The American news media has collectively decided to ignore Donald Trump's threats of white supremacist violence and sedition. If you believe this will keep you safe from his schemes and machinations, or from what his legions of followers may do, you are greatly mistaken.
Apparently, the gatekeepers of the approved public discourse have convinced themselves that they are somehow serving the public interest by ignoring these escalating threats. In reality, these gatekeepers are doing exactly the opposite: They are normalizing American fascism by minimizing its dangers. In a moment when the news media as an institution should sound the alarm even more loudly about the threat to American democracy, safety and security represented by Trumpism and neofascism a choice has been made to mock or whitewash the imminent danger.
One does not ignore an arsonist in the hope that he will stop burning down buildings; the same logic should apply to political arsonists as well.
Did you know that last Saturday Donald Trump held a political hate rally in Selma, North Carolina? If you follow the mainstream news media, the answer is likely no. Here is what you missed. As he has done repeatedly, Donald Trump summoned up the demons of Jim Crow and the Confederacy. He may try to hide his hatred and bigotry by sharing a stage with Black and brown people, and he may disingenuously employ the language of the civil rights movement, but Donald Trump is at his core a white supremacist and racial authoritarian.
RELATED:New research on Trump voters: They're not the sharpest tools in the box
Donald Trump remains the de facto leader of the Republican Party. He won almost 75 million votes in 2020 significantly more than in 2016 because Republican voters enthusiastically agree with him and what he represents. His values are their values. Trumpism and neofascism more generally are both a symptom and a cause of an American political culture and society that is deeply sick with multiple ailments: racism and misogyny, cruelty and greed, anti-LGBTQ bigotry, religious fundamentalism, anti-intellectualism, an obsession with violence and other antisocial and anti-human values.
The relationship between the leader and follower in a political cult such as today's Republican Party is deep and powerful. Diane Roberts of the Florida Phoenix summarizes this unhealthy psychodynamic:
Republicans are angry.
So very, very angry.
Deranged White Man Syndrome has not yet been listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, but it's just a matter of time.
Seriously, these dudes (and they are mostly male-gendered persons) are on a rampage of rage and loathing which cannot be healthy.
Living in a constant tantrum must be exhausting for Republicans. I suspect that somewhere in the deep recesses of their brains, they know that while they may hold power at the moment, the world is changing.
And they can't stand it.
Let's hope they get serious therapy: This is a sick, sick, sick bunch of people.
To the uninitiated and also to those who have just become numb to it all Trump's North Carolina speech was an uninspired recitation of his personal grievances, malignant narcissism ("I've got to be the cleanest, I think I'm the most honest human being, perhaps, that God has ever created") and victim fantasies, mixed with now-standard talking points about the Big Lie, the 2020 election and Jan. 6, "parents' rights", "invaders" at the U.S.-Mexico border, supposed crime and barbarism in "Democrat-run" major cities and an assortment of lies both small and large about Joe Biden and the Democrats.
Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.
But for those attuned to the poisonous gospel that is white supremacy in America, Trump's words and the danger they represent were very clear. As a matter of self-defense and survival, Black and brown folks must be keenly aware of such words. Trump's cult followers and other members of the conservative movement and larger white right also hear his words and understand their message clearly. For them, Trump's words are inspiration and aspiration.
Too many Americans choose not to hear Trump's gospel of hate it all feels so unseemly and uncomfortable. They truly believe that they have the luxury to ignore reality.
Too many other Americans choose not to hear Trump and the white right's gospel of hate because it all feels so unseemly and uncomfortable. They may be fence-sitters, in denial about the realities of American neofascism and this moment of crisis. Or they may turn away because various forms of privilege, be it race, class, gender, religion or sexual orientation enables them to do so. Those who possess such privilege and other forms of unearned advantages truly believe that they have the luxury to ignore reality until it is no longer possible to do so.
Trump's gospel of hate in Selma focused on three main points. He spoke about the "heritage" of the South and how it is supposedly being destroyed or deleted by "woke" liberals with their political correctness. Here Trump was directly alluding to Confederate statues and other monuments as well as the Confederate flag originally erected to honor the white supremacist Southern secessionist traitors and their bloody desperate struggle to keep Black Americans as human property forever. Many or most such monuments were actually erected in the first decades of the 20th century, specifically to terrorize Black Americans, reminding them that they are supposed to be second-class citizens in their own country.
Today's Republican Party embraces the Lost Cause ideology and the Confederacy as something noble and good. That was visible in the Confederate flags seen at Selma, as well as those seen at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Thosesymbols cannot be salvaged or reclaimed. They represent a white supremacist insurrection against the very idea of multiracial democracy.
In an example of the rhetorical strategy known as "narrative laundering," Donald Trump also summoned up the Black Freedom Struggle and the 14th Amendment to the Constitution and the Equal Protection Clause while defending his followers who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6. This is the newest iteration of the Big Lie, with its claims that these fascists are "political prisoners" who were "entrapped" by the Democrats and law enforcement agencies. Trump echoed the lie that has become widespread among Republicans that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is somehow responsible for the violence of Jan. 6, rather than Trump and his fellow coup plotters.
To use the language of the 14th Amendment explicitly added to the Constitution to protect the civil rights of Black Americans after their centuries of enslavement and then hard-won freedom as a cheap tool for defending the fascists who were fighting to overthrow multiracial democracy is perverse even by Trump's standards.
Using the language of the 14th Amendment added to protect the civil rights of Black people who had won their freedom to defend fascists is perverse even by Trump standards.
As he has reliably done at all his recent political hate rallies, in Selma Trump continued to incite political violence and terrorism against Joe Biden, the Democrats and liberals and progressives more generally. He called the Democrats "sick and radical politicians," claiming they were "destroying" America from within and must be stopped. Trump also claimed the right-wing paramilitaries who were recently acquitted on charges of planning to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as fellow "victims" of some non-existent Democratic Party conspiracy.
Like other Republican-fascists and their propagandists, Trump continued to fan the flames of the QAnon conspiracy theory and the larger right-wing moral panic around "gender issues" and "critical race theory," claiming that (white) children and the (white) American family are in physical and moral danger from "the left." These threats are not implied: such language is an encouragement to violence and other forms of right-wing terrorism. As seen by the events of Jan. 6 such combustible language has real-world effects.
When more right-wing violence inevitably occurs, the news media will of course engage in collective shock and surprise, expressing wide-eyed disbelief that such things could actually happen in America.
Indeed, how could such things happen? After seven or so years of a rising fascist threat, none of this should be a surprise for anyone who has paid even the slightest of attention. That it is still a "surprise" to many of the country's pundits, opinion leaders and others who are supposed to know better says far too much about their increasing irrelevance in this interregnum of American history.
Trump's Republican Party and the larger neofascist movement are unified around one goal, which is creating a 21st-century version of American apartheid. This revolutionary campaign involves reversing the gains of the civil rights movement and Black Freedom Struggle and also undoing the victories of the women's rights, LGBTQ rights, labor and environmental movements, along with all other attempts to build a social democracy in which equal freedoms and rights are enjoyed by all Americans.
The Democratic Party has shown itself to be largely ineffective, powerless and incompetent in their response to the neofascist attacks on democracy. This is part of a much larger pattern: For more than 50 years the Republican Party and the "conservative" movement have won and kept power by leveraging the politics of white racial resentment and grievance-mongering, even though their policies are extremely unpopular with most of the public. In many ways, Trumpism, neofascism and straightforward white identity politics are the next step in that political strategy.
What should the Democrats do? They need to speak in clear and direct terms about the dangers the Republicans represent. Democrats also need to make clear to their voters and the larger public that Republicans (and the Trump movement specifically) view liberals, progressives, Black and brown people, the LGBTQ community and other marginalized groups as enemies and an existential threat to their right-wing nightmare version of America. That animus is not about "mere" disagreements about public policy or just a matter of "polarization," partisanship or hyperbolic language. It is a direct threat of violence, with the goal of eliminating the "enemy" in order to "purify" America.
In even more plain speech: if you are not white (and a man), a heterosexual, and a so-called "Christian," today's Republican Party, the "conservative" movement, and the larger white rightdo not like you. They want you to suffer.Republicans are masters at the personalization of grievance, and will lie and distort reality and the facts to frighten their voters in order to win, maintain and expand their political power and societal control.
Democrats need to respond in kind by personalizing the dangers that Republicans, the "conservative" movement, and the larger white right pose to the American people as a whole. This is a remarkably easy strategy to implement: All it requires is for Democrats to tell the truth about the human misery that Republicans and "conservatives" have caused for decades and the much worse misery they will cause in the future.
Yet out of gross denial, or perhaps naive investment in a "normal" political order that is dying and cannot be resurrected, the Democrats have not done that and likely never will. This is not even defeat. It's surrender, and a pitiable sight at a moment when courage is required to save American democracy and society from the neofascist assault.
Read more on the endless saga of our 45th president:
See original here:
Another Trump hate rally: The threats get worse, and polite America turns away - Salon
- Reviving The Lost Art of Forgiveness - Forbes - June 15th, 2022
- Inside Krakens Culture War Stoked by Its C.E.O. - The New York Times - June 15th, 2022
- Long Island Rep. Tom Suozzi runs as a tax-slashing centrist in bid to topple Hochul in NY governor's race - New York Daily News - June 15th, 2022
- Deep in the Heart of Beavis & Butt-Head - Texas Monthly - June 15th, 2022
- A prominent part of the Jan. 6 hearings, right-wing groups like Proud Boys seek to build a white nation - The Fayetteville Observer - June 15th, 2022
- Kelly Reilly (Yellowstone): Beth Dutton is a fearless thunderstorm of a woman and a once in a lifetime role [Exclusive Video Interview] - Gold Derby - June 15th, 2022
- We Have Become Lonely and Our Relationships Increasingly Toxic: What Has Happened to Us? - Digital Journal - June 15th, 2022
- 50 years of jokes and tricks at Waukesha's Jest For Fun Joke Shop - Greater Milwaukee Today | GMToday.com - June 15th, 2022
- Tampa Bay Rays decry 31 killed in Buffalo and Uvalde what about 40,000 in Chicago? - The Hill - June 15th, 2022
- Father of the Bride Film Review: Latino Specificity Makes This Remake Feel Like an Original - Yahoo Entertainment - June 15th, 2022
- Halftime review: Jennifer Lopez asks Hollywood for her long overdue standing ovation in rousing, effective documentary - Entertainment News ,... - June 15th, 2022
- Will the Colombian Trump win the presidency? - GZERO Media - June 15th, 2022
- Prevent and the problem of 'political correctness' - The Spectator - June 11th, 2022
- The overuse and misuse of politically incorrect speech - The Michigan Daily - June 11th, 2022
- Patriotism in 2022: Red hot anger, White rage and a blue-streak Daily Montanan - Daily Montanan - June 11th, 2022
- Voters in SF and LA voice their disgust - CalMatters - June 11th, 2022
- The Real Goal of the January 6th Committee - The National Interest Online - June 11th, 2022
- Thought Crimes: the Shameful Undemocratic Wilding of Contrary Opinion - Fair Observer - June 11th, 2022
- THE SELF-TAUGHT GARDENER: Immigration policy and the moth formerly known as gypsy - theberkshireedge.com - June 11th, 2022
- Perspective: What can we do after Uvalde? And will we do anything? - Northern Public Radio (WNIJ) - June 11th, 2022
- Bill Maher Thinks Republicans Will 'Steal' Pot Legalization - High Times - June 11th, 2022
- What the New York Times Won't Admit About California - City Watch - June 11th, 2022
- Discriminating tastes: Why academia must tackle its "race science" problem - Salon - June 11th, 2022
- John Waters on Divine, Drag Kings and Political Correctness - AnOther Magazine - June 3rd, 2022
- Ukraine, time to rise and strike! - The Riverdale Press - June 3rd, 2022
- Don of a new era: the rise of Peter Thiel as a US rightwing power player - The Guardian - June 3rd, 2022
- Russia using disinformation to stir hostility between Ukrainians and Poles, warn security services - Notes From Poland - June 3rd, 2022
- Book review: Damodar Mauzos The Wait And Other Stories feel like an oven baked snack - Art-and-culture News , Firstpost - Firstpost - June 3rd, 2022
- The Boys Season 3 Review: Preparing to Bust a Cap - Superherohype.com - June 3rd, 2022
- Why today's debates over Aurangzeb, Shivaji, Rana Pratap or Prithviraj Chauhan are not about good or bad history, but tussles over memory - The Indian... - June 3rd, 2022
- There Are No Saints - Film Threat - June 3rd, 2022
- Reaction to new name for Fort Bragg mixed among veterans, activists - Up & Coming Weekly - June 3rd, 2022
- San Diego County Sheriff's candidates share their views - The San Diego Union-Tribune - June 3rd, 2022
- Opinion | Gun Violence Is Like What Segregation Was. An Unaddressed Moral Stain. - The New York Times - June 3rd, 2022
- The growing attacks on cops and other commentary - New York Post - May 11th, 2022
- 30 Helens Agree Amazons Kids in the Hall Revival Is Hilarious: Review - Consequence - May 11th, 2022
- Parents are 'sleeping giants' who will fix American education - Fox News - May 11th, 2022
- Abortions and the pendulum - Kathimerini English Edition - May 11th, 2022
- Labour may think its moving on, but working-class voters arent following - The Guardian - May 11th, 2022
- Grace Hyland says she 'hates' being politicised as the transgender community is 'the antithesis of a political issue' - 9Honey - May 11th, 2022
- The Cathedral Vs. The Orthodox Church - The American Conservative - May 11th, 2022
- Chadar At Ajmer Sharif And Praises On Prithviraj Chauhan Cannot Go Hand-In-Hand; Chishti Blessed Ghori To Defeat Prithviraj, As Per His Biography -... - May 11th, 2022
- The Name "Indian" and Political Correctness | HuffPost ... - May 3rd, 2022
- PCU (film) - Wikipedia - May 3rd, 2022
- Reading between the lines of "1984" in 2022 | Opinion | morgancountycitizen.com - Morgan County Citizen - May 3rd, 2022
- Why 2022 is the worst year for anniversaries - TheArticle - May 3rd, 2022
- ITV DI Ray fans left divided about show but all in agreement on one thing - Birmingham Live - May 3rd, 2022
- Republicans making critical gains among Hispanic and non-White voters ahead of 2022 election - Washington Times - May 3rd, 2022
- Bell: Kenney government wants hands off old John A. - Calgary Sun - May 3rd, 2022
- Parapsychologists, sects and secret services: Remembering the most tense chess game in history - EL PAS in English - May 3rd, 2022
- Austin Powers: 10 things you didn't know about the landmark '90s comedy - Tilt Magazine - May 3rd, 2022
- Kerr: GOP's 'stokeism' is replacing substance with the surreal - Seacoastonline.com - May 3rd, 2022
- POTUS Broadway Review: The President Cant Be Held Responsible for This Mess - Yahoo Entertainment - May 3rd, 2022
- Letter To The Editor: A Response to the OpEd 3/21 The Reed College Quest - The Reed College Quest - April 15th, 2022
- Bill Maher's #Adulting and Comedians' Obsession With Haters - TIME - April 15th, 2022
- Replacing Human Rights Act will weaken protections, say peers and MPs - The Guardian - April 15th, 2022
- Elon Musk, Twitter, and the Politics of Disruption - The Bulwark - April 15th, 2022
- Slave Coin Or Freedom Coin: Which Way Western Man? - Bitcoin Magazine - April 15th, 2022
- Comedy Is More Dangerous Because Of Will Smith: DL Hughley Weighs In On The Consequences Of The Slap (Video) - Radio Facts - April 15th, 2022
- Oingo Boingo little Girls Song Controversy, Meaning Of Little Girls And Still The Creepiest Music Video Of All Time? - The Current - April 15th, 2022
- Seth McFarlane's 'Ted' Series Announces Its Main Cast - We Got This Covered - April 15th, 2022
- The abortion culture and atrocity in Ukraine - The Christian Post - April 15th, 2022
- No, Russian artists have not been cancelled - The Indian Express - April 15th, 2022
- S N Balagangadhara Interview Part IV: There Is Intellectual Poverty In Islamised Regions; India May Be Headed The Same Way If It Does Not Watch Out. -... - April 15th, 2022
- The Problem with Political Correctness Life Lessons - April 9th, 2022
- Has political correctness gone too far? | The Economist - April 9th, 2022
- 'Politically Correct': The Phrase Has Gone From Wisdom To ... - April 9th, 2022
- Political Correctness Run Amok - The Post & Email - April 9th, 2022
- Is Real Time with Bill Maher new tonight, April 8? - Last Night On - April 9th, 2022
- The futility of framing one another as progressives and evangelicals, devils and dummies - Baptist News Global - April 9th, 2022
- "The Real World of College: What Higher Education Is and What It Can Be" - Public Radio Tulsa - April 9th, 2022
- Oreos Gone Woke: Is Nothing Off Limits to LGBT Left? - Daily Signal - April 9th, 2022
- Political Correctness - Munk Debates - April 6th, 2022
- Today's letters: Readers comment on the one-party system and school lunches - Daily Commercial - April 6th, 2022
- The Oral History of PCU, the Culture Wars Cult Classic - VICE - April 6th, 2022
- So-Called Cancel Culture Is a Vacant Concept, So It Can Be Turned Back Against the Culture Warriors - Justia Verdict - April 6th, 2022
- Ideology and Disunion - The American Conservative - April 6th, 2022
- Hungarian media freedom is alive and well - Washington Examiner - April 6th, 2022
- PR News | Earth to Jeff: There's Trouble Brewing - Wed., Apr. 6, 2022 - O'Dwyer's PR News - April 6th, 2022
- Why does Twitter think Russian lies are OK but Trump isn't? - The Spectator - April 6th, 2022