on this country and its taxpayers, racial tensions and inequities, an infrastructure devastation, a vet administration which does not work on most levels, a problematic healthcare system along with a lack of initiative resources for a pending climate change. The U.S. needs to get its house in order whether one wants to hear it or not.
14
The problems you mention are real and they have a common thread that runs through them. They cost money to fix. But our elected officials have decided that tax cuts for billionaires are more important than care for vets, infrastructure or most anything else. Until that changes, nothing else will.
1
Trump scares me but not as much as his supporters. Sarah Palin showed us they existed. Trump organized them into an angry, hate-filled movement. It worries me what happens next.
Yes! A problem that the left has is that we got carried away with bowing to sensitivity. It is good and just and right in terms of deploring hate speech and outlawing behavior based upon hate. That said, when we have colleges requiring professors to parse what they teach so that no student is ever 'offended' by any course content we have gone too far.
This carrying out a philosophy which says that no one must be offended ever has allowed the backlash by the right wing. For them, "politically correct" is code, of course. Rejecting being "politically correct" as un-American gives permission to openly express hate, bigotry, and misogyny as an act of defiant liberty rather than simply quietly expressing these sentiments within their own group.
Sadly, though, it is not only Trump supporters who reside in the "good old days." I play Trivial Pursuit with a group of folks all of whom (except me) are Republican. A question came about who the majority on welfare were in the 1960s (it was women & children). Immediately there was a round of chat "they have babies without marriage," & "they don't really care about the kids, they just want a bigger check." After a question about the Million Man March, comments: "it was supposed to make them better men" and "well that didn't work" and "they shoot each other" & "they go to jail." All the old stereotypes with 0 awareness about the black middle class, professionals, and thousands of hard working poor and lower class. Sad. Infuriating.
This carrying out a philosophy which says that no one must be offended ever has allowed the backlash by the right wing. For them, "politically correct" is code, of course. Rejecting being "politically correct" as un-American gives permission to openly express hate, bigotry, and misogyny as an act of defiant liberty rather than simply quietly expressing these sentiments within their own group.
Sadly, though, it is not only Trump supporters who reside in the "good old days." I play Trivial Pursuit with a group of folks all of whom (except me) are Republican. A question came about who the majority on welfare were in the 1960s (it was women & children). Immediately there was a round of chat "they have babies without marriage," & "they don't really care about the kids, they just want a bigger check." After a question about the Million Man March, comments: "it was supposed to make them better men" and "well that didn't work" and "they shoot each other" & "they go to jail." All the old stereotypes with 0 awareness about the black middle class, professionals, and thousands of hard working poor and lower class. Sad. Infuriating.
50
Those are not stereotypes, some are plain recorder fact available to anyone to look up, such as who is shooting who and who goes to jail more etc.
4
Nobody wants to be the bottom of the heap. Those who think they might be there are the angriest, most name-calling, violent out there.
4
Rich conservatives have always used appeals to prejudice to get the votes of lower classes to institute the ECONOMIC agenda of the rich.
Some politicians have been smoother and have used "code" words to get their racist message across.
Bob Herbert’s column documents Reagan’s views and actions on civil rights.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/13/opinion/13herbert.html
Were Reagan's words and policies less offensive than Trump's because Reagan was an oilier politician.
As for disgusting behavior by Trump supporters please recall the behavior of conservatives at the 1964 GOP convention. NBC TV news reporter John Chancellor was arrested and forcibly removed from the convention floor.
IKE gave a speech at that convention about a "young man with a knife" who became a victim of society. Left unsaid but clearly understood was the race of that young man. What race do you think Reagan's welfare queens predominately were.
Let's be clear I am not trying to excuse in any way Trump's rhetoric but just to point out Trump's rhetoric is following a conservative pattern.
Trump's real crime for many conservatives is not his racism or inappropriate language but his refusal to support slashing economic programs like Social Security and Medicare. There was a recent Times article about conflicts between Trump and Paul Ryan and Ryan's budget.
I refer readers to that informative article.
Some politicians have been smoother and have used "code" words to get their racist message across.
Bob Herbert’s column documents Reagan’s views and actions on civil rights.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/13/opinion/13herbert.html
Were Reagan's words and policies less offensive than Trump's because Reagan was an oilier politician.
As for disgusting behavior by Trump supporters please recall the behavior of conservatives at the 1964 GOP convention. NBC TV news reporter John Chancellor was arrested and forcibly removed from the convention floor.
IKE gave a speech at that convention about a "young man with a knife" who became a victim of society. Left unsaid but clearly understood was the race of that young man. What race do you think Reagan's welfare queens predominately were.
Let's be clear I am not trying to excuse in any way Trump's rhetoric but just to point out Trump's rhetoric is following a conservative pattern.
Trump's real crime for many conservatives is not his racism or inappropriate language but his refusal to support slashing economic programs like Social Security and Medicare. There was a recent Times article about conflicts between Trump and Paul Ryan and Ryan's budget.
I refer readers to that informative article.
28
I just find it interesting that Trump's outrageous statements merely reflect his supporter's viewpoints and changed their behavior. Before politically correct became the latest buzzword and the latest whipping boy that supposedly limits freedom of speech, it used to be called civility and being polite. I have no clue what parents taught their children about being polite, letting the other person finish their sentence, biting one's tongue if you disagreed with the person, and worst of all, using devices like the internet to launch anonymous ad hominem attacks statement that very few people would make in public on the corner soapbox. In your face politics and media is politics and media at its worst. It degrades and debases the true debate and any understanding of both sides of most issues. Is putting everything out in the open really necessary or useful?
53
I forgot to add children should be seen and not heard and there are a lot of children out there these days.
7
being civil and respectful is one thing.
being unable to say "islamic terror" for fear of being called a bigot, or having Colleges trying to set up "safe spaces" so people don't get "triggered"
is ridiculous, and a perversion of that civility.
being unable to say "islamic terror" for fear of being called a bigot, or having Colleges trying to set up "safe spaces" so people don't get "triggered"
is ridiculous, and a perversion of that civility.
Hillary and Bernie have proclaimed their racist credentials in their individual immigration policies, people who have been in this country for a generation must run a 10-year gauntlet to citizenship subject to good behavior standards established by the respective candidates. Bernie wants to limit tech worker visas which is coda for limiting Indian immigration to this country. Neither Bernie or Hillary have offered to increase the 1 million people a year we naturalize setting up a collision 10 year out when those who have successful run their gauntlet will be up for naturalization. While hiding behind their criticism and name calling of Republicans, neither Hillary or Bernie have called for taking a significant numbers of middle eastern refugees. The heavy on policy wonk and sensible limits talk of the Democrat candidates has all the elements of a new Jim Crow for immigrants in the pipeline to this country. As distasteful as the Republicans are they at least are honest in what their position is.
6
Why are politicians like Marco Rubio helping Disney corp hire Indian tech workers on temporary work visas? No one can expect economic support from another nation, but surely citizen tech workers in the US, who may be Indian Americans, should expect to be hired before foreign workers and have leverage to bargain for good pay and have their government behind them not working against them. The idea of a nation is to establish rights and limits to resources. But there is an imbalance of who is benefiting from the national boundaries.
4
It's not exactly Jim Crow. Black people were not trying to blow up and terrorize their countrymen. Muslims want, at the least, to install a totalitarian system of government based on Sharia Law. They are smart enough to hide it now but it is and always was their aim.
Keeping more of them far away from the west is quite different from blacks being denied their own country's civil rights.Blacks were not waging war on western civilization. They were denied the chance to participate in the government they were part of. Muslims want that government overthrown.
You are conflating two very different populations.
Keeping more of them far away from the west is quite different from blacks being denied their own country's civil rights.Blacks were not waging war on western civilization. They were denied the chance to participate in the government they were part of. Muslims want that government overthrown.
You are conflating two very different populations.
2
"Bernie wants to limit tech worker visas which is coda for limiting Indian immigration to this country."
That's nonsense. Wanting to limit H1B Visas has to do with trying to stem the abuses to the program that corporations used to pad their bottom line by keeping salaries down and off-shoring jobs. Those visas are awarded by a lottery system. Large corporations submit thousands of applications for them and bring in lower-wage workers who are like indentured servants because they cannot quit to work for another company for the duration of the visa. Lots of those workers are subsidized by their families back home since the companies don't actually pay them enough to support the high price of living in the high-tech areas. Meanwhile, the American workers can't *afford* to work for lower salaries since they are paying off college loans and trying to live too. Disney (and others) were recently sued for bringing in workers on H1B visas to be trained by the American workers they were being hired to replace! LOOK IT UP. The fact that many of the tech workers on H1Bs are Indian is coincidental--they have billions of people and many trained tech workers.
That's nonsense. Wanting to limit H1B Visas has to do with trying to stem the abuses to the program that corporations used to pad their bottom line by keeping salaries down and off-shoring jobs. Those visas are awarded by a lottery system. Large corporations submit thousands of applications for them and bring in lower-wage workers who are like indentured servants because they cannot quit to work for another company for the duration of the visa. Lots of those workers are subsidized by their families back home since the companies don't actually pay them enough to support the high price of living in the high-tech areas. Meanwhile, the American workers can't *afford* to work for lower salaries since they are paying off college loans and trying to live too. Disney (and others) were recently sued for bringing in workers on H1B visas to be trained by the American workers they were being hired to replace! LOOK IT UP. The fact that many of the tech workers on H1Bs are Indian is coincidental--they have billions of people and many trained tech workers.
10
Everything you need to know about the Republican Party is evident when the RNC and all Republican candidates commit to support the Republican Party nominee, regardless of who it is.
Trump is the apotheosis of their Southern Strategy, the final, declarative statement of their identity. Unless they repudiate him now, he will be the RNC mascot for a very long time.
Trump is the apotheosis of their Southern Strategy, the final, declarative statement of their identity. Unless they repudiate him now, he will be the RNC mascot for a very long time.
38
Why would he be the mascot, when the party is pulling out all the stops to try to stop him, and outwardly denounce him at every opportunity? There has never been a potential nominee before who the party so actively and publicly tried to derail.
1
I don't think that the Republican Party has repudiated him. They now say they will support any nominee. Some Republican's have come out against him, but I'm not sure that this is not some sort of diversionary tactic at this point.
2
Republicans have used the Orwellian twisting of language for years. That's how we had self-styled "values voters" who opposed welfare, food stamps and other assistance to the poor; who would go back to the days of women dying after back-alley abortions; who would incarcerate all of "those" people who made them feel unsafe, even for relatively minor offenses.
The main stream media allowed them to get away with claiming to vote based on values, without ever pursuing what those values translated into in real-world day-to-day life. The media allowed them to tar "liberals" with the taint of immorality so effectively that the left has had to change it's own designation to "progressive".
These Trump supporters who love his "tell-it-like-it-is" language are the same folks who claimed to be "values voters" in the past--and those values are the same as they've ever been: selfishness, arrogant religiosity, racism, homophobia, disdain for uppity women, disrespect for the environment unless it can be made to pay, and rampant greed--the delusional hope of someday becoming one of the 1%.
The main stream media allowed them to get away with claiming to vote based on values, without ever pursuing what those values translated into in real-world day-to-day life. The media allowed them to tar "liberals" with the taint of immorality so effectively that the left has had to change it's own designation to "progressive".
These Trump supporters who love his "tell-it-like-it-is" language are the same folks who claimed to be "values voters" in the past--and those values are the same as they've ever been: selfishness, arrogant religiosity, racism, homophobia, disdain for uppity women, disrespect for the environment unless it can be made to pay, and rampant greed--the delusional hope of someday becoming one of the 1%.
149
So many people do "tell-it-like-it-is" that the phrase has no meaning for me and I would love if people would use more specific descriptions for others' uniqueness. Hope that doesn't sound too pc or un-pc but tell-it-like-it-is means nothing and begs the question whether one has any descriptive capabilities.
1
Your last paragraph sums up the character of Trump supporters very well. I know too many people who exemplify those qualities.
1
The economic engine is broken. Decent paying jobs in factories for less educated people have disappeared and all that is left is minimum wage jobs that can't support a middle class lifestyle. These people are angry at immigrants who came from impoverished countries and are more than happy to work anywhere. They see them as the problem instead of blaming globalization and free trade agreements that have allowed factory jobs to move overseas. They don't know who to blame all they know is that their way of life is threatened.
49
you can have it both ways you know. Trump supporters, (myself included) do blame globalization and "free trade".
but there is also something to be said for illegal immigration hurting us somewhat by bringing down pay, and giving bad reputations to those who go through the effort of coming to this country the legal way.
but there is also something to be said for illegal immigration hurting us somewhat by bringing down pay, and giving bad reputations to those who go through the effort of coming to this country the legal way.
1
Tony, I think this is a great comment and sums up a lot. I worry that there really are no jobs with a living wage for the average, non-college educated person. Politicians care about Wall Street investors, not the little people, and if they can mis-direct people's anger toward immigrants instead of corporations, we make it that much easier for them.
1
The same people love Walmart, the poster child for globalization, so the web here is very tangled. It is not clear to me that in the future in the US, which is a fairly high wage country, that a poorly educated person, even if they work full time at the best job they can get, will be able to support themselves. And I don't see it ever getting any better. So what's the answer here?
1
Assuming he will be the Republican nominee, and loses (please God), where does all this hate go after the election? Back to the internet where it simmers out of the view of most of us, or does it take to the streets with bats and worse? I am terrified of these people. Trump has opened Pandora's Box wide and there is no going back. We have already seen violence and it is only March.
267
This is exactly what I fear, too. Even worse, if the party manages to pull off a 'coup' and run someone else...the masses denied their voice and choice will be seething with so much anger and resentment, already stoked by having Pres. Obama [or as they call him, in one of the nicer variations, "O'Bummer] for two terms, will be a firestorm requiring very little kindling to ignite.
2
It will be directed at President Hillary Rodham Clinton. She's ready for it and has the courage to stand up to it. She has my vote.
2
Pretend that he doesn't lose: I'm not sure Trump makes it all the way through four years figuring that members from both sides of the aisle would want to get him out (through impeachment) before the time was up (if for no other reason than punishment for going against the "system"). People better be very careful about his VP choice as well...
2
The sad reality is that on a psychological/emotional level many people are scared and want a seemingly fearless parent figure to save them from all the scary bogeymen. Very little reality here or useful consideration of the value of wise and compassionate reasoning, but a lot of "gut feelings". And as grown up, smart and together as most of us want to appear, there is a lot of fear, evidenced by the massive numbers of people being medicated, both legally and not, to deal with pain, anxiety and generally feeling overwhelmed. Some people revert to aggression based "solutions", others choose to think, consider and try to respond instead of just fall into impulsive knee-jerk reactivity.
29
That is what Trump, as a the chief marketer of the country, is doing. Making his followers happy by calling names. It says a lot about his followers and the country.
It appears that when Ms. Kemper talks about parents and grandparents she is nostalgic of the times when blacks had to sit in the back of the buses and, women harassed and diminished....
Is that the country we want?
It appears that when Ms. Kemper talks about parents and grandparents she is nostalgic of the times when blacks had to sit in the back of the buses and, women harassed and diminished....
Is that the country we want?
26
Sorry, but the liberals are prime users of calling people names. What about their endless attack of anyone who questions or has concerns about illegal immigration and security of the borders? That isn't racist or xenophobic. And immediately accusing everyone who brings these topics up as such indicates that the trash talk can go both ways.
Stop trying to blame one side.
Stop trying to blame one side.
1
This is all so troubling. I've never experienced a political campaign like this one. But what I also find troubling is that the supporters of Sanders act like and even say many of the same type of derogatory comments on the Internet as Trump supporters. And lately I am starting to notice some of the same offensive behavior among Clinton backers. It is not only inflammatory but it is also extremely infectious. Common civility is what Ms. Kemper's parents and grandparents expressed that Ms Kemper is ironically missing. But common civility is becoming passé. Oh heavens! Where do we go from here? Trump has had a virulent, malicious, spiteful and dangerous effect on all political discourse.
30
I've noticed a similar trend among people who call themselves liberals in our majority Hispanic and Native American town. Conspiracy theories abound, elected leaders are "corrupt," every utility manager or local bank president is a representative of evil corporations. And, these accusations are thrown around in public. It's tiresome and offensive. My Canadian family doc says that the most striking thing about the U.S. to him is the belief in conspiracy theories and that belief is more prominent the further South you travel.
2
You are so right. I can't support Hillary without a wall of bashing and complete freeze-out from my Sanders friends. I was really shocked. They are no more receptive to civil conversation and debate about the candidates than the far-right Republicans. I wonder how many GOP plants there are stirring the pot but then again, even sadder, is the country in general has dumbed down and become hideously coarse.
2
it was bound to happen even without him. as Sanders supporters in particular, are of the kind of people who will call you racist and shout you down if you disagree with them. They are civil to you, until you say you disagree with Sanders on say, immigration, or you say that you just prefer the republican candidate, at which point you are demonized by them. Sanders himself is fairly civil, but his supporters largely, are not, and i fear are fare more extreme than even Sanders himself. And are just as uneducated as the uneducated trump voters they deride. many Sanders voters dont even know what Socialism is, or what communism is, and they couldnt tell you the difference, but would be quick to defend it as 'for the people". Sanders calls himself a Democratic Socialist because he believes in more Europe style policy. but his followers largely, dont understand the difference.
For 7 years Republicans have obstructed and insulted President Obama, America's first black president. Republican racism has lived, veiled below the surface since the 1960's. Trump has freed Republicans to express their restrained racism, he is legitimizing their bigotry under cover of ending elite political correctness. Trump rallies are free-zones to celebrate deep seated anger and hatreds. My only surprise is that Trump hasn't told those attending his rallies to come armed.
66
Mr bush, the younger, was treated quite poorly, much worse than Mr Obama
Folks who say these things about Mr Obama's poor treatment need to look in the mirror
Folks who say these things about Mr Obama's poor treatment need to look in the mirror
2
Insulting a large part of the population who are concerned about illegal immigration, bad trade deals, security and foreign policy problems does not show any understanding of what average citizens are concerned about.
That is why Donald Trump is doing so well. It's not his style, or his hair, or his frequent overly dramatic comments that make him so popular. It's those issues, those pesky issues, that impact the real world, that people care about, and which Donald Trump is the only candidate to address them, is why they tolerate the rest.
That is why Donald Trump is doing so well. It's not his style, or his hair, or his frequent overly dramatic comments that make him so popular. It's those issues, those pesky issues, that impact the real world, that people care about, and which Donald Trump is the only candidate to address them, is why they tolerate the rest.
18
I disagree. It is the issues, but it is also his approach. He lacks nuance, pragmatism, and diplomacy. Trump makes them feel a certain way that someone with a different style would not do.
Even a cursory examination of Trump's "policies" expose the fantasy of his solutions. On immigration, he cannot build a wall. He cannot deport 11 million illegal immigrants. He cannot ban Muslims from the United States. On trade, he cannot impose ridiculously high tariffs. Of course, people can be legitimately concerned about these issues. But to suggest this fraud has answers is folly.
2
Address them? Sure - "I'll make better deals, really good deals. You won't believe how good the deals will be". And "were gonna win, win ,win ... You will be so tired of winning". That's how you expect the president to deal with those pesky issues? You don't have a very high bar for solutions for the highest office in the land, do you? This isn't a WWF event.
1
The GOP campaign has been another revelation to me (I'm embarrassed to say). The tragedy in Ferguson began it, changes in the voting rights act and the "truths" uttered by Trump continued it, and finally the support he has received (from GOP/Indy/and even some far left DEMS) has topped it off - racism and bigotry is alive and well in this country. I naively thought we'd put so much of this behind us, only needing some tweaks at the margins. I was wrong. It's as if Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman anticipated the hidden feelings that should be expressed but rather the hidden evil that still resides in the hearts of too many Americans - a shocking number. If a strong majority of the voters don't completely repudiate Trump's (and the GOP's) "truths" in November then I'm embarrassed for the American people. History will not treat us well.
33
Of course fear and hate are easier to sell than working to change the system but one wonders if Bernie wouldn't be even more of a sensation if he got a quarter of the media time Trump gets.
25
This is Lillibet's mom, using her account to weigh in with a comment: thank you, thank you, thank you!! As a 63 year old woman, I DO remember the good old days, when people felt free to use the n-word in polite company and sincerely believed that black people were dirty because the color of their skin looked that way to white eyes. I remember my own mother telling me not to play with a little black girl I'd struck up a friendship with when we moved to a strange new neighborhood, because "those people are not nice". I remember in both towns and rural areas, when black people were ghettoized and I only saw my African-American classmates in school because the "hollow" they lived in was hidden away from the vasty white liebensraum I spent my time in. And I laughed like a hyena to hear the Trump spokespeople claim they "weren't involved" in the complicity of the black kid's assault at the last rally, after the reporter on the event played a series of clips of Trump encouraging just such behavior, over and over again, at numerous of his previous rallies. Thank you for one of the clearest and sharpest analyses yet of this phenomenon. These people are not fooling anyone who is honest and unafraid to look what is right in front of their eyes.
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Sadly, you completely miss or deliberately overlook that at his rallies there are people of ALL colors there.
Ms West is trying paint something she wants you to see, not reality.
Ms West is trying paint something she wants you to see, not reality.
I am not a Trump supporter and I'm not voting for him, but not because he wants to throw out the Mexicans and bar the Muslims. I'm not voting for him, or any Republican for that matter, because I don't like their tax plans, their plans for Obamacare, Planned Parenthood, and their fixation on abolishing social security, their goal and endgame for 75 years. I want to see taxes raised significantly on the rich, welfare and food stamp spending reduced, especially in those red states where people think they are not receiving government assistance, and those savings and increased taxes on the rich used to finance huge infrastructure improvements. I want to see single payer health insurance for all U.S. citizens, abortion on demand (this country already has 100 million too many people) and an expansion of social security, meaning we should not be talking about raising the retirement age any higher.
79
Can't deny Bernie has had a salutary effect on the debates with his honesty and all.
Many examples of "virtue signalling" are on display in the comment string. It begins by a presumption of the motives and standards of people with whom one disagrees. After the presumption comes the projection and condemnation. "X is a racist, sexist, nativist, xenophobe." Then a momentary glow of self appreciation. Virtue has been signaled and the evil other--you know they like rhinestone--has been banned and her views disqualified. But only because of an inference. But inferences don't come out of the blue. They are inside the virtue signaler. The constant need to denounce should signal something else to those who are intent on their virtue: perhaps the need for some introspection.
20
That sounds like a REALLY round-a-bout way of saying: "please let me just be a little racist."
9
Virtue signaling is often linked to the ad hominem logical fallacy: seeking to refute an argument by attacking the person who makes it rather than addressing the argument itself. Thus Trump's view that borders should be secured is supposedly refuted by calling him a racist or a xenophobe.
1
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. And sometimes when someone says and does racist things they really are a racist. Ditto for misogyny. For people who are constantly opposed to "Political correctness," we certainly see a lot of very thin-skinned folks who have trouble accepting that other people perceive the obvious about them.
2
Trump hasn't really generated anything new in American society, his "followers" have always been around. How else do you explain a legally sanctioned racism that even dictated separate drinking fountains?
But this social dystopia goes even deeper than racism, its an inherent part in the "American dream". I grew up in a Southern California that quietly allowed millions of illegal Mexicans to wander up across the border to harvest the fields, be nannys, and for cheap labor in building the endless sea of track houses wiping out any vestige of nature. This may sound like an American dream for these Mexicans, but it wasn't in reality. Yes, it may have been an improvement over the hopelessness of their lives in Mexico, but it utterly destroyed California.
What's surprising about all this is that we are surprised at all about Trump's success. We shouldn't be, what he represents has long been a part of this country's fabric, and he represents just the wrenching ambivalence that became California's concrete jungle.
But this social dystopia goes even deeper than racism, its an inherent part in the "American dream". I grew up in a Southern California that quietly allowed millions of illegal Mexicans to wander up across the border to harvest the fields, be nannys, and for cheap labor in building the endless sea of track houses wiping out any vestige of nature. This may sound like an American dream for these Mexicans, but it wasn't in reality. Yes, it may have been an improvement over the hopelessness of their lives in Mexico, but it utterly destroyed California.
What's surprising about all this is that we are surprised at all about Trump's success. We shouldn't be, what he represents has long been a part of this country's fabric, and he represents just the wrenching ambivalence that became California's concrete jungle.
16
Trump's candidacy elevates the most visceral, destructive emotions to the status of an ideal. He champions the principle that individuals should enjoy the right to express any opinion they please about other people. This libertarian ideal, modestly constrained by the libel and slander laws, of course finds protection in the 1st amendment.
Trump's attempt to convert his unbridled tongue into a guardian of liberty, however, defies the reality of life in any community, especially one as diverse as ours. Parents routinely train their children to balance the twin but contradictory virtues of honesty and restraint. The natural tendency to say whatever one pleases can destroy personal relationships, because it encourages us to express our petty emotions and ephemeral anger. On a community level, the practice of restraint enables people of widely differing backgrounds and beliefs to cooperate in ways vital to the well-being of the country.
Trump scorns the minor hypocrisies that lubricate relations between people in the anonymous environment of an urban society. But, in fact, he does so only on a limited basis. When his opponents, through criticism of him, practice the freedom that Trump celebrates, he responds with vicious attacks on them. When protesters appear at his rallies, he encourages his followers to mistreat and expel them.
So, in practice Trump seeks to preserve the community he leads by suppressing dissent. Thirst for power, not principle, is his lodestar.
Trump's attempt to convert his unbridled tongue into a guardian of liberty, however, defies the reality of life in any community, especially one as diverse as ours. Parents routinely train their children to balance the twin but contradictory virtues of honesty and restraint. The natural tendency to say whatever one pleases can destroy personal relationships, because it encourages us to express our petty emotions and ephemeral anger. On a community level, the practice of restraint enables people of widely differing backgrounds and beliefs to cooperate in ways vital to the well-being of the country.
Trump scorns the minor hypocrisies that lubricate relations between people in the anonymous environment of an urban society. But, in fact, he does so only on a limited basis. When his opponents, through criticism of him, practice the freedom that Trump celebrates, he responds with vicious attacks on them. When protesters appear at his rallies, he encourages his followers to mistreat and expel them.
So, in practice Trump seeks to preserve the community he leads by suppressing dissent. Thirst for power, not principle, is his lodestar.
42
The trouble with your wise line of reasoning is that the people involved have to WANT those relationships...or at least recognize that they are necessary.
1
You can't just blame the Republican Party for the rise of Donald Trump. The Democrats have some responsibility, too. By denying that terrorism has anything to do with Islam and refusing to even discuss problems within the Muslim faith, voters scared by the wave of terrorism around the world committed by Muslims in the name of their prophet have found it refreshing that Trump dares to criticise Muslims - and more.
The rise of the far right in response to Islamic terrorism is not a uniquely American phenomenon. It's happening right across Europe. In countries where the Left refuses to acknowledge the problems of Muslim terrorism and attacks on women by Muslim migrants, people with formerly mainstream political views are now turning to far right parties in frustration.
People in the US and elsewhere concerned about Islamic extremism feel they have two choices: supporting the Left which denies any problem with Islam at all or embracing the bigotry of the extreme right. Neither are great choices but the latter is willing to put a name to their fears.
The rise of the far right in response to Islamic terrorism is not a uniquely American phenomenon. It's happening right across Europe. In countries where the Left refuses to acknowledge the problems of Muslim terrorism and attacks on women by Muslim migrants, people with formerly mainstream political views are now turning to far right parties in frustration.
People in the US and elsewhere concerned about Islamic extremism feel they have two choices: supporting the Left which denies any problem with Islam at all or embracing the bigotry of the extreme right. Neither are great choices but the latter is willing to put a name to their fears.
20
To borrow from President Obama's comments the other day, Democrats have been blamed for a lot of things...but the idea that Democrats are in any way responsible for Donald Trump is "novel".
I won't presume to know what "Cassowary"'s political views are, but as a general matter conservatives seem to struggle with the concept of nuance, even if it comes from one of their own. Even W, one of the great fools of our time, was able to draw the distinction between Islamic terrorists on the one hand, and Muslims on the other. To declare, as a matter of national policy, that the US is at war with Islam is merely to hand a propaganda victory to those Islamic terrorists. Being against banning all Muslims from entering the US does not make someone "pro ISIS" or soft on terror (sorry Ted Cruz, but it's true).
Even putting Trump's bigoted views towards Muslims to one side...how does the alleged "failure" of Democrats to "acknowledge the problems" of Islamic terror explain Trump's similarly abhorent views towards African-Americans? When a white Trump supporter sucker-punches a black protester in the face in full view of the police (who initially do nothing in response)...that's the fault of the Democrats? Are you sure? Because to me, it sure seems like an effect of the poison and dog-whistle racism that's been poured into the ears of GOP voters ever since Reagan announced his "belief" in "State's rights", especially since Obama's inaguration.
I won't presume to know what "Cassowary"'s political views are, but as a general matter conservatives seem to struggle with the concept of nuance, even if it comes from one of their own. Even W, one of the great fools of our time, was able to draw the distinction between Islamic terrorists on the one hand, and Muslims on the other. To declare, as a matter of national policy, that the US is at war with Islam is merely to hand a propaganda victory to those Islamic terrorists. Being against banning all Muslims from entering the US does not make someone "pro ISIS" or soft on terror (sorry Ted Cruz, but it's true).
Even putting Trump's bigoted views towards Muslims to one side...how does the alleged "failure" of Democrats to "acknowledge the problems" of Islamic terror explain Trump's similarly abhorent views towards African-Americans? When a white Trump supporter sucker-punches a black protester in the face in full view of the police (who initially do nothing in response)...that's the fault of the Democrats? Are you sure? Because to me, it sure seems like an effect of the poison and dog-whistle racism that's been poured into the ears of GOP voters ever since Reagan announced his "belief" in "State's rights", especially since Obama's inaguration.
12
Trump doesn't criticize Islam or Moslems. He is an anti-intellectual who vilifies Islam & Moslems. Putting a name on one's fears is not any justification for lack of analysis, for claiming honesty because that name or names carries ignorance, disdain & antipathy and violent behavior. We well know such hatred has been on the rise just as have hate crime against Moslems have sharply risen. To skip over the aggression & the legacy of hate spewed by Trump & his followers is not just to turn a blind eye to anti-social behavior, the actions of his supporters at his rallies, but to accept the foundation of Trumps
incoherent vanity & hatred.
incoherent vanity & hatred.
6
Nonsense. The Republican big tent has always welcomed bigots and racists while expressing hostility toward ordinary Americans who happen to be atheist, LGBT, or dark skinned. Bigotry has been a hallmark of both parties but in the past 50 years almost exclusively a Republican one.
9
Thank you for this article. By focussing on the electorate who are backing Trump, who feel that they have been wronged and ignored, we begin to realize that Trump is not so much a Pied Piper of Hamelin leading a pack as simply being a vessel of his followers' prejudices.
48
And yet if one looks carefully at the picture accompanying the article, there are three people of color present.
And today Dr. Ben Carson will be endorsing Drumpf.
Which only proves to me that ignorance is color-blind.
And today Dr. Ben Carson will be endorsing Drumpf.
Which only proves to me that ignorance is color-blind.
34
Thanks for that comment. I was curious to see if that had been noted by anyone. Ignorance is color-blind.
1
If I see the trendy words "xenophobe, xenophobic or xenophobia" in this paper one more time I am going to vomit. The world is no more or less xenophobic than it has ever been. Can't you write about something else and put your silly fifty-cent words away?
12
Please explain how they are "trendy" words.
If they happen to be used more often now, there is a reason. Should we ignore it when a candidate for President repeatedly implies that we should be afraid of all non-white people?
If they happen to be used more often now, there is a reason. Should we ignore it when a candidate for President repeatedly implies that we should be afraid of all non-white people?
8
They are indeed trendy bits of the liberal vernacular today. Not sure how much reading you do, but I do a lot from both liberal and conservative sources and they are overused today mostly by the Millennial generation liberal writers, but also to a lesser extent by others. They are inflammatory words used to unfairly demonize people who may not yet be able to finish everything on today's liberal lunch plate.
I have read each of the most recent books of by each candidate both democratic and republican as I prepare to vote. Nothing in any of these books suggests anything along the lines of fearing non-white people, so you need to find some better sources of campaign news that fairly represent all candidates (I don't think there is one, you need to do your own research like I did).
BTW, I am a person of color.
I have read each of the most recent books of by each candidate both democratic and republican as I prepare to vote. Nothing in any of these books suggests anything along the lines of fearing non-white people, so you need to find some better sources of campaign news that fairly represent all candidates (I don't think there is one, you need to do your own research like I did).
BTW, I am a person of color.
FINALLY! You speak for many people, Ms. West. But, the Title of your piece should be, What Are Trump Fans And The TV Media Really "Afraid" To Say?
7
Me, I welcome the immigrants here, in Minnesota, the Hispanics from everywhere, the Hmong, the Somali, the Russian Jews, people from Ukraine, Sarajevo, wherever. And the Karen-speakers that my daughter teaches English to in pre-school.
An "America" that doesn't welcome immigrants is not the America I want to live in. "Make America great again" -- welcome immigrants. Duh
An "America" that doesn't welcome immigrants is not the America I want to live in. "Make America great again" -- welcome immigrants. Duh
26
I hope you welcome the illegals among them into your home and pocketbook. They place strains on housing, police, hospitals, infrastructure and schools that cost plenty for the rest of us. And since they aren't able to work or pay taxes without an identity, they steal them from actual citizens.
So until you are able to differentiate between legal and illegal immigration, and pay for those illegals, please don't tell us how virtuous you are.
So until you are able to differentiate between legal and illegal immigration, and pay for those illegals, please don't tell us how virtuous you are.
2
I think you will find the vast majority of Americans favor and welcome immigrants to our country. Foreign nationals who are in the US illegally are not immigrants. I have lived and worked in seven countries, legally, because I could not not have done so otherwise. Only in America can you wander in, receive federal and local benefits and have a lobby of politicians fighting for your rights to be here illegally.
Strange times.
Strange times.
2
Legal ones, we all do!
1
Good article! From the time when people, almost always right-wingers, began complaining about "political correctness," it's been obvious that they were really complaining about receiving opprobrium for some racist, sexist, etc. comment. There is really no substance whatsoever to the "political correctness" concept, other than displeasure at getting criticized for misanthropic sentiments.
16
So, opposing the illegal entry of tens of millions of foreign nationals, and a complete disregard for federal immigration law makes one a raging bigot, racist, and xenophobe? got it. Interesting perspective.
16
It is an interesting perspective as you state, since the irony of it all is that those who profess to be "politically correct" use nearly the same tactics as Trump but rather to continue attack Trump , which has clearly not worked, the pundits attack his supporters and label them as racists, bigots etcetera ....
3
No, but attacking black protesters at political rallies, discriminating against others based on their religion and national origin, demeaning and debasing women, characterizing even legal immigrants as rapists and criminals, humiliating disabled people, and exhibiting a blatant disregard for even a shred of basic human decency sure does.
5
Many rebel against "political correctness". The term itself is a misnomer which does itself no justice. "PC" should be replaced with HD - human decency.
HD should tell us it's wrong in the 21st century (or any century) to demean others with racial slurs or jokes, or hold fast to symbolism representative of racism (looking at you Confederate flag). We should understand it's not okay to discriminate against gay people, or call people with learning disabilities "retards". Never verbally /physically harass women or men, or ridicule people with physically disabilities - as Donald Trump has (actually he does all of the above).
HD is something all must embrace. We should be considerate enough to understand how some feel when we name black rocks in Bristol CT waters "Negro Heads", or cling to a village symbol showing a native American being subdued by a Caucasian (in a town named Whitesboro). Or use the term "All-American" not in its original sports reference, instead to connote a blue-eyed blond appearance implying anyone with a different hue or race is less American.
People agitated by being "politically correct" might look at their behavior from the perspective of the Christian values many profess to hold. I was once taught a measure of proper behavior is to never say or do anything publicly which would embarrass you if reported on the front of the New York Times. Sadly, in "reality television" culture, people are selfish and no longer care.
HD should tell us it's wrong in the 21st century (or any century) to demean others with racial slurs or jokes, or hold fast to symbolism representative of racism (looking at you Confederate flag). We should understand it's not okay to discriminate against gay people, or call people with learning disabilities "retards". Never verbally /physically harass women or men, or ridicule people with physically disabilities - as Donald Trump has (actually he does all of the above).
HD is something all must embrace. We should be considerate enough to understand how some feel when we name black rocks in Bristol CT waters "Negro Heads", or cling to a village symbol showing a native American being subdued by a Caucasian (in a town named Whitesboro). Or use the term "All-American" not in its original sports reference, instead to connote a blue-eyed blond appearance implying anyone with a different hue or race is less American.
People agitated by being "politically correct" might look at their behavior from the perspective of the Christian values many profess to hold. I was once taught a measure of proper behavior is to never say or do anything publicly which would embarrass you if reported on the front of the New York Times. Sadly, in "reality television" culture, people are selfish and no longer care.
84
Unless the liberal left can get the basic meta message behind the Trump phenomenon we will get Trump or Trump light for President and a clean sweep of government by the Republicans. The costs of political correctness exceed the benefits. The working class values have been trashed by political correctness, which produces a lot of anger. Don't focus on what Trump says, words aren't that important. In a sense that is the core message of the phenomenon of Trump,
One thing I used to say about PC speech, way back when the phrase just got started, was that it was the best friend of the racist and the bigot. Before PC you could tell who they were just by letting them talk. Then they became much more able to hide in plain sight, masquerading as decent, reasonable people. At least now they have shed that skin and exposed themselves for who they truly are.
I am pretty sure there are some non-racist, non-bigoted supporters of Trump, but I also have a feeling that most true racist/bigot/haters out there have flocked to him with barely concealed, orgiastic glee.
I am pretty sure there are some non-racist, non-bigoted supporters of Trump, but I also have a feeling that most true racist/bigot/haters out there have flocked to him with barely concealed, orgiastic glee.
45
Interesting that Ms. Kemper would say, " whatever was wrong they could tell you" when speaking of her parents values.
I guess it all hinges on the word "wrong". What's wrong to Trump supporters is certainly not the same as what I feel is wrong with them. In fact, wrong is one of thev most subjective word in the English language used to justify the most heinous actions as well as decry the Injustices of others.
With all the talk about the programs and policies in this 2016 election, I think the simple concept of values--and what really constitutes "wrong"-- is the most important theme. Isn't that what we are debating really when we consider the a Trump candidacy vs that of a Sanders or a Clinton?
I guess it all hinges on the word "wrong". What's wrong to Trump supporters is certainly not the same as what I feel is wrong with them. In fact, wrong is one of thev most subjective word in the English language used to justify the most heinous actions as well as decry the Injustices of others.
With all the talk about the programs and policies in this 2016 election, I think the simple concept of values--and what really constitutes "wrong"-- is the most important theme. Isn't that what we are debating really when we consider the a Trump candidacy vs that of a Sanders or a Clinton?
21
Trump has given a voice to what has always been there - a dirty racist small minded America. Look closely at Trump , he is America.
250
He is not me. He is not my community.
Gross overstatement is never helpful.
Gross overstatement is never helpful.
3
No, Trump is not America, he's the GOP laid bare.
10
Oh god, I hope you're wrong. Please be wrong.
2
The irony of Trump's aficionados is that all of them would have found themselves fired after the first episode.
133
Americans "secretly" want a wall because it restores order to immigration rather than the chaos now present. Liberals and Conservatives have been equally complicit in creating this current mess, and it's been going on so long that now we use photographs of children and grandchildren to secure the futures of the first family members who live here illegally.
That does not make you racist, not when the middle class is struggling to find meaningful work. Not when the minimum wage is deemed insufficient. Not when we are pouring resources into schools to keep up with non-English speaking students. The American Liberal shames the country into funding anything to prove compassion. The compassion we show will eventually show up in everyone's lifestyle and well-being.
We are also not racist simply because we worry about the viral effect of Muslim extremism. Certainly not when you see jihadists in San Bernardino. Or when an Air Force member is tried and convicted for terrorism. Trump said "until we figure this thing out". That, to many ears, sounds like a guy trying to get his arms around a problem. But let's make it religious persecution.
Trump's rhetoric trespasses into the offensive. But the micro-aggression culture that is rooting itself is juvenile. Our tender ears deserve better, at times, but that does not remove the feelings from citizens' hearts. And minds follow hearts. Liberals who police speech and thoughts are as offensive as Conservatives who do the same.
That does not make you racist, not when the middle class is struggling to find meaningful work. Not when the minimum wage is deemed insufficient. Not when we are pouring resources into schools to keep up with non-English speaking students. The American Liberal shames the country into funding anything to prove compassion. The compassion we show will eventually show up in everyone's lifestyle and well-being.
We are also not racist simply because we worry about the viral effect of Muslim extremism. Certainly not when you see jihadists in San Bernardino. Or when an Air Force member is tried and convicted for terrorism. Trump said "until we figure this thing out". That, to many ears, sounds like a guy trying to get his arms around a problem. But let's make it religious persecution.
Trump's rhetoric trespasses into the offensive. But the micro-aggression culture that is rooting itself is juvenile. Our tender ears deserve better, at times, but that does not remove the feelings from citizens' hearts. And minds follow hearts. Liberals who police speech and thoughts are as offensive as Conservatives who do the same.
38
We aren't racist because we worry about Muslim extremism. But we are racist when we pronounce that "the Muslims" writ large - all 1.3 billion of them - are collectively responsible for the actions of a violent handful of extremists while insisting that no one has responsibility for the acts of violent right-wing Christian groups other than the members of those groups themselves. Insisting for one standard regarding our own humanity and another for those other people is the height of hypocrisy. It isn't political correctness to point that out. My Trump is playing to the base notion that our hypocrisy isn't hypocrisy if we don't acknowledge it.
17
It is not that there is a problem with extremists who are using violence, it is painting everyone who practices that faith or was born into that faith with the same brush. Hundreds if not thousands of Catholic priests abused children, yet no one ever demanded that all Catholic churches be closed. Thousands of people are shot each year, but no one is demanding that guns be taken away from everyone (and, in fact, we haven't even been able to pass gun safety laws). When white ranchers and their supporters (the Cliven Bundy group) takes up arms against the federal government, we do not categorize all ranchers as violent.
So yes, when a group of people (usually a minority group) gets painted with an attribute exhibited by only a minority of that group and then seek to discriminate against them based on that belief, then that is racism.
So yes, when a group of people (usually a minority group) gets painted with an attribute exhibited by only a minority of that group and then seek to discriminate against them based on that belief, then that is racism.
4
"Building a wall will accomplish nothing" - so true, and the frightening irony is that the Mexicans we should truly be afraid of, members of the Mexican cartels, are traveling to the US through hundreds of underground super tunnels, which have been built all the way from northern Tijuana to openings in warehouses in southern San Diego. A wall is of no concern to them and in fact will give them more power over impoverished Mexicans wanting to travel to the US.
This is a good article but I think it misses a most basic point about the underlying reason Trump has so much appeal. The foremost rallying cry of Trump supporters is that they are disgusted with a dysfunctional, gridlocked, uncompromising government. They are disgusted with the politicians who do not serve the nation but serve their own self interests of getting re-elected by taking big re-election money that controls their narrow voting positions.
The Trump supporters are protesting against this non-functional government. Isn't it ironic that our non-functional government began 7.5 years ago when Barack Obama became president? Isn't it ironic that that this non-functional government began 7.5 years ago when an African-American became president? Isn't it ironic that Trump is riding the wave of anger at this non-functional government?
And who is to blame? Barack Obama? or someone else for creating this wave of anger at a gridlocked government? We have no further to look than John Boehner and Mitch McConnell. These two shut down our government by their uncompromising contempt for the African American president and their determination to make absolutely all Obama policy proposals fail for 7.5 years. These two, Boehner and McConnelll, created the gridlock that has opened the door for Trump to spread his angry abusive rhetoric upon an unwitting angry populace. And, yes, Trump is exploiting America's latent nationalist, racist, xenophobic character.
The Trump supporters are protesting against this non-functional government. Isn't it ironic that our non-functional government began 7.5 years ago when Barack Obama became president? Isn't it ironic that that this non-functional government began 7.5 years ago when an African-American became president? Isn't it ironic that Trump is riding the wave of anger at this non-functional government?
And who is to blame? Barack Obama? or someone else for creating this wave of anger at a gridlocked government? We have no further to look than John Boehner and Mitch McConnell. These two shut down our government by their uncompromising contempt for the African American president and their determination to make absolutely all Obama policy proposals fail for 7.5 years. These two, Boehner and McConnelll, created the gridlock that has opened the door for Trump to spread his angry abusive rhetoric upon an unwitting angry populace. And, yes, Trump is exploiting America's latent nationalist, racist, xenophobic character.
482
Hank, you are so right. As I recall, the Republicans vowed on the first day of Obama's presidency to destroy him. And they have blocked almost everything Obama has attempted to do. They have made "compromise" a dirty word when it is the foundation of democracy. Trump is the "just dessert" for a political party that has made "anti-Obama" and "hate talk" their mantra.
10
Hank:
The most ironic thing is that Trump supporters are protesting a non-functional government by embracing a dysfunctional candidate.
The most ironic thing is that Trump supporters are protesting a non-functional government by embracing a dysfunctional candidate.
5
I think we can add the no taxes pledge to Grover Norquist, an unelected but influential Republican and the so-called Hastert rule where only measures that get majority GOP support will even be brought to debate and vote in Congress. Deplorable behavior for what should be statesmen in charge of representing the people (you know, government by the people, for the people and of the people).
5
The evolution of the GOP golem:
In 2012, Mitt Romney, who was once the Governor of a Socialist paradise, tried to explain to Mississippi voters that he was "extremely conservative." Romney kowtowed to Trump and his quixotic Birther quest, and it's likely that like Arnold Vinick in "The West Wing," Romney promised "the ministers" that they would get Supreme Court justices who would hound women into the back alleys.
You're right. I grew up in a racist culture. We were not an aggressively racist family, but we felt free to make jokes and snide remarks about black people. I have relatives who have not changed one bit from those days, so it's easy to appreciate how unaware some people are that they are steeped in racism.
When I was in junior high school, we made jokes about girls' bodies, about gay people, and about people who were intellectually challenged. We were particularly cruel to one boy, shouting at him over and over, "Hello Joe! What do you know? Not much!"
We thought we were funny. Nobody pointed out that we were cruel.
What some people call political correctness others call a check on cruelty. No one can control what you think, but shouldn't you consider the consequences of what you say? Might that person you're about to gratuitously insult have enough troubles in this world without your piling on?
There are laws against urinating in public. Are we OK with that, or should we back a candidate who shouts, "Anywhere we want!"?
In 2012, Mitt Romney, who was once the Governor of a Socialist paradise, tried to explain to Mississippi voters that he was "extremely conservative." Romney kowtowed to Trump and his quixotic Birther quest, and it's likely that like Arnold Vinick in "The West Wing," Romney promised "the ministers" that they would get Supreme Court justices who would hound women into the back alleys.
You're right. I grew up in a racist culture. We were not an aggressively racist family, but we felt free to make jokes and snide remarks about black people. I have relatives who have not changed one bit from those days, so it's easy to appreciate how unaware some people are that they are steeped in racism.
When I was in junior high school, we made jokes about girls' bodies, about gay people, and about people who were intellectually challenged. We were particularly cruel to one boy, shouting at him over and over, "Hello Joe! What do you know? Not much!"
We thought we were funny. Nobody pointed out that we were cruel.
What some people call political correctness others call a check on cruelty. No one can control what you think, but shouldn't you consider the consequences of what you say? Might that person you're about to gratuitously insult have enough troubles in this world without your piling on?
There are laws against urinating in public. Are we OK with that, or should we back a candidate who shouts, "Anywhere we want!"?
1437
the old adage "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me" No matter how liberal you are I bet that in your heart all of you liberal \, well educated folk have made a negative thought on race, on another persons religion, behavior and plenty of times. We all believe that we are perfect but in our private moments we are all products of of our culture. Who really knows what is in people's minds.
5
Jack Mahoney
I grew up in South Portland and had an experience very similar to that you have described. The misogyny, racism and down right cruelty were all there but no one called it that. I can clearly recall at that age being very afraid to speak out.
I have grown considerable older since those days and now I try to remember.. (I do not know the author otherwise I give attribution)
Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about, Be kind. ALWAYS.
I grew up in South Portland and had an experience very similar to that you have described. The misogyny, racism and down right cruelty were all there but no one called it that. I can clearly recall at that age being very afraid to speak out.
I have grown considerable older since those days and now I try to remember.. (I do not know the author otherwise I give attribution)
Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about, Be kind. ALWAYS.
13
Amen to the "What? You mean I'm a racist?" comment. Some people are completely clueless. An ex-friend of mine once said, and I quote, "How hard can it be? Black people do it" when I suggested she improve her technology skills to help her find a job. She would be the first one to tell you she is absolutely not a racist.....My response, "Well if that's the bar then why set it so low? How about Astrophysicist? I mean, black people do it, how hard can it be? "
13
Being a thug is being mean; and, in this nation, you can be boorish or physical with your immediate opponent, like the protestors mentioned or you can serve as a Republican in the United States Congress and gerrymander districts, curb voting rights, eliminate taxes for the wealthy few, and lie to the American people over and over again to keep and retain power. Thugs are necessary to defeat power gone mad. Trump and his followers have the distinction of not being thugs, all the time. I cannot say the same of the Republican Party for the last twenty years.
29
So, Trump supporters are just internet trolls come to life?
Works for me.
As the bigots in this country come out of the closet to support Trump, he is indeed the genie they've conjured up out of their racism and hate and self-loathing, now out of the bottle, never again to be put back in. Trump lives only to act as the mirror for Republicans to see their inner ignorance.
Are these people Americans? Are they the reality of how the country has devolved and forgotten the values that made America great? Perhaps Trump is right... the country needs to be made great again. And that can be started by getting rid of HIM.
Works for me.
As the bigots in this country come out of the closet to support Trump, he is indeed the genie they've conjured up out of their racism and hate and self-loathing, now out of the bottle, never again to be put back in. Trump lives only to act as the mirror for Republicans to see their inner ignorance.
Are these people Americans? Are they the reality of how the country has devolved and forgotten the values that made America great? Perhaps Trump is right... the country needs to be made great again. And that can be started by getting rid of HIM.
752
As Paul Krugman said the other day when Trump says "Make America great again" what he means and what his followers hear is "Make America white again".
7
Trump's real slogan is: "Make America GRATE Again." His modus operandi is offending and demeaning Muslims, Mexicans, Blacks and other minorities, women, POWs, other candidates--the hate list goes on and on and this is the basis of his naked appeal to the haters amongst us.
3
Oh, we stuffed that genie into the bottle once and we can do it again. It's just a damned shame The Donald got hold of the cork in the first place. He went straight for the lowest common denominator, and it responded with joy.
2
Few read the New York Times, but everyone knows that prices climb while income has not. Many workers are forced to work overtime donating this extra labor. They don't read the Times but they understand that we have become a plutocracy. This growing anger and deepening resentment has now been given a target. I am old enough to remember the rise of Hitler and I am scared.
168
Actually, prices for most goods and services have never been lower.
2
Really? Care to submit some evidence to back up the statement regarding lower priced goods and services. Is the cost of housing and health care lower? How about transportation and nutritious food when you can find it. Then there is the hidden cost of lost middle class jobs behind the lower cost goods and services especially imported manufactured goods. Demagogues like Trump play on peoples fears and redirect blame to the "others" who being not like them must be to blame. This is how tyrants come to power and the playbook being followed here was used in 1930's Germany as well as Italy, Spain, Chile etc. Karen is right to be afraid of fascism appeal to angry irrational mobs and their apologists and enablers.
3
This is to say nothing of the homophobic backlash against the Obergefell decision and Trump's transparently phony pledge to restore "religious liberty," and appoint "conservative judges." Trump is merely a racist extension of the "American values" candidates who gleefully stoked bigotry by slapping anti-gay Constitutional amendments on state Constitutions in the 90s and 2000s to prevent civil marriage for gay couples. Add overt racism and you have Trump's Great America, trying to return to a time when Donna Reed stayed in the kitchen making dinner, gay people lived in closets and people of color had their own lunch counters.
91
What you say about Trump and most of his supporters is probably true. What you say about political correctness is definitely not. Trump is the almost inevitable comeuppance for decades of politically correct ranting by those who are now his adversaries. Do I think that we should go back to earlier forms of prejudice that masqueraded as civic virtue? No. But do I think that we should ban all opinions except our own (which is institutional policy on so many college campuses)? No. The problem with political correctness isn't that it comes from one side or the other (because it comes from both) but that it glorifies smugness and self-righteousness (no matter what the cause that supposedly legitimates it) and therefore establishes a double standard (according to which "we" are allowed say whatever we want about "them," but "they" are not allowed to say whatever they want about "us"). Those who promote political correctness today would sound a lot more convincing if they applied the same standard of civic discourse to themselves by refusing the temptation to stereotype, shame and silence everyone who disagrees with them.
25
" Do I think that we should go back to earlier forms of prejudice that masqueraded as civic virtue? No. But..."
Interesting word, "but". It essentially takes back whatever was said before it. As in "I don't want to appear racist, but...", which signals you are about to make a racist comment. Or perhaps "I know rape is wrong but..." lets the listener know some victim blaming is coming. In this case, it is used to create a false equivalency between those making racist or misogynist comments and those who point it out. All that is needed for this post to be complete is adding "You liberals are so intolerant". You're right. It is intolerant to not let racism, misogyny and more go unchallenged.
Interesting word, "but". It essentially takes back whatever was said before it. As in "I don't want to appear racist, but...", which signals you are about to make a racist comment. Or perhaps "I know rape is wrong but..." lets the listener know some victim blaming is coming. In this case, it is used to create a false equivalency between those making racist or misogynist comments and those who point it out. All that is needed for this post to be complete is adding "You liberals are so intolerant". You're right. It is intolerant to not let racism, misogyny and more go unchallenged.
7
"Political correctness" = "Civility"
9
People who throw around the term "political correctness" are generally just angry they get called out for voicing their biogtry and getting consequences for it. Go ahead and let that flag fly - at work.
4
This article is a bit too easy for me. The conversational climate in the US has changed thanks to Trump. In some aspects it has become worse. But in others it has become better. Of course one can discuss about the merits of each of those changes. But many are about real issues like the economy and foreign policy.
Ms. West wants us to believe that Trump's fan base is motivated by racism and misogynism. I beg to disagree. As can be seen with the ultra-right parties in Europe, a politician exploiting only those issues doesn't appeal to more than 5 to 10% of the population.
Most people have prejudices. Even the most diehard liberal can often be shown - when submitted to some psychological tests - to hold prejudices against other races and the other sex. Trump is exploiting that in some subtle ways.
One is that - by expressing such things and getting away with it - he is showing his own superiority ("quot licet Iovi non licet bovi"). Another way is that - by being sincere on those issues - he strengthens the impression that he is sincere on the more serious political issues.
Ms. West wants us to believe that Trump's fan base is motivated by racism and misogynism. I beg to disagree. As can be seen with the ultra-right parties in Europe, a politician exploiting only those issues doesn't appeal to more than 5 to 10% of the population.
Most people have prejudices. Even the most diehard liberal can often be shown - when submitted to some psychological tests - to hold prejudices against other races and the other sex. Trump is exploiting that in some subtle ways.
One is that - by expressing such things and getting away with it - he is showing his own superiority ("quot licet Iovi non licet bovi"). Another way is that - by being sincere on those issues - he strengthens the impression that he is sincere on the more serious political issues.
6
The USA is not Europe. Ultra-right parties there are soundly sanctioned by the general population, hence their appeal to 5-10% of the population (if that is accurate). Here, we give the bigots the microphone and rationalize it as allowing straight talk, legitimizing widespread racism that is plain as day.
3
Precisely. But, no doubt, you'll get the usual suspects telling you that all the Republican candidates are the same. And then you'll get the OTHER usual suspects telling you that the raving hordes who support Trump all have what they -- these usual suspects -- call "legitimate" grievances. The poor souls have been led astray, betrayed, or deeply offended, and their anger, which is entirely legitimate, has been misdirected by a designing demagogue. ... Right.
Some years ago, I read "Hitler's Willing Executioners" by Daniel Goldhagen, and while I didn't then, and don't now, agree with the premise of that book, when it comes to today, let no one absolve Americans of guilt for whatever Trump does should he become president. They must bear some of the blame.
And that includes the liberals who think Trump should be critiqued by where he stands on abortion, taxing hedge funds, and protecting Social Security rather than on his hatred, bigotry, and xenophobia, his conspiratorial outlook and his impulsive behavior. Mrs. Clinton made a good point about the necessity of not saying whatever comes into your head when you're in the Oval Office because you can literally fan the flames of conflict and war this way. I wouldn't count on Trump stopping his rash ways.
Trump's not Hitler. He has no great conception of the world, no grand scheme, and no real means of implementing it if he did. But you can see how you get there from here. And you don't need to be Hitler to be dangerous.
Some years ago, I read "Hitler's Willing Executioners" by Daniel Goldhagen, and while I didn't then, and don't now, agree with the premise of that book, when it comes to today, let no one absolve Americans of guilt for whatever Trump does should he become president. They must bear some of the blame.
And that includes the liberals who think Trump should be critiqued by where he stands on abortion, taxing hedge funds, and protecting Social Security rather than on his hatred, bigotry, and xenophobia, his conspiratorial outlook and his impulsive behavior. Mrs. Clinton made a good point about the necessity of not saying whatever comes into your head when you're in the Oval Office because you can literally fan the flames of conflict and war this way. I wouldn't count on Trump stopping his rash ways.
Trump's not Hitler. He has no great conception of the world, no grand scheme, and no real means of implementing it if he did. But you can see how you get there from here. And you don't need to be Hitler to be dangerous.
45
I come here- to the Times' comments- when I am in despair and very fearful. How nice,in a completely tangential spirit, to see your little icon, David L.Jr. Are you an Anthony Powell fan by any chance?! If I'm not mistaken, that is the cover of A Dance to the Music of Time, 1st Movement, U Chicago Press edition.
Trump is speaking "the truth"
Pshaw.
When he stands up and says,
"I'm a Viet Nam draft dodging coward lusting to play a tough guy as Commander in Chief",
Then he's speaking the truth.
Pshaw.
When he stands up and says,
"I'm a Viet Nam draft dodging coward lusting to play a tough guy as Commander in Chief",
Then he's speaking the truth.
278
Donald Trump's mother died in 2000. She was a genuinely pious and conservative scots woman.
If you look at Trump before and after his parent's death (his father died the year before his mother) his behavior changed radically, much for the worse.
We need his mother to wash his mouth out with soap and put him to bed with no dinner.
If you look at Trump before and after his parent's death (his father died the year before his mother) his behavior changed radically, much for the worse.
We need his mother to wash his mouth out with soap and put him to bed with no dinner.
4
Recently, Thomas Frank wrote a piece in The Guardian claiming that in reality most of Trump's supporters aren't racists and xenophobes. They're concerned primarily about trade and jobs. This idea has been picked up in various places as an indication that Bernie would be the better opponent to Trump because he IS primarily concerned about trade and jobs and would therefore neutralise that part of Trump's message. Well, if trade & Jobs WERE the Trumpettes' primary concern, they’d ALREADY be whoopin’ & hollerin’ at Bernie rallies. They're more concerned about "those people" getting "free stuff" from the government while they, the Trumpettes, are working hard but getting an ever-decreasing part of the pie. The difference isn't their concerns about the economy; it's their need to scapegoat and their desire for authoritarianism. THAT’S why they support Trump; as Ms. West points out, they like his offensive speech not because they're afraid to say those things but because they like to hear them said back to them.
963
Not true about the "Trumpettes" being disingenuous about their motivation, they really are most concerned with trade and jobs. One of the main reasons they're not likely to support Bernie is his position on immigration is the most generous of all the current candidates. A person most concerned with trade and jobs has a beef with immigration because immigration is the source of the relentless and ever present downward pressure on wages. Basic economics at work here: the more cheap labor there is, the greater the competition for work, and thus the low wages. People get this. It's not racism or scapegoating.
6
My husband is voting for Trump. He is also a big Sanders fan. He keeps saying that Trump should nominate Sanders as his Vice and wants to call it the unity party. From my point of view of your comment, you seem to lump all Trump supporters together so easily that it reeks of prejudice or hubris.
6
For anyone who thinks that Trump's supporters are primarily motivated by economic concerns - I have some bridge property in Brooklyn that I'm eager to sell...
4
It is the same here. Supporters of the Swedish democrats, our very own semi-fascist party, are incessantly obsessing about political correctness and how "we are not allowed to say some things due to the influence of media/leftists/elites/feminists".
The thing is, they can say whatever they like. No one is stopping them. What they can't have, however, is respect and acceptance for their hateful opinions. And that is what the crowing about political correctness is really about - some people want to be awful and disrespectful toward others, but they don't want to be disprespected in return.
It would be hillarious if it wasn't so scary.
The thing is, they can say whatever they like. No one is stopping them. What they can't have, however, is respect and acceptance for their hateful opinions. And that is what the crowing about political correctness is really about - some people want to be awful and disrespectful toward others, but they don't want to be disprespected in return.
It would be hillarious if it wasn't so scary.
1775
Precisely-you are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts-and if your opinion goes against the constitution you have no place in governance-thats a fact!
4
This commenter above has perfectly captured what few ever do about the Warriors against political correctness. Thank you for forming the words around this. Many of us will now borrow them from you. :). Well said.
8
Funny, but what everyone is now calling "political correctness" in my day used to be called "manners" and a decent upbringing.
Golden Rule, anyone????
Golden Rule, anyone????
17
If asked at one of his rallies if Black Lives Matter, Herr Drumpf would likely agree, saying Black Lives Matter 3/5ths. And the crowd would go wild.
100
They would not get the allusion.
36
They might if they actually read the Constitution.
1
Right, they wouldn't.
Trump is America's IQ test.
And it's not looking good.
Trump is America's IQ test.
And it's not looking good.
4
Wonderful, dead on op ed. Thank you for spelling it out. As a senior, who has
lived through a lot of this country's political history, I have never seen anything
like what's happening now. It's frightening me, and it should frighten all rational,
thinking people. The ugliness of hate and all it manifests has finally surfaced and
we are seeing it nakedly now in this Trump phenomenon. The people, his fans,
his apologists, his enablers, whoever they are - they are not the spirit that has
made us the home of freedom and democracy. They are dark forces that are
tearing us to pieces, taking us to the depths of human despair. I can only hope
they will be purged and repelled by the better natures of the American people.
lived through a lot of this country's political history, I have never seen anything
like what's happening now. It's frightening me, and it should frighten all rational,
thinking people. The ugliness of hate and all it manifests has finally surfaced and
we are seeing it nakedly now in this Trump phenomenon. The people, his fans,
his apologists, his enablers, whoever they are - they are not the spirit that has
made us the home of freedom and democracy. They are dark forces that are
tearing us to pieces, taking us to the depths of human despair. I can only hope
they will be purged and repelled by the better natures of the American people.
270
As a senior, didn't you live through the McCarthy era, the Vietnam War era? None of us lived through the American Revolutionary period, but hey that must have been a time exciting to be alive in. Let's hope the good guys win again.
4
glenn- Forgive me but I don't get your comment. McCarthy was
one bigot and he was squelched in time, People were not drawn
to him as a positive force like the Trump hordes; the people rose
to oppose the Vietnam war and a President, Johnson, was part of
the disillusionment that happened. This is different. It's uglier perhaps because it's had a long run; the press enabled Trump for
months and the Republican party permitted it to thrive and did
nothing to repute it. Bigotry, racism, hate has never been uglier
and scarier to those of us who always fought it and thought it
wouldn't surface again in this form -political derangement syndrome.
one bigot and he was squelched in time, People were not drawn
to him as a positive force like the Trump hordes; the people rose
to oppose the Vietnam war and a President, Johnson, was part of
the disillusionment that happened. This is different. It's uglier perhaps because it's had a long run; the press enabled Trump for
months and the Republican party permitted it to thrive and did
nothing to repute it. Bigotry, racism, hate has never been uglier
and scarier to those of us who always fought it and thought it
wouldn't surface again in this form -political derangement syndrome.
18
Good for you for speaking out, p. kay. Your generation has knowledge of how great America can REALLY be because you fought hard for civil and individual rights. Time to fight again by getting out the vote of people who feel like you
and I.
and I.
3
The frustration from political correctness comes from the need to fit into society while simultaneously being a free and independent individual. If you thinking deviates far from societies norms these competing concerns can become very frustrating. Let us say that you are a bigot. Being open about being a bigot can exclude you from society at large so you have to pretend to not be a bigot while internally hating the things you are forced to say.
So you are right. Trump says things for people that they really want to say but are fearful to say themselves.
So you are right. Trump says things for people that they really want to say but are fearful to say themselves.
11
Why is everyone so surprised? Realistically, it has always been evident a fair percentage of Americans are xenophobic, misogynistic, racists. Think about it, if you could remove the hind sight of history and present the American people with a choice between Adolf Hitler and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, don't you think Hitler would get a fair percentage of votes? Nothing has changed here, it just happened that we elected a black president and now, with this election we are seeing what a lot of people really thought about that.
261
Thanks for this. I'm kinda annoyed because something was bothering me about those sentences like, "He says what's on his mind" etc, since I first heard them uttered regarding Trump. I'm annoyed because I was not able to articulate what bothered me. This should have been written months ago. Many online websites (Freedom Outpost, Last Resistance)are filled with the most hateful comments. People are so brave under the cloak of the internet and a "handle."
84
it's amusing to see the left label Trump and his supporters every -ism there is. you all must feel threatened by the truth.
12
Yes I am threatened by racist misogynistic Bigots, that believe harming the most vulnerable is how we make murika great again
291
One truth we are threatened by is that racism and bigotry are rampant in American society.
96
A little fact checking might clear things up for you.
47
What a crock ! What a sham ! What deception ! The Republicans, and Trump and his backers, are plainly and admittedly racists and anti-women and anti-most anything or any group not white. Mob-ism. And he could be the next President. Frightening..........
46
What astounds me is to see all the adoring women in the crowds cheering his utterances as he insults them.
10
They are a mob, mob's have no fear save the disbanding of their mob; so, they cling more tightly together in the face of criticisms. Trump represents what is worst with humanity. He is the inversion of l'infant sauvage--raised in the empire city-jungle. He is an elitist with little Versailles dotting our landscape, and his followers feel empowered by his baseness.
101
Too much of what El Don spews is mis-identified as ' politically incorrect ' when it's actually illegal, controverting not just custom(s) and politeness, but actual law - quite a lot of what comes out of his pie hole would get lots of Americans fired from their work-place(s), and it's been that way for decades.
Yet another difference between actual America/Americans and the aeries inhabited by the ultra-rich 1%-ers who act the same way in their private businesses as they do at their clubs, and are oblivious to how the world has changed around them as they have been traveling along through life in their little snow globes.
It's striking how often such people are in the latter stages of their careers and seem so often to be making desperate, last gasp attempts at rolling back time, history, Progress.
Yet another difference between actual America/Americans and the aeries inhabited by the ultra-rich 1%-ers who act the same way in their private businesses as they do at their clubs, and are oblivious to how the world has changed around them as they have been traveling along through life in their little snow globes.
It's striking how often such people are in the latter stages of their careers and seem so often to be making desperate, last gasp attempts at rolling back time, history, Progress.
171
Quite true and the ultra-rich 0.1%ers also think and speak disparagingly and hatefully of Trump followers but they find them temporarily useful. Private clubs are not only designed to keep "minorities" and foreigners at bay.
2
Great riff. But there's a key psychological point you are missing. Let me explain. Ever been in a riot? I have. There's this moment in the crowd when all of a sudden, you become united, a mob if you will. Societies constraints are suddenly removed. You get this wave of energy elation sweeping over you. The group begins acting as one.
What has Trump done? He's given this 'release' to quite a number of Americans. You can see him egging the mob on by his statements from the podium to 'get' protesters. The crowd responds.
You can use any arguments you like against him with no effect. These arguments reflect into the neocortex, but not the brain stem where the mob behaviors resides.
At some point in our distant past, this human behavior helped us survive, perhaps by forming hunting or raiding parties. In modern times though, outcomes have been tragic. Hitler used this ancient behavior of the brain stem to kill millions.
If Trump is elected, I fear for America. Nothing will drive this 'mob' behavior more than his call to deport 11,000,000 Latino Americans. Trump thinks he can use the rule of law for this task, but he's called forth the darkness within the human soul that will take over.
What has Trump done? He's given this 'release' to quite a number of Americans. You can see him egging the mob on by his statements from the podium to 'get' protesters. The crowd responds.
You can use any arguments you like against him with no effect. These arguments reflect into the neocortex, but not the brain stem where the mob behaviors resides.
At some point in our distant past, this human behavior helped us survive, perhaps by forming hunting or raiding parties. In modern times though, outcomes have been tragic. Hitler used this ancient behavior of the brain stem to kill millions.
If Trump is elected, I fear for America. Nothing will drive this 'mob' behavior more than his call to deport 11,000,000 Latino Americans. Trump thinks he can use the rule of law for this task, but he's called forth the darkness within the human soul that will take over.
643
Yep. Where are the good and the brave to quell this bad behavior at Trump's rallies? I suspect we are afraid to speak out for fear of getting thrown out. Whatta mess.
17
Indeed. Trump's words ("I'd like to punch him in the face") gave implicit permission for a white supporter punch a black man in the face, in plain view of TV cameras. Can anyone doubt this type of behavior would sweep parts of the country like wild fire if this man is elected? Or even before, in the coming months running up to the election. The crocodilian brain of those people is just exploding, after 7 years of watching a black man in the White House.
29
Great point.
If elected his supporters will do the rounding up of immigrants themselves.
They will be the mob acting on their own to deport thousands, and how many
will die. Frightening thought.
If elected his supporters will do the rounding up of immigrants themselves.
They will be the mob acting on their own to deport thousands, and how many
will die. Frightening thought.
8
Perfectly stated...Amen!
19
You sound so rational. I'm guessing you're not American.
34
Trump is the leader of what should be a 3rd party......The GOD....Grand Old Drumph. Not altogether a bad idea; the enemies of thought and social justice will be easier to spot
9
Notwithstanding the fact that Trump has repeatedly stepped over the line, complaints of political correctness are legitimate. Gun control folks often argue that any gun purchase is misguided. Well-meaning anti-abortion advocates, who consider abortion murder, are unfairly labeled women haters and religious fanatics. Those who believe immigration should be restricted to legal entrants are dismissed as prejudiced nativists. And those who favor voting restrictions that benefit the Republicans are wrongly accused of seeking Party advantage, not to win elections, but because they are racist. Political correctness is alive and well abd offensive. And those who are fed up have good reason.
138
There is a thing in American society called civility
63
I think you need to check out the definition of "political correctness" because the examples you provide are in some cases descriptions of political differences, not political correctness. If I think that any gun purchase is misguided, I am not being politically correct per se, I am simply stating a perfectly rational point in opposition to guns and the current culture of gun violence, a point with which you may disagree. Just because people take positions opposite your own does not mean that they are being "politically correct."
65
Precisely what "voter restrictions" are you in favor of? Would they be restrictions that restrict actual voters who are actually entitled to vote? Report after report demonstrates that these are the restrictions that the Republican Party works to enact, in a quest for "Party advantage".
63
Lindy West,
Please tell us how you really feel about Trump and his supporters.
I am with Bernie all the way. If he is not the Dem nominee, I am sitting this one out.
Trump has made many callous remarks, but not all of his supporters are racist, or mean tempered. I think a lot of his attraction comes from the dissatisfaction with present political climate. He is the only non-politcian remaining in this race. Having offered zero details of his plans other than the make us great again nonsense, some take his hot air as a breath of fresh air.
Much as I find him repulsive, I'd rather have him over Cruz.
Please tell us how you really feel about Trump and his supporters.
I am with Bernie all the way. If he is not the Dem nominee, I am sitting this one out.
Trump has made many callous remarks, but not all of his supporters are racist, or mean tempered. I think a lot of his attraction comes from the dissatisfaction with present political climate. He is the only non-politcian remaining in this race. Having offered zero details of his plans other than the make us great again nonsense, some take his hot air as a breath of fresh air.
Much as I find him repulsive, I'd rather have him over Cruz.
138
You wrote: "I am with Bernie all the way. If he is not the Dem nominee, I am sitting this one out." Why sit it out? Go to vote in November and write Bernie's name in. That's what all Bernie supporters should do. Could be an incredible upset.
41
Harry, how can you decry Trump's failure to provide details and then say you're for Bernie? The Sanders plan to provide free everything to everybody is appealing on an emotional level, but he never provides the details on who is going to pay for it all. He just assures us that it isn't us; it's those guys over there.
36
harry - It would not make things any better to ' sit this one out '.
56
Let's use the word that Trump's people use to talk about those whom they dislike: Trump is a thug running for president.
228
Perceptive comments from Ms. West. The issue is less that Mr. Trump's fans are "afraid" to say these things that are inaccurate, inappropriate, illogical, and irrational, it's that they're tired of being told that they're inaccurate, inappropriate, illogical and irrational by the people they've been told to hate - the better educated, women, gays, Muslims, blacks, Hispanics. Their anger comes from the shame of knowing these people are right to call them on their bigotry and ignorance - and they wish they weren't getting caught being bad by people they think count for less than they do.
1263
Even children hate having their numbers called!
Add to your list, unchristian, for all those so called Christians and evangelicals flocking to trump's calls to hate
8
These uneducated Trump followers are angry at their own stupidity. They see how the more educated (many of whom are brown or black or even women- horror!) not only have better lives, jobs, get to travel, etc., but they understand things - they get how the world functions, they're capable of complex thought, they reason and can clearly articulate their thoughts. So how do you think that makes a (sorry) stupid, uneducated person feel about themselves? Well, pretty bad. It must be a terrible feeling to not understand an iota of what our highly educated, erudite black President says, it must be embarassing when a 21 year-old college student can throw out big words in a couple of languages and throw in a quote from Spinoza. I know this because I have a couple of relatives who literally get red in the face when I speak because I remind them of how (again, sorry) stupid they are. I know the economy is tough and inequality a huge issue, but when I see the Korean manicurists at my nail salon sending their kids to Stuyvesant HS, and the Colombian cleaning lady who saves up enough money to put a down payment on a small apartment, I scratch my head and wonder why these people have so much drive and will power. My only answer is they're smarter and the Trump followers know this, and boy are they angry!
12
Everybody should be allowed to say what he or she thinks, although it is not always the smart thing to do.
What is upsetting is that the subtext of what so many people want to say is racist, fascist, nativist, xenophobic and the list goes on. For some, it is not a subtext.
What is upsetting is that the subtext of what so many people want to say is racist, fascist, nativist, xenophobic and the list goes on. For some, it is not a subtext.
34
Trumps anti-PC nonsense is often called civility by thinking people!
19
Thank you, bob west, for saying that. I'm often flummoxed by the hostility towards "political correctness". To me, it's only ever meant treating others (in my speech as well as in my behavior) with the same courtesy and respect with which I want to be treated myself--you know, the Golden Rule.
What's so bad about that?
What's so bad about that?
20
A wonderful analysis of the current state of the American electorate, Ms. West. If a picture is worth a thousand words, the one atop your essay encapsulates the cliche with chilling exactness."Getem Out," we see on one sign. Faces awash with happiness, smartphones clicking, hands raise in triumph. Notice, in the lower right, candidate Trump has his back turned to his people. One even notes the handful of non-white faces there; one wonders if they are among his supporters, professional observers, or simply bystanders, those taking a verrry long chance with safety.
You are factually in error on one salient point: you write about "angry white people primed and frustrated by the past century of Republican dog-whistling." Actually, Ms. West, it's been going on here for nigh on 400 years. It has always evoked volume and passion. Prior to the mid-1960's, racism was de rigueur; not only was it fashionable, it was required as valid proof of genuine American citizenship. For a period of about ten years (1954-1964) America underwent a c-section of sorts, a painful childbirth in which its defects and were exposed as unacceptably hideous. Much like a mother who views a distorted child with horror, America quickly turned her back on civic decency. Treasured long-ago names (Nixon, Reagan, Thurmond, Wallace yielded to the recent (Atwater, Rove, Buchanan, Cheney, Bush) to the present (McConnell, Boehner, Ryan, Cornyn, Grassley). They're our Congress. And Trump's followers put them there.
You are factually in error on one salient point: you write about "angry white people primed and frustrated by the past century of Republican dog-whistling." Actually, Ms. West, it's been going on here for nigh on 400 years. It has always evoked volume and passion. Prior to the mid-1960's, racism was de rigueur; not only was it fashionable, it was required as valid proof of genuine American citizenship. For a period of about ten years (1954-1964) America underwent a c-section of sorts, a painful childbirth in which its defects and were exposed as unacceptably hideous. Much like a mother who views a distorted child with horror, America quickly turned her back on civic decency. Treasured long-ago names (Nixon, Reagan, Thurmond, Wallace yielded to the recent (Atwater, Rove, Buchanan, Cheney, Bush) to the present (McConnell, Boehner, Ryan, Cornyn, Grassley). They're our Congress. And Trump's followers put them there.
145
Thurmond, Wallace decent? Were you alive then? Did you follow their racist, obstructive careers? If not, what history books or fantasy tales have you read?
I may not like Nixon and will never understand the mentality that makes an idol of Reagan, who rolled back social progress by nearly a century, and set in motion the slide into Wall Street and "one-percent" domination. But WALLACE? THURMOND? Read the NY Times archives, for heaven's sake.
I may not like Nixon and will never understand the mentality that makes an idol of Reagan, who rolled back social progress by nearly a century, and set in motion the slide into Wall Street and "one-percent" domination. But WALLACE? THURMOND? Read the NY Times archives, for heaven's sake.
17
It is wrong to assume that Trump and his supporters are necessarily racist. They just want to level the field for American workers of any race by balancing the labor market (you can accomplish that by reversing/limiting oversupply of labor that we get via both legal and illegal immigration).
Some African Americans and legal/naturalized Latinos understand very well that immigration (illegal immigration in particular) is not in their best interest because it brings the wages down. That is the reason Trump has some Latino and African American supporters.
Some African Americans and legal/naturalized Latinos understand very well that immigration (illegal immigration in particular) is not in their best interest because it brings the wages down. That is the reason Trump has some Latino and African American supporters.
17
@JN, New York: Sir, I am a black American. I guess you missed the sarcastic intent of "treasured." If you want to know, those names, particularly Thurmond and Wallace, are as "treasured" today as any of the others in my list. And I do read the New York Times's archives, beginning with its coverage of the Emmett Till kidnapping-lynching in the last days of August, 1955. I could have included Eisenhower's name in the list but it would have been pointless. He hated Earl Warren for forging the 8-0 decision in Brown vs. Topeka; he said, without reservation, that the 1954 decision to end segregation in America disappointed him greatly. He also sat on his hands as rampaging mobs in Little Rock, Arkansas, focused the nation's growing awareness of the evils of racial separation and its corrosive rot. "Treasure," sir, is where you find it.
17
Trump has dispensed with the dog whistles and is using the bullhorn.
His true slogan is "Make America white again." He is running
a white nationalist campaign appealing to the worst in people.
PC means you get to say every racist sexist lying thing you can think
of. why? F R E E D O M
Venom is the glue that binds them all together Trump is running
a con. Same m.o. as Trump University.
Word
His true slogan is "Make America white again." He is running
a white nationalist campaign appealing to the worst in people.
PC means you get to say every racist sexist lying thing you can think
of. why? F R E E D O M
Venom is the glue that binds them all together Trump is running
a con. Same m.o. as Trump University.
Word
215
"Make America white, male and straight again"