Trump says what a lot of people think

[hollodero]

(08-08-2019, 07:30 AM)BakertheBeast Wrote: As the title of this thread says, Trump says what a lot of people think but wouldn't say it in mix company and I'm talking about race. I think 99% of the people in this country to some degree are prejudice against someone or something someone did. You get one young black man walking thru the mall with his pants down around his hips bumping into people and being rude, would make a lot of white people dislike all blacks. Generalization is the killer here. Its a lot easier to hate people when its easier to tell the difference between them and you, if your white. Trump has tapped into an emotion in millions of people whom have at one time thought or said  some of the "racist" remarks he makes. This show why politics is so dirty, whatever it takes to win. Trump is no more racist than most of America, he just brought it out of the closet. Does anyone think there is any truth to this?

In general, yes. I'd add that figures like Trump not only reflect prevalent notions, but also can envoke and in some sense create them.

Civility is such a thin layer... often just held up by the community, as some kind of public pressure. Some folks know their more racist sentiments are wrong, as long as no one comes around that declares them not wrong, but insightful and maybe even brave instead. It can be persuasive. The Trumps of this world do have that effect - I've seen it in my country time and again.