Donald Trump’s pledge to fight what he calls “anti-white feeling” in the U.S. will likely embolden allies who seek to dismantle government and corporate programs created to battle racism and boost diversity in American life.
Some high-profile supporters of the former president, now the 2024 Republican presidential candidate, say policies for safeguarding people of color in classrooms, workplaces and charities should be repurposed to protect the rights of white people as well.
“I think there is a definite anti-white feeling in this country,” Trump told Time in an interview published on Tuesday. “I don’t think it would be a very tough thing to address, frankly. But I think the laws are very unfair right now.”
Trump did not specify examples of anti-white bias nor policy prescriptions in the interview.
I don’t think there are very many people in the US who are “anti-white.” I think a majority of Americans are against white supremacism, or a racial hegemony/hierarchy that has “whites” at the top. That doesn’t mean I want a hierarchy that has another group at the top, I want no hegemonic order at all. I think most Americans would prefer it if we could all just see each other as, well, Americans.
I realize that’s easier said than done in this very divided era. I can’t deny that I have a hard time seeing some people as my countryman, because their culture, beliefs, and ideals are so much different than mine. I’d like it if we could reach some kind of consensus on what it means to be an American. I think we will reach a consensus, but getting there is going to be… contentious.
I’m certain there are people racist against white people. But I’ve never felt like a political party was anti-white. I’ve never felt attacked as a white person.
I think some people have been taught by their parents that their identity is tied to their heritage. And their heritage happens to be slave owners, or in some cases traitors who committed treason to protect slavery.
The real problem is the zero-sum mentality underlying the Conservative movement under Trump. Everything is a contest, and when the other side wins, your side loses. There is no room for competing views about America, views in which we all benefit. Any policy which doesn’t directly benefit their side must be harmful. There must be in-groups that include them, and out-groups that include people they disagree with.
DEI, if done right, recognizes the benefit they people of all backgrounds can bring. There’s no inherent discrimination against white people, but rather an acknowledgement that we can all benefit from diverse viewpoints. Sometimes you have to go out of your way to find those people, because the “system” may not be tuned to finding them.
Trump, though, cannot acknowledge that there can be policies that benefit everyone. There are winners and losers, and he sees himself as the ultimate winner. He will do whatever he can to make sure he stays winning - and it might be more important that his perceived enemies are seen as losers.
While that’s true, the real real problem is that facts don’t matter, science is relative, and corporate news is fundamentally incapable of countering the tidal wave of garbage.
It’s capable. The reach of the platforms is enough. They’re just not interested in doing so (sometimes because they are involved in pushing the misinfo to begin with)
I think it’s more to do with being subservient to their republiQan owners.
But DEI is not used in that way. Almost exclusively used against whites and Asians who randomly count as white now.
wrongoooooo, honky
honky noun hon·ky ˈhȯŋ-kē ˈhäŋ- variants or honkie or less commonly honkey plural honkies also honkeys offensive —used as an insulting and contemptuous term for a white person
I’m sorry to break this to you, but aren’t being oppressed because of your skin colour.
But you’re in luck! There still are other tyrannies that affect people of all colours, even us whities!!
I’m being disparaged because of my skin color right now
My friend, you are not. It’s your reasoning that’s causing the dunking. As I said I’m also white, so I can say this with certainty. Your point would be worthy of disparagement no matter what colour you were.
Okay but seriously, let’s see if we can work through this.
Do you have much exposure to people of colour? This isn’t meant as a put-down, but I remember thinking like you did before acquiring some lived experience (and doing a lot of processing). I knew a few people of colour, and felt like racism was a thing of the past. I had a kind of “colourblind” view of racism that completely disregarded historical and actual power imbalances.
This neutral view of racism can feel logical and comfortable; it has a kind of pleasant algebraic symmetry to it, so I can see the appeal.
You’re being disparaged for being a downright homonculus who lacks basic critical thinking skills. Calling you a ghost person is just pointing out that fact.
What’s your point, my fellow cracker?
Just imagine this conversation, but s/cracker/gook
Would that be acceptable?
If a member of your own in group is being ridiculous? Hell yeah it would be
Yeah I’m not Southeast Asian so I can’t be dropping that. I am however, a white guy, you cracker fuck.
Give one example. Against Asians who count as white?? Is that a new QAnut thing?
Yes
A mostly Asian school is not “diverse”, apparently
DEI?
Diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
Our diversity is our strength, get bent white supremacist fuckers.
Ah yes, the playbook of declaring war against something you made up or doesn’t exist.
https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/84f1aa73-9f91-446c-8e8c-93b103351b5c
There are exactly 57…
declaring war against something you made up or doesn’t exist.
It’s one of the few things Trump has been consistent at.
STOP Lumping me in with those Dumb Italians! I’m IRISH! I’m NOT Italian! I’m NOT Greek! I’m NOT Canadian! NOT ALL WHITE PEOPLE ARE THE SAME!
The only ‘anti-white’ people I’ve ever met are the white people who say I’m not white because I’m a Jew. Elon Musk would be that sort of person.
That sounds pretty anti-white to me.
But I don’t know that they would see it that way.
Donald Trump and his supporters are absolute racists.
Yes but have you considered that BiDeN iz GeNoSiDes?!1
Both sides! Don’t vote! Hail Putin!
Oops not that last one. Heh heh.
By all means vote for the best option available to you, but that doesn’t undo that it’s still a shitty choice.
When all you’ve ever known is privilege, equality must feel like oppression.
Yup.
Granny Weatherwax, the witch from Discworld discussing theology with a young priest:
“There’s no grays, only white that’s got grubby. I’m surprised you don’t know that. And sin, young man, is when you treat people like things. Including yourself. That’s what sin is.”
“It’s a lot more complicated than that–”
“No. It ain’t. When people say things are a lot more complicated than that, they means they’re getting worried that they won’t like the truth. People as things, that’s where it starts.”
“Oh, I’m sure there are worse crimes–”
“But they starts with thinking about people as things…”
Whoa. Thanks for sharing
Fucking racists think if you’re anti-racist, you’re anti-white.
It has the same energy as claiming all criticism of Netanyahu is antisemitism
This is something I don’t understand. These people also think that the confederacy is white heritage. Attacking racism or the confederacy is an attack on whites to them. Didn’t white people fight against the confederacy? Didn’t they fight against racism? Why do they always choose the losing side?
Your primary mistake is expecting cognition out of dimwits who want to install a dictator who has already done one insurrection.
I think they are looking at it specifically as their “white heritage” not the white heritage. The Daughters of the Confederacy movement made a big concerted effort to mythologize Confederate history which was easy in America where people are used to making uncomplicated heroes and sages of their historical personages. They put those figures literally on a pedestal and created a culture of reverent pride around them. People learned to value those connections so now - when the dismantling of those pedestals is happening they feel like something is getting taken away that they liked.
It’s a difficult conversation to logic them out of because a lot of them learned this stuff from school where the texts all follow the well trodden fallen heroes narrative. For a lot of them that’s the last educational authority they really trusted because they were kids.
