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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump's tweets show a keen understanding of America
Trump's tweets show a keen understanding of AmericaIt's been said that Trump's comments about immigrants reveal that he really doesn't understand America. The US was built on the concept of a melting pot, and immigrants are making the nation stronger, some say.
But Trump's recent tweets could show that he understands America better than his critics realize.
These two Americas have long co-existed.
One is the country represented by the Statue of Liberty, and its invitation to poor and tired immigrants "yearning to breathe free."
The other is the one that virtually wiped out Native Americans, enslaved Africans, excluded Chinese immigrants in the late 19th century and put Japanese Americans in concentration camps.
From the rarified perch of the White House, Trump's racist tweets tap into the id of this other America.
And here's what's so frightening about this: It is not a big stretch to say that when a leader uses the kind of language that Trump uses against minorities, it may increase the chances of violence being used against them.
I recall what Mark Naison, a historian at Fordham University, told me after the Charlottesville violence in 2017 when talking about Trump's racial rhetoric.
He says most Americans don't realize how dangerous it is for a leader to talk about fellow citizens as if they're the enemy. But some people from other countries know.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/15/us/trump-tweets-two-americas-blake/index.html
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Trump's tweets show a keen understanding of America (Original Post)
Demovictory9
Jul 2019
OP
it was always there for people to see. but too many wanted to hide behind economic anxiety
JI7
Jul 2019
#2
tRump, wants America to engage in war against itself. He is a diabolical provocateur. n/t
RKP5637
Jul 2019
#3
More accurately shows a keen understanding of his basket of deplorables ...
marble falls
Jul 2019
#4
leftstreet
(36,081 posts)1. Disagree. Shows he has a keen understanding of the opposition
Of which there is very little
Centrist austerity and pro-corporate policies (in the US and Europe) have created a massive vacuum, and the only ones filling it are far righties.
But that will change
JI7
(89,182 posts)2. it was always there for people to see. but too many wanted to hide behind economic anxiety
marylandblue
(12,344 posts)5. Economic anxiety and racism are related.
Low income people view minorities and foreigners as competition for jobs. In the case of Native Americans, it was competition for land.
JI7
(89,182 posts)6. oh please, not this shit again. you don't see other races making excuses like this
and they are just fine with white immigrants like Melania and her parents. and even say we need people from Norway. do it's not immigrants itself they have a problem with.
these people wish for the days of having picnics while viewing lynchings.
the fact they cheer on the treatment of migrant children shows what it is all about for them.
RKP5637
(67,032 posts)3. tRump, wants America to engage in war against itself. He is a diabolical provocateur. n/t
marble falls
(56,359 posts)4. More accurately shows a keen understanding of his basket of deplorables ...
he's just tossing them raw meat.