Politics of Hate category archive
America’s Gulags 0
Farron explains how Donald Trump’s claim to be ending the practice of ripping children from their families is con and sham.
In related news (follow the link for details):
The stench of vile is sick-making.
Dehuman Race, Base Desires Dept. 0
At the San Francisco Chronicle, Michael O’Hare summarizes what he sees as the rationale for Trumpling refugees and immigrants and identifies three elements to the strategy. He starts by pointing out that many, if not most, of the persons being Trumpled are fleeing violence, gang warfare, and tyranny in their home countries.
Here’s an excerpt; follow the link for the expanded version and his prediction as to what to expect next (emphasis added):
First, characterize these refugees (and actually all immigrants) against all the facts as dangerous criminals.
Second, make it known to refugees from the hellholes south of Mexico that they will be so abused should they reach the United States (here’s where breaking up the families was just the ticket), that that fear, added to the cost and hazards of the journey itself, will make them stay home and be killed quietly.
Third, turn refugees away from the ports of entry where they can apply for refugee status, and seize the kids when mom and dad commit the misdemeanor of walking across wherever they can and trying to apply at a U.S. Border Patrol station. This is just catnip for the fearful, vengeful core of Trump’s political base and only draws the meekest diffidence from a few congressional Republicans.
Picture This 0
Donald Trump’s “Again”:
Image via Job’s Anger.
Precedential Lingo 0
In line of the theme of dehumanization that I mentioned yesterday, David Pakman finds that Donald Trump’s language has precedent. And it’s not pretty.
Dehuman Race (Updated) 1
Although Donald Trump has backed away from his policy of ripping immigrant families apart, the impulses that led to it are no doubt still there. At Psychology Today Blogs, Paul Thagard explores one of them: Dehumanization. Only by thinking immigrants less than human can some justify separating children from their parents.
And, really, you don’t have to read many comments from the supporters of Donald Trump’s actions towards immigrants to see dehumanization in full force.
Here’s a bit of his piece:
The transferred emotions include disgust, fear, hatred, and anger. These form a hideous package that can be used to inspire and justify extreme measures against despised groups, ranging from separating children from their parents to slavery to gassing. Dehumanizing groups of people produces a kind of emotional Gestalt shift, replacing the respect and compassion that normally go with recognizing people as human, with a different emotional package that applies to threatening subhuman species. Propaganda campaigns were used by the Nazis, Hutus, and other aggressive parties to bring about this kind of emotional shift.
Addendum, Later That Evening:
Noz passes along Josh Marshall’s suggestion that there’s more to this than meets the eye. Even though subtlety is not generally a Trump quality, it is worth noting that the architect of the ripping families apart was Steven Miller.
(Misconfigured link fixed.)
Space Farce 0
In related news, Elie Mystal comments on Trump’s “space force” idea. A snippet:
Image via Job’s Anger.
Hostages 0
Mike Littvin infers that the inhumanity is intentional.
The unforgivable grabbing of more than 2,300 children from their parents at the border — some of these parents here to seek asylum — and housing them in what amounts to cages is meant to force bleeding-heart Democrats to the table to give Trump his ridiculous $25 billion border wall.
Follow the link for the entire article.
All that Was Old Is New Again 0
Werner Herzog’s Bear has seen it all before.
Dialectic 0
Josh Marshall muses on the internal contradictions of Trumpery.
The Bible Tells Me So . . . , Reprise 0
Mike discusses the Trump Administration’s program to rip children from their mothers and its defending the practice as sanctioned by the Bible. Warning: Language.
Wedging the Issues 0
Writing at Psychology Today Blogs, Roy Eidelson explores the mechanics of the politics of hate. A snippet:
Read the whole thing. It’s worth your while.
Suffer the Children 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Darcia Narvaez marvels at the cruelty of the Trump Administration choice to rip children from their families at the border and explains from a human developmental perspective why the act is so pernicious. A snippet:
Hardly.
Is it ignorance or malice? We don’t know, but the justifications sound both ignorant and malicious.
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*Colleen Kraft, head of the American Association of Pediatrics.
