MAGA

[Dill]

(07-17-2019, 02:00 PM)Mike M (the other one) Wrote: Sure you don't, so then why is it that all Trump Supporters are racists? And you almost always pop blanket statements out there and belittle people a lot?

Just like your little gif about the "don't forget about the white people". That post immediately insults the poster(s) it was directed at and shuts down open communication and starts the personal attacks, however you believe you didn't start it, but you do quite often.

Its really why I don't respond to many of your posts, you're just baiting people so you can call them racists and put them down for no reason other than they are "Trump" supporters or supporters of something you are against.

Oh surprise hiding your racism as a parody/gif again.

O-Mike, Has Dino or anyone else in the forum ever claimed all Trump supporters were racist? I suppose that could have happened somewhere (I only check about a third of the threads), but I am unaware of it.

There is a race issue around Trumpism, though, for sure. By that I mean that week after week entire news cycles are dominated by debate and discussion over whether Trump's comments and behavior are racist. A such discussion then entails further questions for and about Trump supporters--do they agree with Trump? If they don't, do think his comments/behavior racist?  If they do, why would they continue to support him? What line would he finally have to cross before they finally said "enough"?  Trump supporters say they are not racist, yet his last campaign rally rang to chants of "send her back!"

Trump supporters then are understandably defensive as people ask them where they stand on racial issues. Some--not just Trump supporters--feel smoke is the best defense; so they reverse the racism charge at every opportunity. Suddenly any mention of "race" or politically framed image of a white or black person is "racist" in their view. Or what used to be racism--like telling brown Americans to "go back where they came from," is no longer racist because color is not mentioned. Either everyone is racist or no one is.   Here is an example of Trump supporters feeling THEY are being attacked when Trump is attacked for racist tweets. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/07/17/cnn_focus_group_of_republican_women_voters_trump_right_that_aoc_and_friends_hate_america.html  "Because when you say, you know, don't you think he's racist? You're accusing us. You're accusing him." Says one Republican woman to the CNN reporter asking questions. And they think Trump's tweets are "reverse personal attacks." He was attacked first. And it's the Squad who are racist. Why haven't they befriended any white people?

But it is important to remember that the news media are not in control of Trump's Twitter account or his public addresses. Whether praising our adversaries or hurling very personal insults at women, minorities and immigrants, HE says what he says, NOT anyone else. So no one criticizes Trump supporters "just because" they support Trump. They criticize Trump supporters because supporting Trump means accepting his behavior--either by agreeing with it directly or as price paid for court picks and tax cuts. 

I would address the issue you raised about "personal attacks" too. Some acknowledge no difference between traditional critique of political positions/policies and personal attack. Trump's blanket description of the mainstream press as "Fake news" is one example of this. Another would be his insistence that certain brown women who criticize the US government for not living up to ideals stated in the Declaration of Independence "hate" America, followed by giving them the choice to love it or leave it. Framed in this fashion, ANY critique is "personal attack." The only way you can avoid personal attack is not by criticizing Trump or Trump supporters at all. 


A final point: in your above criticism of Dino you hold up certain standards: don't engage in personal attacks, don't shut down open communication, and don't "bait" people so you can put them down.

These seem like worthy standards, but do you set them aside when you support Trump? Does he bear no responsibility for "shutting down communication" on this message board and elsewhere? For "baiting" people?  If you say people personally attack Trump supporters just for supporting Trump, it seems you are either not acknowledging his behavior, or assuming it is not really all that bad. If you do acknowledge his behavior, and that it is as bad as I and others think, then you should understand why people might be moved to criticize him and turn questions on his supporters.