(1) Thread: The left and right are talking past each other concerning racism, by not defining terms at the start.
IDK about you, but I had it drummed into me at high school and college that the first thing you do in an essay is ensure you have understood and defined the terms.
IDK about you, but I had it drummed into me at high school and college that the first thing you do in an essay is ensure you have understood and defined the terms.
(2) I'm listening to this song as I write. The truth is: Toby Keith is not and likely never was a Trump supporter. Mainstream country music is like mainstream Hollywood: Liberal. Sure, there are a few that fight the stereotype, but not many.
(3) I remember watching the video of the event & concert at the Lincoln Memorial ahead of the Trump inauguration in 2017. Toby Keith & band performed a great set, & when he said "President Obama, thank you for your service" the 2017 me bristled a little. I shouldn't have worried.
(4) I still dislike Obama, & ofc that has nothing (& never had anything) to do with his race, or mine. I judge his actions & omissions as POTUS, just as I do for all the others, including Trump & Biden.
(5) It occurs to me that some on the left consider Toby Keith's song racist. They're free to hold whatever opinion they want. I'm free to express my opinion, too.
Calling EVERYTHING racist is part of why most folk aren't listening anymore. It's the same with mocking Trump.
Calling EVERYTHING racist is part of why most folk aren't listening anymore. It's the same with mocking Trump.
(6) IMO both sides have contributed to the divided environment we all have to live in for a while.
A lot of folk on the left say they're exhausted by the extreme division that worsened after 2016. I was becoming exhausted, too, & had largely switched off by 11/3/20.
A lot of folk on the left say they're exhausted by the extreme division that worsened after 2016. I was becoming exhausted, too, & had largely switched off by 11/3/20.
(7) I anticipated Trump would win in 2020. I had stopped trying to look at indicators objectively. The events between 11/3/20 and 1/20/21 sure gave me a jolt to start doing that again, as I had for roughly 30 years of adulthood.
These issues are all connected.
These issues are all connected.
(8) The pandemic is an event of such global importance that it's exposing people and things in every country that citizens didn't see clearly enough before.
For the USA, it caused Trump to drop the mask, increasingly as 2020 & 2021 went on. He's still doing it every few days.
For the USA, it caused Trump to drop the mask, increasingly as 2020 & 2021 went on. He's still doing it every few days.
(9) I read the above statement the day Prince Philip died, along with those of the current and all living former POTUSes.
Trump brought partisan politics into an event that literally everyone else was treating thoughtfully. It would've offended the Queen (she'd never say it.)
Trump brought partisan politics into an event that literally everyone else was treating thoughtfully. It would've offended the Queen (she'd never say it.)
(10) It's just one eg of what I've come to expect every time Trump speaks in public now. He was not so brazen during his first 3.5 years in office.
Trump made a major contribution to the current woeful state of partisan politics in the US & elsewhere. And he's not going away.
Trump made a major contribution to the current woeful state of partisan politics in the US & elsewhere. And he's not going away.
(11) A large number of Americans support Trump (it's lower than the number of votes he got in 2020, BTW.)
Until we understand WHY his supporters and opponents hold their respective opinions, no real progress can be made on reducing the level of division in the US.
Until we understand WHY his supporters and opponents hold their respective opinions, no real progress can be made on reducing the level of division in the US.
(12) IMO it's not necessary to use terms like "white supremacy" and "systemic racism" in these conversations. They make it easier for MAGA folk to dismiss the concerns and stay rooted in their current opinions. That makes the other side even angrier. So here's a suggestion.
(13) I suggest studying why each side uses the terms they use for racism and extremism on both the far right and the far left.
"White supremacy" is a very loaded term. I get it, you're trying to convey centuries of government policy & how entrenched it is in attitudes today.
"White supremacy" is a very loaded term. I get it, you're trying to convey centuries of government policy & how entrenched it is in attitudes today.
(14) I think it's possible to convey those things even more clearly w terms like "historical racism, "racism," "imperialism," "nativism," "ethnic nationalism," Nazism," & even "white nationalism" or "Christian nationalism."
And many of the terms can apply to the far left, too.
And many of the terms can apply to the far left, too.
(15) Stereotyping is a major issue in all this. I've been on the left, and the right, and I know there are plenty of people on both sides who know why stereotyping is wrong, but still do it.
Since becoming a Never Trump conservative I've been called a Democrat many times, lol.
Since becoming a Never Trump conservative I've been called a Democrat many times, lol.
(16) It's as if the MAGA folk falsely accusing me of being a Democrat can't conceptualize beyond two categories.
This kind of black and white thinking (aka dichotomous reasoning) is another part of the overall problem.
I get it, nuance takes more time. But it's important.
This kind of black and white thinking (aka dichotomous reasoning) is another part of the overall problem.
I get it, nuance takes more time. But it's important.
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