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Scott Alexander gives a great breakdown of Trump and how the portrayal of him as being "openly white supremacist" is probably (likely) wrong.
I stick to my thesis from October 2015. There is no evidence that Donald Trump is more racist than any past Republican candidate (or any other 70 year old white guy, for that matter). All this stuff about how he's "the candidate of the KKK" and "the vanguard of a new white supremacist movement" is made up. It's a catastrophic distraction from the dozens of other undeniable problems with Trump that could have convinced voters to abandon him. That it came to dominate the election cycle should be considered a horrifying indictment of our political discourse, in the same way that it would be a horrifying indictment of our political discourse if the entire Republican campaign had been based around the theory that Hillary Clinton was a secret Satanist. Yes, calling Romney a racist was crying wolf. But you are still crying wolf.
I avoided pushing this point any more since last October because I didn't want to look like I was supporting Trump, or accidentally convince anyone else to support Trump. But since we're past the point where that matters any more, I want to present my case.
He further states: "I realize that all of this is going to make me sound like a crazy person and put me completely at odds with every respectable thinker in the media, but luckily, being a crazy person at odds with every respectable thinker in the media has been a pretty good ticket to predictive accuracy lately, so whatever."
So do his claims hold up under scrutiny, is he manipulating the figures, or is he just a 'crazy person' ?
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday November 19 2016, @06:19PM
Fair argument. Incorrect but at least well thought out.
The only possible entry in your link to support your position is 1.2 and it is not in current, popular usage. Certainly not widely enough to be the root meaning of the extremely widely used "racism". Definition 1.1 is clearly the only definition of "race" as involved with the word "racism" [oxforddictionaries.com], unless you are looking to redefine that word.
No, it is simply a simplification of convenience. If you were to take every last interpretation of Islam, give it a name, and replace "Islam" with that name in my statement, it would still be correct. Religions and ideologies are not races as required for the term "racism".
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 19 2016, @07:11PM
> The only possible entry in your link to support your position is 1.2 and it is not in current, popular usage.
I see you do not understand how dictionaries work. The definitions are ordered by the frequency of current usage. That's why the last definition in the list is the one labeled archaic. Thus the second on the list is the second most common usage.
Race as a synonym for culture is used all the time. For example, black music. [nmaam.org] Music isn't genetic. Maybe you'd like to argue that black is not a race?
And similarly islamic architecture [britannica.com]. Architecture can't have an ideology, but it is definitely cultural.
> Certainly not widely enough to be the root meaning of the extremely widely used "racism".
Now that we've established that culture is a commonly used meaning of race. Lets apply that to the definition of racism as you linked and see how well it fits:
Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own culture is superior
Well, surprise. That's exactly how Trump sees islam.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday November 19 2016, @07:40PM
I disagree but for argument's sake, let's go ahead with your definition and conclusion.
And in that he would be absolutely correct. By any objective standard you care to think up, western culture will come out superior to Islamic culture.
Or would you rather throw homosexuals to their deaths from rooftops, restrict women from going to school, driving, walking unescorted, or showing so much as an ankle in public, allow the raping of your wife, punish the women when they are raped, and call for the deaths of anyone not subscribing to western culture? Because that is precisely what Islamic culture would bring you.
It's a valid question. You need to answer it, to yourself at least, before you go promoting cultural equality.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 19 2016, @08:00PM
> I disagree but for argument's sake, let's go ahead with your definition and conclusion.
No lets not.
Switching to an argument about whether your racism is justified is just a capitulation because you can no longer defend your original statement.
That's all I cared about.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Whoever on Saturday November 19 2016, @08:13PM
Did you fail to notice who Trump appointed to lead the Justice department? Someone who argued in favor of locking up homosexuals.
Your point about people claiming to support Trump does not mean that Trump agrees with those people. However, that point becomes irrelevant when Trump appoints those same people to his cabinet. You can't say that the KKK supporting Trump is irrelevant when Trump appoints a white supremacist as his chief strategist.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 20 2016, @05:32AM
Look, I don't give a damn about your vaunted notions of culture! What I care about is individual people. By all means, hold individual persons accountable for their actions; you get no argument from me on that point. And I have little patience for someone who wants to be excused for their actions because "it's just a part of my culture". But to hold an individual accountable for the culture they were born into, as if they have complete control over everyone of their neighbours, is just plain stupid. I notice that this is not the first time you have been called out for being rather uncharitable (some might even say mean-spirited) in your views. The fact that you don't seem to learn from your past mistakes does not speak well of you. Frankly, I would expect better from the people who post comments here on SN. If you like, you may consider this my way of trying to positively influence those within my cultural sphere.