7 ms·

"blacks get hurt worse than whites. And subconsciously maybe that is part of it. I'm not saying that" He's "not" saying that, and then he goes and says that.

by ars 3y ago

"blacks get hurt worse than whites. And subconsciously maybe that is part of it. I'm not saying that" He's "not" saying that, and then he goes and says that. He's point being that Republicans are most concerned with economic things, but because he things a better economic policy hurts blacks, therefor Republican are racist? Or, maybe, they just want a better economic policy, and they don't view everything through the lens of race? (i.e. color blind) While Democrats in contrast do view every decision through that lens. > somehow they're still talking about "those people" all the time. And "they" being Democrats or Republicans? Because I see Democrats talking about race far more than Republicans. Your last sentence tells me you view everything through the lens of race, but not everyone does that.

int_19h 3y ago
Republicans talk about race all the time, they're just careful to always refer to it by proxy - terms like "young urban males" etc. And Atwater's point is that many Republicans are concerned about those economic things because they are a proxy for race, and they wouldn't really pursue them otherwise. And no, I don't view everything through the lens of race, and I think that American progressives often end up looking very silly when they try to shoehorn it everywhere. At the same time, it's very obvious from just looking at the American political discourse that racially driven thinking is very pervasive there even when it's not openly mentioned. I've also heard plenty of explicit racial talk from Republicans - it just happens in environments where they don't need to check themselves. One of my hobbies is guns; my gun collection is well into the double digits, and includes plenty of stuff that'd be referred to as "weapons of war" in your typical progressive publication. Consequently, I spend a fair bit of time in the associated community, which, of course, leans very heavily to the right. And because of my guns, they often automatically assume that I am politically of the same mind as them, and talk to me and around me without the usual checks. What I can tell you I've heard the word "nigger" thrown around quite a bit in those circles, today - but it is okay, you see, because "it just means bad people, so it's not really racist". Some other choice wording includes "those animals" referring to Hispanic immigrants, or "those things" referring to trans folk.

by ars 3y ago

int_19h 3y ago

Republicans talk about race all the time, they're just careful to always refer to it by proxy - terms like "young urban males" etc. And Atwater's point is that many Republicans are concerned about those economic things because they are a proxy for race, and they wouldn't really pursue them otherwise. And no, I don't view everything through the lens of race, and I think that American progressives often end up looking very silly when they try to shoehorn it everywhere. At the same time, it's very obvious from just looking at the American political discourse that racially driven thinking is very pervasive there even when it's not openly mentioned. I've also heard plenty of explicit racial talk from Republicans - it just happens in environments where they don't need to check themselves. One of my hobbies is guns; my gun collection is well into the double digits, and includes plenty of stuff that'd be referred to as "weapons of war" in your typical progressive publication. Consequently, I spend a fair bit of time in the associated community, which, of course, leans very heavily to the right. And because of my guns, they often automatically assume that I am politically of the same mind as them, and talk to me and around me without the usual checks. What I can tell you I've heard the word "nigger" thrown around quite a bit in those circles, today - but it is okay, you see, because "it just means bad people, so it's not really racist". Some other choice wording includes "those animals" referring to Hispanic immigrants, or "those things" referring to trans folk.