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Trump supporters have done nothing but alienate and engage in acts of harassment and violence against non-white folks, religious minorities and members of the L

Trump supporters have done nothing but alienate and engage in acts of harassment and violence against non-white folks, religious minorities and members of the LGBTQ community for the past 4-5 years. Should we be civil toward members of the KKK as well? Why is it always on us to be nice to people who hate us and want us dead?

barbacoa 6y ago
Just like how you've been brainwashed by the TV into thinking the "others" are evil, trump people are brainwashed into thinking you hate them and want them dead. Both sides see themselves as the victim and the others as the attacker. >Why is it always on us to be nice to people who hate us and want us dead? Do you see how this is perpetuating the problem?
- supernintendo 6y ago
  Go read the comment section of any Fox News or Breitbart article about trans people. Go see what people on conservative YouTube channels or /r/conservative or 4chan’s /pol/ have to say about us. How am I supposed to engage with people (including some members of my own family) who refuse to treat me with basic respect? How am I supposed to have a civil conversation with people who call me a disgusting, mentally ill tranny faggot to my face? This “both sides” talking point is naive, intellectually lazy bullshit peddled by people who have no interest in hearing the struggles of people who have to suffer this abuse. I’ve been emotionally and physically bullied my whole life by these people. I’m sick of it. Leave me the fuck alone.
- rirarobo 6y ago
  I am from the Deep South. I have evangelical family members who have disowned others because of their beliefs. Who wish for the Kingdom of God to be realized, so that the non-believers can spend eternity in suffering. I grew up with peers who told me I would burn in hell for believing in evolution. Peers from middle class backgrounds with financial security, who then worry about "white genocide" and the "great replacement". I have not been brainwashed by the TV to think these types of people are evil. I know them intimately. I know that they are multifaceted human beings, capable of love, but also capable of hate and great harm. I have family members that do believe other races are below them, aunts and uncles old enough to have fought against civil rights and desegregation. Much like Trump, who was 22 when MLK was assassinated. Grandparents who mutter about the war of northern aggression. They are still alive today, there are millions of people like them, and they vote. They push real policies that present a real threat to many Americans. I have moved away from the South, and have new friends and family, who have directly been affected by the Muslim Ban, changes to immigration policy, and the rhetoric of Trump and his supporters these past four years. This is real harm. "Both sides" are not the same, and there are real victims of such bigotry. To deny this reality perpetuates these problems.
  - barbacoa 6y ago
    There are shitty people of all walks of life. I'm sorry to hear that you didn't have a good family/upbringing. Glad you found a place that you are more happy in. The media has spent the last 4 years portraying Trump and his voters as evil racists. What is not mentioned is that his support among minorities increased from 2016 to 2020. He had more black and hispanic percentage of voters than any republican in in living memory. Ironically Trump lost the election because middle class white voters abandoned him. Don't get me wrong Trump was a terrible president and there are countless criticisms that can be leveled at his administration. But the key question no one is asking is why did people vote for him in the first place and why did so many vote for him again? To me answering that with "because they're all racist/fascist" is nothing more than a cop-out from established political powers to distract from their own failure of public confidence.
    - rirarobo 6y ago
      Thank you, however I am not asking for your sympathy. I'm challenging your assertion that critics of Trump's supporters and OP are just "brainwashed by the TV", and your framing of this dynamic as just "both sides" seeing "themselves as the victim and the others as the attacker". My experience was not some one off event, or story that applies to just my family, it reflects a culture of racism common in this country, particularly the South. We are talking about well documented multi-generational harm perpetuated by communities, businesses, and government. "There are shitty people of all walks of life," is not sufficient to explain away the harms of institutionalized racism in the United States. So, you do not need to call people "brainwashed" for recognizing the attitudes espoused by many Trump supporters. They have earned their reputation for good reason, though "some, I assume, are good people." As for "the key question no one is asking is why did people vote for him in the first place and why did so many vote for him again?" In fact, many people have asked that question, have studied it extensively, and have found that racism and anti-immigrant attitudes were the strongest indicators of support for Trump (e.g. [1]). Yes, you're right that "because they're all racist" is a cop-out, there are other factors at play, but to say that "racial attitudes" is not a significant factor is to ignore the evidence. [1] https://theintercept.com/2018/09/18/2016-election-race-class-trump/ https://theintercept.com/2018/09/18/2016-election-race-class...

barbacoa 6y ago

Just like how you've been brainwashed by the TV into thinking the "others" are evil, trump people are brainwashed into thinking you hate them and want them dead. Both sides see themselves as the victim and the others as the attacker. >Why is it always on us to be nice to people who hate us and want us dead? Do you see how this is perpetuating the problem?

supernintendo 6y ago
Go read the comment section of any Fox News or Breitbart article about trans people. Go see what people on conservative YouTube channels or /r/conservative or 4chan’s /pol/ have to say about us. How am I supposed to engage with people (including some members of my own family) who refuse to treat me with basic respect? How am I supposed to have a civil conversation with people who call me a disgusting, mentally ill tranny faggot to my face? This “both sides” talking point is naive, intellectually lazy bullshit peddled by people who have no interest in hearing the struggles of people who have to suffer this abuse. I’ve been emotionally and physically bullied my whole life by these people. I’m sick of it. Leave me the fuck alone.
rirarobo 6y ago
I am from the Deep South. I have evangelical family members who have disowned others because of their beliefs. Who wish for the Kingdom of God to be realized, so that the non-believers can spend eternity in suffering. I grew up with peers who told me I would burn in hell for believing in evolution. Peers from middle class backgrounds with financial security, who then worry about "white genocide" and the "great replacement". I have not been brainwashed by the TV to think these types of people are evil. I know them intimately. I know that they are multifaceted human beings, capable of love, but also capable of hate and great harm. I have family members that do believe other races are below them, aunts and uncles old enough to have fought against civil rights and desegregation. Much like Trump, who was 22 when MLK was assassinated. Grandparents who mutter about the war of northern aggression. They are still alive today, there are millions of people like them, and they vote. They push real policies that present a real threat to many Americans. I have moved away from the South, and have new friends and family, who have directly been affected by the Muslim Ban, changes to immigration policy, and the rhetoric of Trump and his supporters these past four years. This is real harm. "Both sides" are not the same, and there are real victims of such bigotry. To deny this reality perpetuates these problems.
- barbacoa 6y ago
  There are shitty people of all walks of life. I'm sorry to hear that you didn't have a good family/upbringing. Glad you found a place that you are more happy in. The media has spent the last 4 years portraying Trump and his voters as evil racists. What is not mentioned is that his support among minorities increased from 2016 to 2020. He had more black and hispanic percentage of voters than any republican in in living memory. Ironically Trump lost the election because middle class white voters abandoned him. Don't get me wrong Trump was a terrible president and there are countless criticisms that can be leveled at his administration. But the key question no one is asking is why did people vote for him in the first place and why did so many vote for him again? To me answering that with "because they're all racist/fascist" is nothing more than a cop-out from established political powers to distract from their own failure of public confidence.
  - rirarobo 6y ago
    Thank you, however I am not asking for your sympathy. I'm challenging your assertion that critics of Trump's supporters and OP are just "brainwashed by the TV", and your framing of this dynamic as just "both sides" seeing "themselves as the victim and the others as the attacker". My experience was not some one off event, or story that applies to just my family, it reflects a culture of racism common in this country, particularly the South. We are talking about well documented multi-generational harm perpetuated by communities, businesses, and government. "There are shitty people of all walks of life," is not sufficient to explain away the harms of institutionalized racism in the United States. So, you do not need to call people "brainwashed" for recognizing the attitudes espoused by many Trump supporters. They have earned their reputation for good reason, though "some, I assume, are good people." As for "the key question no one is asking is why did people vote for him in the first place and why did so many vote for him again?" In fact, many people have asked that question, have studied it extensively, and have found that racism and anti-immigrant attitudes were the strongest indicators of support for Trump (e.g. [1]). Yes, you're right that "because they're all racist" is a cop-out, there are other factors at play, but to say that "racial attitudes" is not a significant factor is to ignore the evidence. [1] https://theintercept.com/2018/09/18/2016-election-race-class-trump/ https://theintercept.com/2018/09/18/2016-election-race-class...