The elections are nearing, and the campaigns are still ongoing, and politicians are using hateful speeches and remarks to further their political ambitions. Individuals who use hate speech cite the first amendment; the freedom of speech. However, hateful statements have adverse effects on the peaceful co-existence of individuals from different communities and may also cause emotional damage as well as fear.
Donald Trump has been making bold exclamations about immigrants in the Capitol, since his pre-election period, and for that he received a wide coverage and magnetism from the press. Amanda Sakuma’s Why Donald Trump’s Racist Remarks Matter, reflects on general election voters before the campaign and their attitude to Trump’s “momentous” debut. Another author who explores Mr. Trump’s personality in this harsh period is Tina Vasquez who titled her research I've Experienced a New Level of Racism since Donald Trump Went after Latinos. The journalist reflects on Donald Trump’s hate speech directed towards Latinos and contributing to even more unhealthy racism springs form white Americans living in the country. It seems that Mr. Trump’s vision is to make America great again in order to satisfy his desire and some of the white Americans who regard Trump as favourable. Yet, in Gary Younge’s Donald Trump Shows Hate Speech, the referred to Republican candidate Trump during this year’s elections expressed venom that surpassed even the greatest radio and show hosts, and his voice that harshly attacked minorities could not be ignored any more.
When Mr. Trump announced his presidential bid, he got more attention than he had bargained for, but not for the right reasons. He got the media attention and, most importantly, the public attention when he made negative remarks about the Mexico, Mexicans, and the whole Latino community. Mr. Trump indicated that he had the Mexican had problems, and they were dumping the same problems to America. By problems, he meant that the Latino community was smuggling drugs and were the masterminds of crime in America. To deal with the so-called problems, he stated that he would build a wall on the Mexican-American border and make the Mexicans pay for it. “Probably not politically correct,” Trump said afterwards. “But I don’t care” (Younge). By bashing the Mexican community, he also bashed the basic values that the American society is founded. I believe the comments are not only offensive to the Latino community but also the other immigrants, as well as all other Americans, whose ancestors once came into the country as immigrants (Vasquez). Immigration, as well as integration, is part of the rich American story. When Trump continues in engaging in the hateful and inciting comments, then one of the immediate effects on the society would be xenophobia. He is not only preying on the xenophobic fears of the conservative white Americans but also feeding these fears. Racial bias and xenophobia are part of the ugliest chapter of the history of the American people. Xenophobia not only affects the immigrant communities but also the Native Americans. For example, the effects of xenophobia may also plague the economy especially the tourism sector since foreigners will no longer feel safe in the country. Trump’s remarks were undiplomatic and can be termed as a major shot in the foot primarily because Mexico is the second largest trading partner of the United States. The U.S. exports more than 240 billion dollars’ worth of goods a clear indication of that Mexico is a huge customer.
I do not think it is good business practice to attack immigrants from the second largest trading partner. In Florida alone the Mexican employees help generate over 70 billion dollars annually. Many Mexicans are already reacting to Trump’s remarks. The two co-host of the Miss USA show pulled out from the project indicating that the remarks did not settle well with them. Another Colombian artist, J. Balvin, who was to perform on the show, also opted out. They all cited that they were showing social responsibility for their culture, roots, and values. Balvin indicated that the Mexican people are hard working individuals, and most of the citizens do not want to do the kind of job they are doing. I would also add that the community constitutes about 10% of the American population, and they pay their taxes and are law abiding members of the society we all expect that our future president has such basic knowledge.
Being of Scottish origin, whose mother has emigrated from Scotland, Mr. Trump aggressively attacks Chinese, Latinos, and Muslim immigrants arriving from their countries of birth and settling down in the United States. This is ironic in its essence, knowing the fact that Trump’s parents have immigrated to America in search for a better life, a generation ago, while their son turned out xenophobic despite his own European roots. At the same time, there is little evidence that Mr. Trump is in opposition to the native black Americans, and current European immigrants.
I believe that playing with the fears of the different communities is a counterproductive approach and not right to label an entire community as criminals. “Donald J Trump is calling for a complete and total shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what the hell is going on” (Younge). Immigrants do not leave their country of origin just because they want to but because they have no other option and Mr. Trump as a businessman he should know better and understand the effect of harsh economic realities. Above all, I think that his comments are not based on any facts and that they only reflect his personal opinion (Sakuma). When Mr Trump brands “Mexicans “rapists”, Chinese “cheats” and all Muslims potential threats he gives free rein to their insecurities about an increasingly cosmopolitan and less predictable world they feel they have been excluded from” (Younge). We should not let the opinion of one individual change the fundamental values of the American people. Trump is playing all of his cards to merely satisfy his selfish wish of the victory, yet he expresses lack of understanding or little care towards the feelings of Americans of other ethnicities residing in the same country. Mr. Trump’s political entrances show a number of instances when expressions of racism are present, which should not be silently supported or approved in a free and democratic country. This only means that discrimination is flourishing, and the government is willing to do little to stop its various forms, or more importantly, to eliminate discrimination from the American political arena. Mr. Trump is a bold supportive of inequality to merely enhance the lives of the rich white Americans who have been living in this free country for a generation, or two. Hence, Trump is famous for his insultingly offensive remarks that seem so easily to have hit the target in the politically correct soil.
The media term Trump's remarks as ‘rants'. When the media fails to correctly label Mr. Trump's ‘rants' as hate speech, then there is the consequence of normalizing xenophobia and racism which consequently emboldens the other members of the society to behave in a similar manner. And this may not only come out as mere words but as actions. As long as Mr. Trump is provided with the platform and is handed the microphone, then the people of the black community will always find themselves in harm's ways (Younge). These can take the form of racist treatment or even as violence. Minority communities are the flashpoint of a number of uncertainties that mar their lives as well as the global backdrop. The uncertainties coupled with the inability of states to secure their own economic hegemony could easily translate to lack of tolerance of immigrants. Once discrimination infiltrates the American political scene this leaves everyone divided as well as debase the currency of a healthy democracy. It will not be long before politicians who engage in hate speech see the transition of their words from ‘rants’ to dangerous.
In short, the American elections and following campaigns are often marked with the presence of fierce politicians, like Donald Trump, who are not ashamed of using hateful speeches to mark the victory of their personal ambitions. At the same time, Trump is fully aware of the adverse effects of his exercised statements on the co-existence of individuals from different social and ethnical backgrounds communities; these elections showed how irreversible emotional damage as well as fear can be caused at no cost to politicians themselves. As seen from a number of speeches, Trump refers particularly to immigration, as well as integration issues, which have existed for centuries as part of the American story and peaceful coexistence. Perhaps his most prominent remark has been an assertion that he might not be politically correct, and at the same time he as politician does not care much what is going on in the minds of “other” voters. To explore further, this attitude shows racial bias, taken from the history book of the United States of America. Americans cannot be proud of all the history written on the soil of their rich country, in particular the facts that relate to xenophobia and fears developed in the minds of the native white Americans.
Today when we are nearing the new and perhaps promising presidency, minority communities are the perfect reminder of a number of uncertainties that unfortunately exist in the country. That usually goes even further and translates to the lack of tolerance of all immigrants and their offspring living in America.
Works Cited
Sakuma, Amanda. Why Donald Trump’s Racist Remarks Matter. MSNBC. 7 Jan. 2015. Web. 3 June. 2016.
Vasquez, Tina. I've Experienced a New Level of Racism since Donald Trump Went after Latinos. The Guardian. 9 Sept. 2015. Web. 3 June. 2016.
Younge, Gary. Donald Trump Shows Hate Speech Is Now Out And Proud In The Mainstream. The Guardian. 8 Dec. 2015. Web. 3 June. 2016.
