Donald Trump

[GUT]

To be fair, Racism exists in all countries. In fact, the current refugee problem due to Islamic extremism has demonstrated that it exists in some countries that have previously sneered at what was true in America. Gunnar Myrdal did a pioneering study of the bigotry towards African-Americans, and he was correct - but what would he think of the current situation in all of Europe (including his native Sweden) regarding the admission of the refugees? He'd probably (at the least) be red-faced in embarrassment.

The best (and I hate to even think of the term, the best) to say about Trump and his use of "the definite article" is he keeps insisting he won't be "politically correct" in his speaking. That it is a modern nicety to avoid the sign of bigoted road-blocks or signposts in thinking he dismisses. Technically, what I think he wanted to say was "I prefer being blunt when I speak", but then there are moments when I sense it does go deeper with him than that.

A man of privilege in a country where people who are rich and white and Christian are the ones mostly with the privilege, he sees anyone not quite in those groups (and by that you'd include women) as potentially an enemy and treats as such. At best he treats them as trained pets. Of course, those tens of thousands (or even millions) who applaud him are mostly lower down in the economic levels, and while smiling towards them he probably despises them as well as clowns, fools, or losers (his favorite term).

After all, the Southern plantation class practiced slavery and Jim Crow towards African-Americans, but they considered any Caucasian below middle class "Poor white trash". Without saying this, so does the Donald.

Jeff

My wife runs some interesting studies in history classes, making those with one colour eye superior (just saying "for this lesson brown eyes are superior and all others must do as they say") now remember these are 15-16 year old kids in a 58 minute lesson, when done at school, and first year university students (18 and up) for an hour class.

As a general rule she has to cancel it less than half way in, it gets do out of hand.

It seems to be a human trait that if you are told you are superior and given power over other humans that you are more likely than not to abuse the situation.

[Semper_Eadem]

Moving beyond race, I am more concerned with our economic situation.I will say this, if Trump get elected you can say goodbye to the Middle Class. We will be a country of Rich and Poor as in poverty level poor. The middle class is already being extinguished due to the high cost of living. I can't help but think of what happened to Rome when it lost it's middle class.

[Rosella]

There's always Canada...or Australia!

[sdreid]

Trump actually plans to campaign hard for black votes; that's one of the things that has Democrats scared.

[Pcdunn]

If he courts them as well as he did Hispanics (see below), he should do great...

http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/5/11603760/donald-trump-taco-bowl-tweet

Fried chicken, next? ;-D

[Errata]

If he courts them as well as he did Hispanics (see below), he should do great...

http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/5/11603760/donald-trump-taco-bowl-tweet

Fried chicken, next? ;-D

Please god someone keep him away from watermelon.

[Pcdunn]

"A man may smile, and smile, yet be a villain"

Please god someone keep him away from watermelon.

Were you as creeped out by that grin on Trump's face as I was?

[Errata]

Were you as creeped out by that grin on Trump's face as I was?

Yeah I was.

[Mayerling]

There's always Canada...or Australia!

I'm seriously considering either Rosella.

Jeff

[Beowulf]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3579301/British-buses-slogans-proclaiming-Allah-country-s-biggest-Muslim-charity-launches-campaign-aid-Syrian-victims.html

[Limehouse]

A few facts:

• Why does he keep calling Obama the African-American President?
• The Justice Department sued Trump Management Corporation — twice — for not renting to black people.
• He refused to condemn the white supremacists who are campaigning for him.
• Virtually every time Trump mentions a minority group, he uses the definite article the, as in “the Hispanics,” “the Muslims” and “the blacks applying his comments to all those within these groups!”
• At a November campaign rally in Alabama, Trump supporters physically attacked an African-American protester after the man began chanting “Black lives matter.” Video of the incident shows the assailants kicking the man after he has already fallen to the ground. The following day, Trump implied that the attackers were justified. “Maybe [the protester] should have been roughed up,” he mused. “It was absolutely disgusting what he was doing.”

How should we define this behaviour?

Respectfully,
Hercule Poirot

Well, I'm not American so perhaps I have no real right to comment but I would define that behaviour as horrifying and not acceptable behaviour from someone wishing to take public office.

[Pcdunn]

Well, I'm not American so perhaps I have no real right to comment but I would define that behaviour as horrifying and not acceptable behaviour from someone wishing to take public office.

I AM an American, and I'd define that behavior as racist, bigoted, and extremely unacceptable. But that's just me...

[Limehouse]

I AM an American, and I'd define that behavior as racist, bigoted, and extremely unacceptable. But that's just me...

Then we are in agreement.

It's hard to understand how and why he is so popular.

[Hercule Poirot]

Then we are in agreement.

It's hard to understand how and why he is so popular.

Trash sells more than anything else, and Trump is just one of many.

[Pcdunn]

Authorians? Populists? Just "sticking it" to the GOP?

Then we are in agreement.

It's hard to understand how and why he is so popular.

Here are some articles trying to explain everything:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/01/how-your-parenting-style-predicts-whether-you-support-donald-trump/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/03/09/trumps-voters-arent-authoritarians-new-research-says-so-what-are-they/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/03/11/its-not-just-trump-authoritarian-populism-is-rising-across-the-west-heres-why/

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/markaz/posts/2016/05/09-donald-trump-authoritarianism-hamid