America is the land of immigrants – a melting pot of cultures as many like to say – however it is no secret that this country has not always welcomed everyone with open arms. If you think about it, there never really has been a time when our nation has indiscriminately welcomed anyone and everyone to come re-plant their roots and establish themselves as new Americans. Maybe that’s why Trump is an actual contender in the upcoming Presidential election. Maybe that’s why so much of America has not only accepted but also adopted his manner of speaking about certain ethnic groups. And maybe, just maybe, that is why as a collective group, we seem to be relatively desensitized to his oppressive and insulting choice of vocabulary when addressing some of the citizens of the country he supposedly is so eager to lead.
In this article regarding Trump’s most recent speech on immigration, Tim Kaine says “You could print that speech with Irish-Americans in it, and somebody gave that speech in 1850. You could print Italian-Americans in it, and somebody gave that speech in 1860 or 1870. You could put Jewish folks from Central and Eastern Europe and somebody probably gave that speech in the late 1800s.”
So yes, America has heard this type of talk before. And yes, it was damaging and shameful even then.
The only remaining question is: why aren’t we learning from history? Why has Trump been able to get so far with such an antiquated mentality in regards to immigrants? The dehumanization of an entire population of people based solely on their religion or ethnicity or even just skin color has proven to have disastrous effects in the past…and history does have a habit of repeating itself. But this is a habit we can break. This is a habit we need to break. The glimmer of hope here is that although we will always be fighting the good fight against human stupidity borne of ignorance, we now live in this wonderfully digital age which has allowed for unprecedented levels of awareness and information sharing. We just have to make sure certain voices are loud enough to drown out the others.
Senator Kaine warns us, albeit with a seemingly lighthearted rhyme (though I must admit it is catchy), that if we leave it up to Trump, the U.S. is going to become known as “deportation nation” rather than the “innovation nation” and “inclusion nation” that this country has the potential to be.
-Michelle
Yes, Yes, and more Yes! Thanks Michele for sharing. While reading your thoughts old Holocaust images presented themselves up there and that’s pretty frightening. Though Trump has not made mention of any race extermination plans, who knows what could happen if he becomes commander-in-chief. Last night’s Commander-in-Chief Forum showed a potential president who makes for good television. He criticized our U.S. generals by saying that they “have been reduced to rubble” and even inferred to the possibility of replacing them. Imagine a presidency where Trump sits in the Oval, replaces military generals with ones who only support his ideology, and the idea of a 2nd holocaust doesn’t seem to far-fetched.