I think something has been missed (or at least not talked about enough) in this entire kerfuffle.
The issue isn't that Trump used the word 'shithole' to describe the countries in question. The issue isn't even whether some or all of these countries qualify as shitholes. The issue as I see it can be split into two parts: Trump's ignorance and Trump's racism.
Ignorance: Yet again, Trump doesn't seem to grasp what his new job, and even his country, is supposed to be about. For the best part of two centuries, you lot have held yourselves out as a beacon of hope, opportunity and freedom to people from other countries, people that are having a harder go of it than any of us can probably imagine. People from Haiti want to go to the US because of how they are forced to live - people from Norway are significantly less motivated to do so. Sick, starving, oppressed people probably dream of a chance to make it to the US for a shot at a better life. And they dream that because of what they've been told. 'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free' isn't just a few lines on that statue - it is the implicit promise that the US has offered for generations. Trump lack of empathy for people who weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouths is bad enough, but it is even worse, even more demeaning, even more frightening is that he lacks a basic grasp of America's history and image that has made your country a goal for the world's most unfortunate.
Racism: 'Why can't we get more people from places like Norway?' All he knows about Norwegians is that they tend to be tall, blonde and blue-eyed. He didn't ask, 'Why can't we get more engineers and scientists?' or 'Why can't we get more people with financial degrees?'. He wants more people from countries with demographics that are overwhelmingly white. Forget about a potential immigrant's education, work ethic, criminal history - all that matters to Trump is that they have the proper melanin deficiency.
Ignorant, racist, heartless, cruel and cowardly. Good luck with him, America.
Boru
The issue isn't that Trump used the word 'shithole' to describe the countries in question. The issue isn't even whether some or all of these countries qualify as shitholes. The issue as I see it can be split into two parts: Trump's ignorance and Trump's racism.
Ignorance: Yet again, Trump doesn't seem to grasp what his new job, and even his country, is supposed to be about. For the best part of two centuries, you lot have held yourselves out as a beacon of hope, opportunity and freedom to people from other countries, people that are having a harder go of it than any of us can probably imagine. People from Haiti want to go to the US because of how they are forced to live - people from Norway are significantly less motivated to do so. Sick, starving, oppressed people probably dream of a chance to make it to the US for a shot at a better life. And they dream that because of what they've been told. 'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free' isn't just a few lines on that statue - it is the implicit promise that the US has offered for generations. Trump lack of empathy for people who weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouths is bad enough, but it is even worse, even more demeaning, even more frightening is that he lacks a basic grasp of America's history and image that has made your country a goal for the world's most unfortunate.
Racism: 'Why can't we get more people from places like Norway?' All he knows about Norwegians is that they tend to be tall, blonde and blue-eyed. He didn't ask, 'Why can't we get more engineers and scientists?' or 'Why can't we get more people with financial degrees?'. He wants more people from countries with demographics that are overwhelmingly white. Forget about a potential immigrant's education, work ethic, criminal history - all that matters to Trump is that they have the proper melanin deficiency.
Ignorant, racist, heartless, cruel and cowardly. Good luck with him, America.
Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson
