A Core Tenant Of Trumpism: The Racist Excuse

If Trumpism--the new conservatism since the old one is pretty much dead in America--has a single core tennant about racism it is this: "A real racist doesn't make exceptions in their racial hate. If I make any exceptions . . . well, then I can't be racist, can I? Checkmate, liberals!"

The logic goes like this:

1. I have a black friend/grandson/etc.
2. I love my family/like my friend.
3. Thus, how can I be racist?

There are some collieries. For example:

1. The Proud Boys have a Latin American leader! See?? No racist! No racist!
2. Some Trumpers I know are PeOpLe Of CoLoR and therefore cannot be racist! Can they, ha! Checkmate, Liberal!
3. I voted for Obama--so I'm clearly NOT racist!
4. I'm Puerto Rican! See? Latinx--can't be Racist!!

How do we square these? What do they mean?

Note: The Speaker REALLY Believes They Are NOT RACIST

The first thing to understand is that the speaker really (probably) believes they are NOT RACIST (!Racist in logical notation). They believe that because for them, racism is an all encompassing, erm, black-and-white thing. Either you are all in--you wear the white hood--or you are not.

We know reality is more complex than that (studies show that people hold various gradients of negative-racial-stereotypes, for example. This is testable--you can look up the tests using a black person and a white person in front of a house for-sale for bankruptcy and ask the testee whose fault it was? The person's or the economy's. Tea Party guys, for example, tended to say it was the black guy's own fault but the economy's fault for the white guy).

But let's be completely clear here: many of these arguments--perhaps most--are in good faith.

The Blind Spot. Racists MAKE EXCEPTIONS

The key that unlocks this mystery stuffed in an enigma, wrapped in a burrito is the blind spot that Trumpism erects like a Great Wall from Sea to Shining Sea: the concept that Racists Make Exceptions (or have narrow veins of racism) MUST BE IGNORED. What does that mean?

Well, it's pretty easy when you look at it in action:

1. "I have a lot of black friends." [ My friend is One Of the GOOD ONES. ]
2. The Proud Boys have a Latin American Leader! [ If he spouts Proud Boy / Pro-West Rhetoric then we can accept him because he is ONE OF THE GOOD ONES. ]
3. "I am / Trumpers I know are People Of Color" [ They Are My Allies (and my shield!)--I will Make Exceptions For Them! ]
4. "I voted for Obama!" [ Obama wasn't in competition for MY JOB or anything. I thought--why not? He seems like an articulate black man. ]

Yes--the big secret is that Racism does and always has involved Making Exceptions (capital letters for emphasis, just like our president does). The key is to categorize Them and Us. This can be done in different ways--but it comes down to a few key components.

The Components of Exceptional Racism

• The Ally Must Not Recognize Racism: If you are going to ally with a Person of Color that person MUST NOT recognize / admit that racism is any kind of real problem. This is why, so long, as you are a West-Is-Best guy you can be a black Proud Boy. You see the racism. You take part in the racism--but you act as a standing black-skinned refutation of it . . .so they'll tolerate you (see prominent gay Alt-Righty Milo Yiannopoulos named as marshall for the Straight Pride Parade)
• Racism Is Directed Against An Other--But You Can Have POC's In Your In-Group: A person can hold that Muslims are dirty sharia-law bastards while the (good) black people in America are A-Ok. Or that Illegals are damn, dirty racists--but Julio who works with you in Engineering? He's a "good one." He came legally. The point is that you--the racist--make the distinction about character based on ethnicity--but you paper it over with an unrelated action (whether someone commits a misdemeanor of Illegal Crossing to get into America has no correlation to whether they are a rapist or dirty or anything--but in your mind it does).

One More Thing: Racist Is Not The Worst Thing You Can Be

If the dialog has a problem with the use of the term "Racism" it's that the charge of racism is generally seen as equivalent to Klansman Lynch-Mob Member. It's not. The kinds of racism we are talking about here are pernicious, sometimes hateful--but they are not necessarily murderous or vile. 

When The Omnivore says that Trump voters are [to a huge degree] racist--that is an observation (and it holds up)--and a condemnation (because the Trump voter is, essentially glorying in their racism while still, generally denying it)--but it is not equating them to a literal Nazi (although, yes, a not-insubstantial number do go too far--way too far--in that direction).

No, being racist is not the worst thing you could be. It's a character flaw--but we all have character flaws. If you recognize it, you can work on correcting it. 

What would that look like?

There are some easy ones: That Great Big Wall? You know (if you are reading this blog post, you are in a demographic that does or at least should know) that The Wall won't work. Most illegal immigrants come and over-stay their visas--not running across the desert. No--The Wall you want is symbolic--it's a message to Latin Americans (especially Mexicans) that We Don't Want You Here. 

Fixing the Immigration system isn't on the table. Helping Latin American countries isn't on your agenda. In other words, the practical solutions to the problem (oh, you'll get to that--just as soon as That Wall Goes Up) are all secondary to you sending your signal. Letting your Flag Fly, as it were.

Maybe start by working on that. 

As Step One for that, consider that you backed someone who led "Build The Wall" chants as a way to harness the darker inclinations of his base . . . and it worked on you (or, at least, didn't turn you off). That's not a good thing, is it?

What do you do with that?