Monday, October 03, 2016

Deplorable


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.

No comments: