...Trump is distinctive in wanting to govern only on behalf of his base, which is overwhelmingly white. In tandem, he has launched attacks on African Americans, including Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch, ESPN anchor Jemele Hill, and Florida Representative Frederica Wilson. Trump has even picked fights with the civil rights hero Representative John Lewis, saying he was “all talk, talk, talk—no action or results.”
In expending all his energy shoring up his base, Trump offers a particular racial vision. Unlike some white nationalists, Trump doesn’t want an all-white America. He’s willing to tolerate non-whites on a provisional basis, so long as they know their place. This inner logic of Trump’s vision was best expressed by the white-supremacist journal American Renaissance . “Each political party proposes an implicit racial vision,” wrote Gregory Hook in the magazine. “A Trump administration is a return to the America that won the West, landed on the moon, and built an economy and military that stunned the world. Non-whites can participate in this, but only if they accept the traditional (which is to say, white) norms of American culture.”
In this “racial vision” there are two types of Americans: white Americans (who have a natural right to the country and are its default norm) and non-whites (who have a provisional status depending on the sufferance of the white majority). Trump’s political role in this racial vision is to be a kind of national sheriff, the authority figure who has the right to stop and frisk non-whites to make sure they are worthy of staying.
As the national sheriff of white America, Trump was naturally justified in asking for Barack Obama’s birth certificate; after all, Obama is a provisional American who has to prove he belongs. Sheriff Trump also has a right to wag his finger at football players who take the knee in protest of police brutality; as provisional Americans they have to show proper respect for the national anthem. Equally bad are provisional Americans who show ingratitude; Real America (i.e. white America) is doing them a favor by letting them live in their country and sometimes rewarding them with wealth. For them to be ungrateful is the height of disloyalty.
The president’s repeated calls for expressions of black gratitude echo some of the most disturbing themes of American history. As the literary scholar George Boulukos argued in a 2008 monograph , the trope of the “grateful slave” emerged in the eighteenth century as a crucial part of the ideological justification for slavery. Sentimental depictions in literature of thankful slaves helped cement the idea that slavery was beneficial and that people of African descent were naturally servile.
I am disappointed too. No comments for this article. There is strong "evidence" that the president of the United States has a strategy to appeal to a base that believes that "whites" are the real Americans. This is also seen in his retweet a couple days ago of a conspiracy site that caters to white nationalist stories.
I just heard on the news that Moore says he has a new "Super Pac" from Indiana helping him out, they checked his story and, sure enough they do, it's owned by a 15 year old "White Nationalist" who claims he not a white nationalist any longer, no filings with the FEC though and, they've just started fund raising for Moore.
What color is the sky in your world John?
Bruce , Donald Trumps actions, words, and emphasis, speaks for itself. He decided sometime in 2010 or 2011 that his way to success as a politician ran through his making an appeal to white identity politics. That is what the birther bullshit was all about and he has taken it from there.
Some have called it "dog whistles" but they're really "duck calls" as you can tell by the white nationalist dynasty that began to follow him after he first started squawking about doubting Obama's birthplace.
Bruce, how do you explain this ?
"Trump’s eagerness to impugn the loyalty of African Americans is matched by the wide latitude he gives to whites. As Dale notes, when the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team visited the White House, Trump described them as “incredible patriots.” The team is all white and most of its members are not even American citizens. As University of Southern California sociologist Ben Carrington told Dale, “You can be a white Swede or white Canadian and in Trump’s eyes you can be more of a true patriot than an African American basketball player, because you’re white.”"
So, in your twisted mind, the ONLY reason the Pittsburgh Penguins were in the WH is because they are an all white NHL team. Is that correct? You sure it doesn't have anything to do with them winning the Stanley Cup? Now, if you are worried about the Penguins or the NHL being an all white team then have more blacks tryout to play with the NHL.
But don't let your own bias interfere with the fact that there has been and still are black players in the NHL.
Oh, I almost forgot, there are some Russians playing with the NHL too. Maybe the NHL should be investigated for collsion.