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The Quiet Racism of MAGA-land
Scratch the surface and the racism isn’t hard to find
Social media exchanges between liberals and Donald J. Trump Senior (R-Florida) supporters often devolve into liberals calling them racist, and the Trump supporters denying it. In many cases, neither of them is lying, but the MAGA (Make America Great Again) responses to the charges are often telling.
Usually, their reaction will show deeply flawed logic and a misunderstanding of history. Occasionally, if they think they’re in a safe place and can speak openly, the racism will just come flowing out, even if they are unable to recognize it themselves.
I Love the Blacks
Most of the defenses against charges of racism coming out of MAGA-land have elements of truth to them, like the classic, I can’t be a racist because I have black friends.
This seems to come out of the believe that being a racist means you hate all black people. Would a member of the Ku Klux Klan go out to lunch with their African American co-worker or have a black podiatrist? Of course not.
In reality, being a racist only requires that you think some races, likely your own, is better in some ways than other races. So, it’s entirely possible to like your African American neighbor, and still be a racist.
