So, there was a question on a forum I'm on asking if all Trump supporters and conservatives are racist. The most common response was "maybe not but they're all okay with racism!" which is just more self righteous social justice screeching. So I wanted to give my opinion on this as an ex conservative.
First of all, are all conservatives racist? No. Especially pre Trump. The old school wing of the GOP may have done dog whistle politics but through the 90s-2010s, there was a period where they seemed to explicitly not be racist institutionally. They largely avoided the race issue and had the belief that, much like I have, that racism is a heart issue.
Now, does that mean that none of them were racist? No. The voter base has always been significantly more racist than the politicians. George W. Bush and the like tried to avoid delving into racism. So did John McCain and Mitt Romney. Race seemed to be a salient issue in 2008, but honestly, I tried to avoid leaning into that. I know some said crazy stuff like he was some Muslim born in Kenya and obvious xenophobia, but I felt like a lot of conservatives, myself included, tried to avoid leaning into that stuff. Still there were questions as to how much HE would bring race into the conversation given his association with reverend wright, etc. If anything, a lot on the right kinda realize it's the left who is race obsessed and has to turn everything into a racial issue, and a lot of concerns were more related to that fact, including a lot of the rumors and misinformation. A lot of people thought his father being Kenyan, for example, and him being associated with radical black preacher Reverend Wright, meant that he would be more radical ideologically and that he was masking his true views to be elected. Still, the people who seemed OVERTLY racist always came off as a minority to me, or at least a plurality. Like AT MOST half, and probably less than half. I live in the northeast which is generally less racist than say, Alabama though.
It should also be noted racism is a spectrum. As liberals and leftists will point out, if you really dig deeply enough, going as far as say, Harvard implicit test results, you can find racism in just about anyone. But as far as how many are true die hard racists, probably a small minority. I never really knew any as a conservative. Very few people are/were actually hardcore white supremacists or KKK members. Now, a lot of older people in particular, are often casual racists. Like an archie bunker type racist. Like they'll say horribly bigoted things behind closed doors but they also may hold a host of egalitarian beliefs as well like believing that all races should be legally equal.
I don't have any stats on what I'd consider in every category, but I'd probably be inclined to say 10% of people or 20% of conservatives are probably die hard racist, many others are versions of casual racist, and again, casual racism and egalitarianism can coexist with many people. Just because people hold bad beliefs doesnt mean that they don't also sometimes hold good ones as well. People are multifaceted, and before I go into liberals and the left, I think it's important to understand that. It IS a spectrum, and maybe few people are truly "not racist" by a leftist's purity standards. The left does treat racism as this original sin that must be expunged at all costs and if you're not on board with their stuff, you're evil and racist.
Which brings me to the next point, the idea that "they might not all be racist but they are all okay with racism." This is an irritating, self righteous statement that comes from people I personally deem radicals. These guys are postmodernists, or critical theorists, who have decided to make this the one singular top issue of our time, and anyone who dares defy them is bad. And these are the guys who I dont get along with. Because quite frankly, they purity test me, and I dont pass their purity tests. Because I dont care about this issue a lot and care more about them getting all up in my face about it with their shaming behavior, rather than the issue itself. Those guys would say I'm "okay with racism" and honestly, maybe by their standards, I am. Because to me, I'm just not all that motivated to care. I consider myself egalitarian by law, I'm at least aware of privilege and those concepts, but beyond that, I'm not gonna die on that hill.
The fact is, I could just as easily say those guys might not be anti UBI, but they're okay with someone who isn't for UBI. or they might not be anti universal healthcare, but they might be okay with someone who isn't. And at the end of the day, those liberals and leftists WILL be okay with voting for some centrist candidate who is complicit with our system of wage slavery. They dont care about the liberation of all of humanity, and they care more about their petty identity politics than about my stuff. See? I can play that toxic game too.
The fact is, I really DONT think race should be this end all be all issue. As long as someone isnt an overt racist piece of crap, who advocates for taking away the rights of minorities, then I'm not particularly going to care about how they feel about this issue. If anything, I find these self righteous activists who demand everyone else care about this issue as much as them to be offputting. I quite frankly dont care what your stance is as long as you're not pushing it on others. That applies both to the right and the left.
Now, as far as hardcore racists go, ya know, like neo nazis, KKK members, people who are very motivated on this issue in a racist way, I'll be blunt, F those people. I want nothing to do with such people. The left is right in opposing them. But lets face it, that's a minority of conservatives, even in the trump era. Most conservatives are far more moderate, and as long as they keep their views to themselves, I couldnt care what they think, nor would I shame them for voting Trump just based on that.
To be fair, i find supporting trump in 2024 to be a red flag in general, but there's a lot more to it than that. Like being okay with insurrection and treason, the erosion of democracy, possibly being a christian nationalist, ya know? I dont like people who wanna push their bullcrap on me regardless of what it is. But let's face it, these same libs were saying this same stuff about trump voters being racist in 2016, and going back to 2016, eh...I'm fine with people who voted trump that year depending on the reason. We cant let this one single issue define the entirety of a person's perspective, and honestly, I think that he had some economic populist vibes that resonated quite well in the rust belt where I live back then. I dont get the same vibe in 2024 from him AT ALL, so being a trump voter is FAR more of a red flag now than it was back then, but yeah, as you can tell, the issue is very multifaceted, and I'm more concerned about his erosion of democracy and the principles of liberty rather than this specific issue of race.
So I guess there is a lot I find deplorable in 2024 trump supporters. The racism is just topping on the cake though. Trump is a threat to democracy and a danger to civil liberties for all people, and particularly to all underprivileged groups. He should be opposed based on that.
But yeah, there's more to this than just race at this point, and if the race thing is still issue #1, I have to wonder about your priorities too.
Like really, if the race issue could just go away, with the actual hardcore racist being a virtual pariah but with other perspectives being at least tolerated, that would be great. I think being against literal nazis is low hanging fruit every decent person should abide by. That doesnt mean I'm literally an extremist on this issue though. The left gets a bit too self righteous and starts going on about how we need to purge all racism and everyone needs to do their part like they're absolving themselves of original sin, and it gets ridiculous.
Let's face it, the left is no bastion of being completely nonracist either. A lot of centrists have racist tendencies and even racist policies and yet people suddenly ignore that stuff when it's their side doing it. But then they'll start weaponizing that crap against other factions who arent big on social justice like the Bernie people, people like me, etc., and let's face it, a lot of us dont particularly care either.
Going back to Trump supporters though, can you be not racist and a trump supporter? Perhaps. I think that being a trump voter is a red flag in 2024 though. In 2016 I was willing to let bygones be bygones, I mean, the dude had some economic populist appeal, but in 2024, there is the fact that Trumpers just seem more extreme now. They are more anti democratic, more authoritarian, more christian nationalist, and more racist. heck, on right wing racists, those guys need to go outside and touch some serious grass. Because how freaking pathetic is your life that your number one issue is hating people who LOOK differently than you do? I mean holy crap. Imagine that being the hill you die on. For all the crap I give the SJWs for their obsession with the issue, at least they somewhat mean well, actual nazis are some of the biggest losers on the political spectrum IMO. Still, again, I will be inclined to say that those guys are thankfully a minority. it is disturbing they're growing in influence as much as they are though. But yeah I still wouldnt automatically say that every trump supporter is racist. They might be in a coalition with racists, but that doesn't mean they share those views. And I'm not gonna demand people be social justice activists on issues where they HAVE to be shamed for that, because people are complex, and not everyone sees the issue from that one singular lens. Hopefully they would distance themselves from such people if given the chance though...because let's face it, agreeing with or endorsing such people is cringe. But I do understand that in a two party system, you're gonna inevitably end up in the same coalition with people you don't like. Like, I end up in a coalition with democrats, and as you guys have probably figured out, I have serious disagreements with virtually every flavor of democrat out there. So why do I support them? Lack of options, understanding not everyone is gonna agree with me 100%. If a non racist republican approaches the GOP the same way, that's perfectly fair. Not all the voters deserve to be criticized for crappy things other members of the coalition do.
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