Perhaps people were naive just 10 years ago. Or maybe it was 20 years ago, since the election of one particular individual seems to have really stoked the fires within some people. We were naive enough then to believe that some of those around us, our friends, our neighbors, our colleagues, were just normal folks who happened to disagree with a few things politically.
Maybe they said they were fiscally conservative. Maybe they said they simply wanted less government intervention in their lives. Perhaps some of them still believe these same things, and disagree with the things that aren’t looking so great for them now. But at this point we know that a great number of them agree with nearly everything that is happening.
They agree with the chosen words of their favorite blowhard politician who has bankrupted multiple casinos, tried to use his name on everything from steaks to an airline, and run those into the ground too. For him, it never mattered. The con job was what mattered. He made his money. He stiffed the people he owed money to. And he weaseled his way out of paying full price by scamming people who didn’t have the money to be scammed. He has conned people with crypto and a whole slew of other things that I won’t list out here.
And it continues to this day. Now here we are, and there are many others who believe in the same schemes. They want to con the people too. And so they have been. We have pointed this out to them endlessly. They make excuses, or they simply don’t care. Fine. What about the other stuff? What other stuff is the question you might be asking. But you know the answer.
- “Shithole countries.”
- “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.”
- “Kung flu.”
- They “all have AIDS.”
- They’ll “never go back to their huts.”
- “They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats.”
This is just a small sampling of actual things said by a US president in the last 10 years. That same person emphasizes former President Barack Obama’s middle name to make sure his supporters hear that he has a name that sounds similar to a former Middle Eastern world leader. Today you can hear him, and those around him, and the news organizations that carry water for him, tying a current candidate for US Senate to 9/11 simply because of his faith and a left-wing podcaster. His name is emphasized all the same.
The supporters who show up to these rallies around the country eat it up. They eat it up because they hold feelings of contempt for people whose beliefs are different from their own. Many of them also hold contempt for people whose skin tone is different from their own.
Look no further than Ohio, a state that has swung Republican in recent years. Ohio’s Republican candidate for governor is an Indian American. Needless to say, that is a bridge too far for some Ohioans. He has faced harassment from groypers and a slew of bigoted right-wingers, who are clearly further to the right than he is. It’s a very clear case of creating a monster you can’t control. And this is just one state.
Take a look around social media, and you’ll find an endless stream of Islamophobia due to a candidate running for US Senate in Michigan, the New York Mayor, and a representative from Minnesota. Posts with lines like, “The 2 biggest destroyers of civilization and human life throughout history have been Islam and communism.” Never mind that those two things can’t coexist with one another. Take a look through the pages of some right-wingers, and you’ll find plenty of content talking about how Muslims are taking over. How they are invading the US. Even though they only make up about 1% of the current US population.
If it’s not Islamophobia, it’s a post about how women are disproportionately killing their children because they are crazy due to SSRIs. It might even be a post defending the Cornell 7. The list goes on and on and on.
This is the permission structure that has been created over the last 20 years. From Obama’s tan suit, to birtherism, to “nasty” Hillary Clinton, to “total slob” Rosie O’Donnell, and “blood coming out of her wherever” in reference to Megyn Kelly.
People may have been naive back then. That time has long passed. The façade can be dropped. Call a spade a spade. We are dealing with blatant bigotry, misogyny, and just downright awful people. Again, there are some who may not be so awful. But as the saying goes, in some form or another: if you and a friend sit down at a table with a bunch of bigoted misogynists, guess what that makes you and your friend?