(December 25, 2016 at 1:17 am)scoobysnack Wrote:(December 25, 2016 at 1:00 am)Tiberius Wrote: This doesn't explain the numerous people like me, who are not liberals but aren't conservatives either, and find most of the "names" accurate descriptions. We are talking about a guy who has made statements / actions which are racist, sexist, and ableist.
You know it's a valid point. Before I would say it's all your perception, and your thoughts were irrational, but I'm not saying that now. I'm honestly starting to listen to understand, because I'd rather understand than just disagree. I guess the more I talk about Trump with people on the other side, the more I'm starting to hear them. Personally I see it as relative, and compared to some of the vulgar things I've heard from what I think are real racists, or sexists, Islamophobes, homophobes, etc, I see what Trump has said as very tame. As a result I didn't take what he said that seriously in comparison to what I've heard from others who were more extreme. However, it needs to be addressed how people perceive him, and why they do. I can't just discount another opinion as invalid because I disagree. I may disagree, but maybe that's because I'm comparing his rhetoric with more extreme examples.
It's almost like it comes down to the Crocodile dundee movie where he says, that's not a knife, this is a knife, and pulls out a bigger knife.
Sure, compared to actual racists, sexists, and ableists, Trump is pretty tame.
That's not the point though. In this society we should be striving to avoid saying racist, sexist, and ableist things completely. As President, that applies even more. You are a figurehead for the country.
So to me its not about the fact that he isn't extreme about his racism or sexism, but the fact that he says those kind of things at all. Even the Republicans understood that before he won the election.
