On September 9, during the LGBT for Hillary Gala, presidential
nominee Hillary Clinton used some choice words to describe rival presidential
nominee Donald Trump and his support base.
“You know, just to be
grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call
the basket of deplorables. Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic,
Islamaphobic — you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And
he has lifted them up.
While Clinton has since apologized for
calling half of Trump’s supporters “deplorable,” she still, rightfully so,
defends her central argument that Trump’s actions during his campaign have been
“deplorable.”
Clinton’s remarks, although generalized, are
frighteningly on point.
Many Trump fans are racist, sexist and
homophobic. They’re the product of Trump’s dangerously bombastic presentation.
Take this video shot at the RNC, for
example. In it, a number of Trump supporters try to cover up a protester's sign
that read “No Racism, No Hate.” They tried to drape it over with the American
Flag.
How this type of behavior can be categorized as
anything other than bigoted is quite hard to justify. By covering up a sign
that promotes racial equality, the Trump supporters can easily be accused of
being Anti-American.
It could be argued that Trump’s campaign
thrives on playing up people’s fears and that his rhetoric is built on
segmenting and stereotyping. By calling a large swath of illegal Mexicans
“criminals, drug dealers and rapists,” he’s potentially helping perpetuate
preconceived notions, the same is true with his former proposed temporary ban
of Muslims entering this country.
As a result, Trump, has, perhaps
unintentionally, become the go-to-candidate for a number of controversial
individuals. Take for example former Klu Klux Klan leader David Duke’s
endorsement of Trump.
"Many Trump fans are racist, sexist and homophobic. They’re the product of Trump’s dangerously bombastic presentation."
ReplyDeleteYou are putting the cart before the horse. Or in this case, the elephant. Trump swept the field of the other Republican candidates because he demonstrated a superior ability to connect to millions of registered voters who hold views that you consider racist, sexist, and homophobic. (Not that they do not agree with your characterization of them; they feel that they are God-fearing Christians who believe that gender equality is a bizarre notion unsupported by any scientific evidence.)
"How this type of behavior can be categorized as anything other than bigoted is quite hard to justify."
To you, maybe. But those exhibiting the behavior do not share your worldview. They feel that they are the True Americans, and are glad to have a candidate like Trump who is willing to crusade against globalists who are seeking to destroy the American way of life through uncontrolled immigration of alien races.
"Trump, has, perhaps unintentionally, become the go-to-candidate for a number of controversial individuals."
Trump did not outwit a clown car full of Republican presidential hopefuls unintentionally. During the primary season, he was very careful in how he reacted to toxic endorsements.
"It could be argued that Trump’s campaign thrives on playing up people’s fears and that his rhetoric is built on segmenting and stereotyping." YES YES YES. I could not agree more, and I have been thinking this in my head since day one but could not have found a better way to think this. He brings out the worst in people, the most evil sides and the most hateful sides and that's what he stands for. His supports are not only the product of his presentations though, they are the people who have been hateful human beings their whole lives and Trump is simply a channel for that hate. I like also that you have an example of someone that endorses Trump, a KKK leader, because that definitely adds some realness and depth to this.
ReplyDeleteI actually agree with Carl about the statement "How this type of behavior can be categorized as anything other than bigoted is quite hard to justify". The thing is, when arguing with bigoted people, more often than not they don't realize they're being bigoted. They're acting and reacting based on how they were taught and raised, and now they're having those views validated by someone in a position of power. But yeah, Trump's campaign emphasized and utilized people's fears. Fear is one hell of a motivator, and people tend to hate being afraid.
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