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July 15, 2019 - Sargon of Akkad - Carl Benjamin
13:33
Trump's Statements Are Racist, But We Don't Know Why
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So US President Donald Trump is taking aim at four minority congresswomen with racist language.
This on the same day that his administration says it has begun raids targeting thousands of undocumented immigrants.
The president attacked the congresswomen in a series of tweets, writing, quote, So interesting to see progressive Democrat Congresswomen who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe.
He added that they should leave to go back to where they came from.
Woo!
Telling three minority women to go back to where they came from, that's hella racist.
Isn't it?
I mean, it is, right?
Even though I don't really know how to explain how it's hella racist.
I mean, he's not making a comment on racial superiority or inferiority.
He's just saying the countries they came from are shit, presumably because of US meddling and white imperialism and whatnot.
Not because of any inherent racial deficiency of the people who made those countries and reside in those countries.
In fact, the more I think about it, the more I can't exactly pinpoint how and why it's racist.
For example, if there was a man from Liverpool and a man from Manchester, and the man from Liverpool went over to Manchester and said, by the way, Manchester's a fucking shithole.
And a man from Manchester said, well, hang on, go back to where you came from and fix that, because that's also a shithole.
Is that racist?
It doesn't feel very racist.
I mean, maybe you could make some kind of argument of xenophobia, but I really can't put my finger on the part of this that's actually about racial superiority.
And so I went on the Christopher Hitchens Appreciation Society Facebook page where someone had posted, is this not racist?
To which I replied, well, how is this racist?
And it all kind of rolled downhill from there.
If you don't know, then you just might be, because that's right.
If I can't identify the racism in this, then I must be a racist.
And I think that's a fair standard that we will apply to everyone going forward in this conversation.
But interestingly, it doesn't answer the question, it's just an attack against the man.
Another chap replied with, he didn't mention race once, which is obviously correct.
And if we believe that all races are equal, then it's not about the inferiority of the people in, say, Somalia that makes the racial inferiority of the Somalis that makes Somalia a shithole.
It must be something to do with what the Somalis are choosing to do.
It must be something that they can be held accountable for, and they can surely be expected to do better if that's the case.
Because otherwise, what we're saying is the Somalis are simply not capable of that, and it's not fair to judge them by the same criteria with which we would judge other white people.
And to me, that would be racist.
So it's surely not that.
Another chap posted, it's idiocy at the very least, and once again, beneath what one would expect from a president.
Which is a fair comment.
I mean, three of the women that he was speaking to were born in the United States.
So they are in their home country.
It is a pretty silly thing to say.
But it's not, as far as I can tell, racist.
Then, of course, we needed to attack white people.
For example, how is it racist?
A white proverb, says a white woman, who can't explain how it is racist.
But finally, we got a real answer.
He didn't target any progressive Dem with white skin.
And Trump is an idiot and a sexist fool.
All but one of these women were born in the USA, and his insults are clearly racist in nature.
Obviously, you could use a bit more information before defending this fool.
I don't recall defending him.
I just want you to explain why it's racist.
And saying it's clearly racist in nature is not an explanation of why it's racist.
And the best you've done is say he didn't target any progressive Democrats with white skin.
Which seems kind of racist to me.
Why can't Donald Trump make a comment about women of colour?
Not specifically about their colour, but about their attitudes towards the United States.
If he can't criticise the things that they are saying, why not?
Why does he have to target white people with his criticisms?
It seems that what you're saying is, white people and non-white people don't exist on a level playing field.
You cannot simply criticise the non-white people for some reason.
That would seem to make them a kind of lesser person in this regard.
Now, again, I have to stress, I don't think that that's the case.
I think that white people can criticise non-white people in the same way that they would criticise white people, because to me, that's equality.
That to me is anti-racism.
But to these people, it seems that that in and of itself is racist.
And the only way I can see that making any sense whatsoever is if they think non-white people are inherently inferior to white people and should not be subject to the same standard of criticism.
So I asked again, how is that racism?
To which someone else replied, well, at the very least I'm stretching here, his comment was bigoted and ignorant as usual, which I suppose is true, at least by the definition that this person provided.
Bigoted, adjective, having or revealed an obstinate belief in the superiority of one's own opinions and a prejudiced intolerance of the opinions of others.
I mean, by that definition, almost everyone's bigoted, especially the progressive left, who have got absolutely no time for anyone else's opinions and will do everything they can to shut them down by, say, screaming racist at them.
So I suppose, by that definition, we're all bigots.
But I noticed that we still have not divined exactly how his statement was racist, so I asked again, did anyone figure out how it was racist yet?
The chap who complained that he didn't target any progressive Democrat with white skin popped up again.
How is it not?
The problem with this president is that he is a divider, not a uniter.
In a time when so many vital interests and problems need to be faced, we have a president rejecting all advice, be it scientific or military, and he regards himself as the sole authority on all issues facing the people of this country and the world.
Only individuals who are willingly blinding themselves to the obvious abuse of power could condone his atrocious behaviour.
He clearly targeted minority women and suggested they return to their crime-infested countries.
These women are elected public servants, all but one of whom was born in America.
And are not all human beings entitled to respect?
When did this kind of childish behaviour become acceptable?
I would at least hope you can recognise this man's ignorance.
Well, yes, I can absolutely recognise Trump's ignorance on this question, especially how, as you say, many of these women were born in America.
So the question is, how is it racist?
All of this seems to be ancillary to the question.
It doesn't matter whether he is a divider or a uniter, whether he is an ignorant person who thinks he is the font of all wisdom.
What I'm asking you is what makes it racist.
To his initial question of what makes it not racist, I replied because it doesn't appear to be distinguished on race, as he addressed four women with different racial backgrounds.
Now, how is it racist?
As in, Trump doesn't appear to be distinguishing between these races and seems to be making a commentary on their nationality instead.
To which he replied, you sound like a machine, a machine that only pretends to listen, then spouts meaningless, repetitive propaganda.
Except, I haven't really been spouting anything.
I've been asking, how is this racist?
Naturally, this was mildly triggering to at least one person.
You are a gaslighting white nationalist.
The entire conversation is a waste of time.
That's what white supremacy is.
This phony bullshit by racist as fuck white folks, pretending like they're unaware that they're racist is a charade.
You seem upset.
And more importantly, you didn't answer my question.
But we can agree that this is clearly a waste of time.
Someone like Carl is not a genuine human being, for I maintain that to be truly human is to possess the characteristics of love and compassion.
Carl is both cruel and ignorant for asking how this is racist.
For my trouble here, I have been dehumanized.
I have been defined out of the human race.
It's rather remarkable just how quickly the very tolerant and inclusive progressive left jumps to dehumanization of those people who are asking questions to which they had no ready answers.
And apparently my inquiries are both cruel and ignorant, possibly because I'm forcing them into a position where they have to admit, we can't define how this is racist.
Given how Michael has reduced me to not being a human, presumably just a clump of cells, I imagine I'm a prime candidate for a very late term abortion.
Instead of merely explaining what is racist about it, our good friend Sally replies with, I'm a liberal, haha.
You like totally can't be racist.
Your liberal label is meaningless.
You're oppressive as fuck.
You promote oppression and love it.
And the of mixed race descent doesn't mean jack shit either.
You're deeply entrenched in white supremacy.
It's a system you choose to uphold and maintain every day.
You're a fucking sea-lining abuser.
So disingenuous.
Such a white nationalist.
Fuck off.
Hateful, cruel piece of shit.
Well, I'll tell you what, Sally, I really feel like you treat others with compassion and kindness.
You are definitely the sort of tolerant, inclusive individual who certainly won't tell someone to fuck off because she can't answer a question.
Oh wait.
Yes, you will.
I also find it remarkable just how much she can extrapolate from, please explain how this is racist.
But I think it's self-evident that the problem is not with me, it's with Sally.
She is incapable of actually explaining her position properly and as a defensive reaction resorts to simply insulting me.
So I asked, why is it cruel to ask you to explain what was racist about it?
Because frankly, I don't know.
But she has me in her Kafka trap now.
Because the fact that you ask shows you're racist as fuck.
Also, duh.
We know you're a racist, misogynistic, cruel piece of shit abuser.
It's kind of your thing you get paid for.
Well, my goodness, that's very interesting.
But it doesn't answer the question.
How was Donald Trump being a racist?
Why is it you can't just explain what it is about his statement that is racist?
I mean, if you can't explain why it's racist, how can I educate myself and improve?
And more importantly, how do you know the things you claim to know?
Because I think that is really the fundamental question here.
I mean, the talking heads on CNN will just come out and say, well, of course this is racist, and we don't have to explain why either.
Larry, is there any other way to describe these tweets other than racist?
Not in my mind, and I think that's been the consensus, except, of course, with the true believers, the Trump true believers.
There's simply no other way to describe it, except we can't even explain why we describe it as racism.
I'm just saying, I would like the progressive left to tell me why.
But unfortunately, we have arrived at the end of the conversation.
If you do not know, either the answer is you are ignorant or playing games.
Either way, you fall short on compassion for your fellow human beings.
And I suppose I must do.
Because simply wanting to know what makes Donald Trump's statements racist is a form of racism.
It makes me a white supremacist.
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