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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: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 19 2016, @07:23PM
Your surprise is a big part of the problem. You have beliefs that are extreme, one might call you an extremist! But hey, lots of old people also have "a good friend who is black" so you'll probably have company if you go work for a retirement home.
Every time I've been modded flamebait I'm forced to think about and I've always said "yup, deserved". Try imagining you can be wrong?
(Score: 1, Troll) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday November 19 2016, @07:28PM
Not surprise. Annoyance that people still downmod things they simply disagree with. If I am attempting to be civil and have a civil discussion, my posts are not within the definition of Flamebait. Neither Troll. It is simply a bad moderation.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by linkdude64 on Saturday November 19 2016, @07:52PM
" You have beliefs that are extreme, one might call you an extremist! "
This is problem with liberals. You think that people on the political right are extremists. You literally think that having an opinion - even an outright racist one - is extremism.
No.
If you would like, I will link you a video demonstrating extremism. The heads of dozens of kneeling people with black bags over their heads getting sawn off - right in front of your eyes, in HD quality, because they are not the "right kind of Muslim."
THAT is extremism, and YOU ARE CRYING WOLF just like the article states. If you would like to see the meaning of your words, I will show it to you.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 20 2016, @03:14AM
I'm sure that is what a lot of people said before the Nazis carted them off. "Don't worry, they just don't want us here. They'll take us somewhere till they have somewhere to send us!"
Taking this stuff lightly is not an option for me, and it is sad that you consider it a viable path. You even offer to behead me, that right there shows your mental state. I may be crying wolf, but that's just cause the wolf is hiding in his granny costume pretending to care about all the tasty people.
Or was I supposed to know that was just "guy talk"?
(Score: 2) by linkdude64 on Sunday November 20 2016, @03:43PM
"You even offer to behead me, that right there shows your mental state."
NEVER would I do that to somebody. I would rather shoot myself or cut my own throat than saw the head off of a disarmed person. The true extremists would not - and I can show you a VIDEO of that as empirical evidence - I never once meant to threaten you. Only to educate you as to what extremism actually is.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 20 2016, @06:29PM
Well in case you haven't been paying attention, there are extremists on both sides. Maybe not up to beheading people on camera, but violence has been done to liberals and conservatives. Many people have advocated violence this election cycle, and while much of it is hot air (such as you) it is impossible to tell when someone will snap and make good on their threats.
My original extremist comment was a bit tongue in cheek to point how the irony how most that dislike Muslims are themselves on the path to prejudice and extremism.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Sunday November 20 2016, @07:19PM
I have.
"If you finish that sentence I will have to kill you" were his exact words. In disbelief I let one more word out, and he immediately repeated his threat. I stopped cold. I could see he actually meant it. Would you call that extremist behaviour?
You see, even the seemingly moderate and seemingly reasonable muslims have a dangerous psychopathy and sociopathy, because their religion obliges them.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by linkdude64 on Sunday November 20 2016, @08:09PM
"Have you ever had a seemingly moderate and seemingly reasonable muslim threaten to kill you if you finish the sentence where you explain why you became an atheist?"
No, but estimates of muslim extremists worldwide are held at an estimated 15%-25%. With a worldwide muslim population of almost 2 billion, that is a huge number. Even if you are lying, there is statistical certainty that hundreds of millions of people around the world have had that exact same experience.
Fools think that violent minorities are not enough to cause problems - that focus must be kept on how peaceful the majority are.
Tell that to the majority of peaceful Germans in Nazi Germany. Or to the majority of peaceful Russians during their revolutions which killed tens of millions. Or to the peaceful Japanese majority as the minority butchered their way across southeast Asia.
Radical Islamic Terrorism is a global threat, because Radical Islamic Terrorists are seeding themselves all around the world and gathering resources - especially in the European countries that are essentially committing suicide.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 21 2016, @09:16AM
I never once meant to threaten you. Only to educate you as to what extremism actually is.
Oh, great, now I am really, really scared. That is what the extremists always say, just before they cut off your head.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 20 2016, @05:03AM
Sorry to burst your bubble, but in my opinion if you are still harbouring racist views in the 21st century then you are an extremist. And I'm not a liberal. Now, according to the First Amendment, you are allowed to have those views and gather together with like-minded individuals who share your views. But that in no way protects you from the neighbours calling you and your racist friends out as extremist assholes. That's not how the First Amendment works.
(Score: 2) by linkdude64 on Sunday November 20 2016, @03:45PM
You misunderstand - you have every right to call me an extremist, but we would then only be extremists relative to Western civilization. That is a relative scale.
On an absolute scale, we would be extremely moderate, because of the "real" extremists for whom genocide of those who you disagree with - within your own religion - is acceptable.
Even the KKK doesn't kill people anymore. That alone should say something about them compared to ISIS.