It is completely characteristic of this election
cycle that there has been more pushback about Hillary Clinton's use of the
phrase "basket of deplorables" than the many nasty things Donald
Trump says regularly. There is a different standard, which has been pretty
obvious.
I did read one somewhat critical post that I
respect, because at one point Clinton calls some in that group irredeemable -
which no one can know - and also that she is speaking as an outsider to that
group, which makes sense. I get that, and gladly offer the link in case anyone
else wants to check it out:
Sarah Kendzior is an excellent writer with a deep
background knowledge of both middle America and the Middle East.
Beyond that, I want to spend more time on what is
right in what Clinton said. First of all, if you look at the full quote, there are a lot of
caveats there. Nuanced communication doesn't make headlines, but it does more for
increased understanding.
Her larger point was that Trump supporters include
people who are wildly enthusiastic about the racism and people who are
suffering and want change. That is completely true. It should be easier to
reach out to and communicate with the people who are hoping for change as
opposed to those who are thrilled that their messages filled with every kind of
phobia you can imagine. That is a reasonable thing to say.
I am actually not sure how true it is, because
racism goes deep and gets wound up with a lot of things. That can make it hard
to talk about, though that's what we're doing this week. However, the point I
want to make right now is that it is absolutely reasonable to call racism
deplorable.
Race-baiting is deplorable. Misogyny is deplorable.
Stirring up hatred is deplorable.
Last week I wrote about political correctness, where
some people object strongly to pressure to use language that is not
aggressively offensive (even though - or perhaps because - that sensitivity
leads to greater understanding). Well, some people who object to any
sensitivity on the part of others get remarkably offended when the harsh
language is used on them.
I believe tomorrow I am going to write about the
issues with personalizing talk of racism, and then Wednesday about how this
racism is not accidental. Today is just that racism is bad. And soon we will
get into how all of the -isms and -phobias connect, but for me the racism is
the most central issue, because of its appeal to the Alt-Right.
Yes, misogyny has played a strong role, especially
because Clinton is a woman. That appeals to some people, and the homophobia appeals to
some religious groups. Racism has been a GOP dog whistle for a while, but this
year it's coming out as a clarion call, and that is horrible. I'm fine with
saying that. I don't want any misunderstanding about that.
Old justifications for racism were based on myths
and self-interest. Current efforts to maintain it require valiant efforts to
block out facts - efforts that could be better spent on improving things for
everyone.
If you are holding on to the superiority of Western
values, take a look at the evil the West has done through colonialism - evil
that was justified as allowable due to the superiority and the cultivation that
it brought, but it was just an excuse for unbridled greed.
If you want to talk about the superiority of
Christian values, as a Christian I say that is not enough. My sister works with
a Christian who is very critical of her as a liberal and as a Mormon. We
thought the common ground might be love for others, but he flat out told her
that he doesn't need to love everyone. If I were to take my values from him, I
would be a worse person. I value kindness, and honesty, and compassion and
generosity. Those traits should be found among Christians, but they are not
limited to us.
I have been aware of Breitbart for a long time as an
entity that doctors videos and manipulates things to push an agenda - often
against people who are doing really good things. This association with racism
and the alt right is new to me, but I can't be surprised by it. Dishonesty and
manipulation - evil - goes right along with racism. That's how it works. Let's
just be really clear about that.
And yes, people can buy into this evil without
intentionally being evil, but there's a danger of infection based on the
company you keep. Remembering that there are people there too, and there have
been forces in society that make it easy to take comfort on that side is
important, and generous, but there are also people who revel in it.
They are deplorable. It shouldn't even need to be
said, but apparently it does.
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