Not a joke

[oslo.livejournal.com]

Our country is facing a major threat from radical Islamic terrorism. We better get very smart, and very tough, FAST, before it is too late!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2015

The truth is that Trump is not a joke. His rhetoric serves his goal of attracting media attention and popular support and so is politically expedient. But his constant vilification of Syrians, Muslims, and other groups of people helps to mainstream that vilification, which will lead predictably to increased hatred, discrimination, and violence towards those groups of people. That's a pattern we've seen happening already in Europe - perhaps that's why the unsophisticated mouth-breathers over in T_P think it's just hilarious - and it's a pattern that's increasingly visible here in the U.S. That's not a joke.

We might be reaching a point of Trump-saturation, with the media openly musing over its responsibility for creating and sustaining the Trump phenomenon, but the continuing attention to Trump's absurd and dangerous statements serves an important purpose. By continuing to shine a spotlight on their absurdity and, more importantly, their dangerous overtones, we equip ourselves with the rhetorical tools we need to combat the on-the-ground racism and xenophobia he's calling forth. We can say, for instance, that Trump's statements about Muslims trace ultimately from untrustworthy sources. That's what we have to do, to counteract Trump's influence. Treating him like a joke only makes him stronger and gives him the opportunity to distort political discourse further.

Comments

[fieryphoenix.livejournal.com]

The irony of Trump's campsign is that many of the concepts behind what allows home-grown extremism (left, right, religious, whatever) to develop—by simply vilifying and dismissing—and likewise many of the tactics needed to dismantle it from inside and out, are essentially the same regardless of the form that extremism takes—a point both missed by Trump supporters, and by most opponents of Trump. We can't simply ignore and/or froth at such things, because it works about as well as doing so to cancer. Level heads win in a war.

The mentality that a Trump presidency is either "funny as hell", or that America somehow "deserves this" is, much like American/Western amusement and dismissal of travesties in non-western places, completely repugnant.

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

The mentality that a Trump presidency is either "funny as hell", or that America somehow "deserves this"

I have gotten the sense over the past ten, fifteen years, at least, that there is a certain sense of triumphalism (perhaps too strong a term) on the part of our European friends over America, with out decline in education, our growing inequality and falling infrastructure, and our foreign policy imbroglios - the humbling and humiliation of the great hegemonic superpower. This Trump business seems to be taking it to a new level, as some are happy to see Trump as being the true face of America, when he is really a marginal character, who is enjoying a lot of limelight in these preliminary presidential contests, that is even being pushed out of the Republican Party.

[oslo.livejournal.com]

It's all a distraction from their own nations, which are further down the path of neo-Nazi resurgence than the U.S., more mired in unending financial crises and economic slumps, more blatantly segregated along racial and ethnic lines, governed by a central government that manages to be more dysfunctional and craven than the U.S. federal government, etc., etc., etc.

[dexeron.livejournal.com]

Yes. Sure, there's a dude who represents the worst impulses and inclinations among us, who has been quite good and bringing forth the worst sentiments of people who were previously afraid to air such things publically. But if we're going to be really honest, the dude has less than a whelk's chance in a supernova of actually winning the Presidency. Contrast that with certain nations overseas where ultra-nationalist, fascist, xenophobic, and racist monsters aren't just out there speaking, but are winning seats and setting policy.

But "lol Americans," right?

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

Some of us don't feel "lol Americans" at all. Some of us are just worried at where America may be going when "the Donald" is leading the polls for the Republican Party's candidate in the upcoming election.

If the UK could vote in the presidential election, as things are now, I rather think it would be a landslide for Madame Clinton.

[fieryphoenix.livejournal.com]

It's a confirmation of everything they wanted to believe about the United States, and the specifics don't matter if it can be construed as such in any way. The allure of schadenfreude, even illusory, is just too much to resist. Trump exposes that dark inner side that exists in the US, and I won't deny it at all. Every organ has it to some degree, from whole nations to individual people. It's far too easy to condemn others' skeletons to distract from one's own.

[skittish-derby.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I can't laugh at this. I remember Romney and his campaign and the memes and those were funny. Trump isn't funny, the memes aren't funny. I know you weren't intending to be funny but my husband seems to think I have lost my sense of humor but really Trump and his ilk are infuriating and terrifying. I think we all seem to have the same gobsmacked face. How is this even happening? How is such a racist sexist scumbag gaining any foothold? How is this happening?

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Because his constituents are racist, sexist, and afraid.

[moonshaz.livejournal.com]

I haven't been to t_p in ages and had no idea of the conversation regarding Trump that was taking place. Now that I've had a look, all I can say is wrf are those people smoking over there?

Personally I find Trump about as hilarious as a stage 4 pncreatic cancer diagnosis. I know people on the outside looking in (i.e. in other countries) are going to have a different perception of things, but amusement!?! That I was not expecting!

And now that people on both sides of the aisle are calling him a fucking THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY, he's less amusing than ever. If our national security is endangered, it's not just the US that's at risk, but our allies as well, am I right?

Yeah, I can't even think of enough words to describe how much I despise, loathe, and detest that blowhad ass clown.

[garote]

He's not even very good at making money!!

[immemor.livejournal.com]

I'm still of the Mark Twain school of "against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand."

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

No he is not a joke. A number of Jews I know, some of whom had family flee Europe during the holocaust, are hesitant to use the word fascisms to describe US politicians.

They know what calling someone a Nazi or a fascist means. They were some of the first to tell me Trump was fascist, and even then, early in his campaign, I wasn't sure. Now it's undeniable and it's not funny.

It's made me honestly contemplate how I could leave the country I was born in. Because if he wins, moving elsewhere would seem like a very sane thing for me to do. Cuz fuck that noise. No. No. Trump is a fascist and when fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in gold and a shitty toupee

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

Indeed.

He's no joke. And if folk don't understand that what happens within the US affects those outside the US then they are missing a pretty obvious point.