American hedonism closes its eyes to death, and has been
incapable of exorcising the destructive power of the moment
with a wisdom like that of the Epicureans of antiquity.

- Octavio Paz
Death is un-American, and an affront to every citizen's inalienable
right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

- Arnold Toynbee
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"As long as such self-serving hypocrisy
motivates America's response, Ukraine will
only sink further into needless bloodshed,
and that blood will be on America's head."
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
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In America everybody is of the opinion that he has no social superiors,
since all men are equal, but he does not admit that he has no social inferiors,
for, from the time of Jefferson onward, the doctrine that all men are equal
applies only upwards, not downwards.

― Bertrand Russell
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"What those 'racists' are reflexively and rightly reacting
to is the soulless chill as the fire goes out beneath the
melting pot. Those who think America can thrive as a
'cultural mosaic' are worse than fools; they're Canadians."

JOIN THE DISCUSSION
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Two centuries ago, a former European colony decided to catch up with Europe.
It succeeded so well that the United States of America became a monster,
in which the taints, the sickness and the inhumanity of Europe
have grown to appalling dimensions.

― Frantz Fanon
What the United States does best is understand itself.
What it does worst is understand others.

- Carlos Fuentes
Poor Mexico, so far from God
and so close to the United States.

- Porfirio Diaz
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"Indeed, everything about the American southland was magical
and exotic to the young Canadian musicians, from the sights
and smells to the drawling manner of speech to, especially, the
central role that music played in people’s everyday lives."

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America is a mistake, a giant mistake.
- Sigmund Freud
America is an adorable woman chewing tobacco.
- Auguste Bartholdi
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"This is the tone of the China Century, a subtle
mix of Nazi/Soviet bravado and 'oriental'
cunning -- easily misunderstood, and
never
heard before, in a real enemy, by the West."

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Coke and 'America the Beautiful'
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"And for the others who argued for English-only
patriotism, I note that there are more than
57 million Americans (about 20% of the nation)
whose first-language is not English...."

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Coke and 'America the Beautiful'
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"This is the behavior, and the fate, of paranoid
old-world tyrants like Hitler or Saddam, not liberal new-world democracies like America pretends to be."

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America is the only nation in history which
miraculously has gone directly from barbarism to
degeneration without the usual interval of civilization.

- Georges Clemenceau
I found there a country with thirty-two religions and only one sauce.
- Charles–Maurice Talleyrand
A people who are still, as it were, but in the gristle,
and not yet hardened into the bone of manhood.

- Edmund Burke
America is the only country ever founded on the printed word.
- Marshall McLuhan
"The removal of racist sports nicknames (and mascots) seems outrageously belated
-- why, exactly, has this civil rights cause
taken so long to gain momentum?"

JOIN THE DISCUSSION
The atom bomb is a paper tiger which the
United States reactionaries use to scare people.
It looks terrible, but in fact it isn't.

- Mao Tse-tung
They made us many promises, more than I can remember, but
they kept only one; they promised to take our land, and they did.

- Red Cloud
In America sex is an obsession,
in other parts of the world it is a fact.

- Marlene Dietrich
I would rather have a nod from an American,
than a snuff-box from an emperor.

- Lord Byron
One day the United States discovered it was an empire.
But it didn’t know what an empire was.
It thought that an empire was merely the biggest of all corporations.

- Roberto Calasso
Americans are so enamored of equality, they would rather
be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom.

- Alexis de Tocqueville
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"No one, I thought, could watch those scenes, of young children slaughtered en masse, and so many parents grieving, without thinking that this, finally, would tip some kind of balance in the country."
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If you are prepared to accept the consequences of your dreams
then you must still regard America today with the same naive
enthusiasm as the generations that discovered the New World.

- Jean Baudrillard
I am willing to love all mankind, except an American.
- Samuel Johnson
America, thou half brother of the world;
With something good and bad of every land.

- Philip Bailey
"What can be more powerful than disinformation in the Information Age?"
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England and America are two countries separated by the same language.
- Sir Walter Besant
Christopher Columbus, as everyone knows, is honored by
posterity because he was the last to discover America.

- James Joyce
Now, from America, empty indifferent things
are pouring across, sham things, dummy life.

- Rainer Maria Rilke
If the United States is to recover fortitude and lucidity,
it must recover itself, and to recover itself it must
recover the "others"- the outcasts of the Western world.
- Octavio Paz
The youth of America is their oldest tradition.
It has been going on now for three hundred years.

- Oscar Wilde
"America really is, for most Americans, all things considered, a good place to be, and all they really want is for everyone to enjoy the same privilege and pleasure."
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When good Americans die they go to Paris;
when bad Americans die they go to America.

- Oscar Wilde
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They're nothing more than traffickers; and as the smart traffickers'll tell you, you don't use the merchandise. They are just inoculating their kids with a tech-drug serum, to immunize them against the very merchandise that put the **** bowling alley in their basement.
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America is therefore the land of the future, where, in the ages that
lie before us, the burden of the World's History shall reveal itself.

- Georg Friedrich Hegel
America is a large, friendly dog in a very small room.
Every time it wags its tail, it knocks over a chair.

- Arnold Toynbee
Americans always try to do the right thing after they've tried everything else.
- Winston Churchill
The thing that impresses me most about Americans
is the way parents obey their children.

- Edward, Duke of Windsor
Americans are apt to be unduly interested in discovering
what average opinion believes average opinion to be.

- John Maynard Keynes
Europe was created by history.
America was created by philosophy.

- Margaret Thatcher
America is God's crucible, the great Melting-Pot where all the races of
Europe are melting and reforming!... The real American has not yet arrived.
He is only in the crucible, I tell you - he will be the fusion of all races.

- Israel Zangwill
American dreams are strongest in the hearts of those
who have seen America only in their dreams.

- Pico Iyer
America: It's like Britain, only with buttons.
- Ringo Starr
The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer.
It has never yet melted.

― D.H. Lawrence
I have two conflicting visions of America.
One is a kind of dream landscape and the other is a kind of black comedy.

― Bono
The American mirror, said the voice, the sad American mirror
of wealth and poverty and constant useless metamorphosis,
the mirror that sails and whose sails are pain.

― Roberto Bolaño

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Author Topic: "Trump`s Rampant Islamophobia"


Geoff-
Hamilton
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"Trump`s Rampant Islamophobia"
on: December 9, 2015, 11:32

from Saudi Gazette

Trump's Rampant Islamophobia

It may be a stretch, but people need to take Donald Trump seriously. The leading Republican contender for the presidential ticket is not a joke. The fact that he makes himself look and sound ridiculous in the eyes of most thinking observers should not be allowed to obscure the reality that, in just over one year, it is perfectly possible that this man could be in the White House.

Trump started off as a populist politician with the simplistic message that just he had made himself a billionaire through his business dealings, he could make Americans rich again too. Apparently gauche, with a mouth that all too often ran away with him, Trump caught the attention of Middle America by launching attacks on liberal Political Correctness. He did not in fact put his finger on the excess of the PC lobby, which is that it has lost its liberal values by becoming utterly intolerant of anyone who does not kowtow to its received wisdom. But he nevertheless made people catch their breath with comments about ugly women and disabled reporters. Indeed, his very outrageousness has caused people to sit up and take notice. [...]

http://saudigazette.com.sa/world/trumps-rampant-islamophobia/



MBannon
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Re: "Trump`s Rampant Islamophobia"
on: January 7, 2016, 14:55

Because I can't resist anything Trump... Firstly, this article correctly identifies a "profound ignorance" that Trump demonstrates on a daily basis. He is, without a doubt, an xenophobic, Islamophobic and intolerant, and lacks the self awareness to see even an ounce of that in himself. That being said, I see him and his ilk as more of a product of the political system than a growing threat. There has always been a strong percentage of people, be they American, Canadian, European (think Golden Dawn or Marine La Pen's National Front) who share his views. Trump is not even the first of his ilk in recent memory to play a prominent role in the Republican Party. Strom Thurmond, who voted against the Civil Rights Act, was a sitting US senator until 2003. Islamophobia has always been present in the states, and I believe Trump is more a product of a never-ending election cycle, a 24 news cycle with an obsession with ratings and celebrity, and a disenfranchised electorate than a new threat to American Democracy. While any reasonable American would be embarrassed with Trump, to suggest he is unique for any other reason than that people watched his reality show for 10 years seems an exaggeration. Unfortunately, there will always be people like him, ignorant of other cultures and unwilling to change. As long as reasonable people vote, they will never be more than a sideshow.



melissafio-
relli
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Re: "Trump`s Rampant Islamophobia"
on: January 16, 2016, 18:38

I’ve never been one to take much of an interest in the world of politics. I often pay little attention to the election campaigns and processes. However, Donald Trump has made it next to impossible for even an individual like myself, to be oblivious of, for lack of a better word, the insanity, that is occurring in the United States.

Reading this article touches on what I’m sure a lot of the world is currently feeling. Originally, I didn’t pay any mind to the ridiculousness of Trump’s bid to candidacy. However, as the article clearly points out, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that Trump’s candidacy is very real and very possible.

What intrigued me in this article was a point made that stated that Steve Jobs, the successful founder of Apple, was the son of Syrian migrants, ironically, the very thing Trump is fighting against! THIS is where my point of contention lies. Though much of Trump’s candidacy is a point of contention, it’s this ignorance that frustrates me, this glossing over all migrants with the same racist brush.

For as long as I could remember, I always heard and truly believed the claims that, “the cure to cancer could be locked in the mind of an individual who can’t afford an education, or who doesn’t have the means to freedom, or… (insert unfortunate circumstance.)” Moreover, I have always believed that some of the most intelligent minds in North America, are often not recognized. More frequently than not, individuals with degrees from their native countries are not recognized in North America. With that, I must agree with MBannon’s comment that this act of xenophobia has been ever present in the political system, and to that I would add, in all of American society.

The article that I have attached lists a variety of Syrian American’s who have been nothing but successful, and have positively contributed to American society. It’s very easy to focus on the minute amount of negative instances, and disregard the overwhelming amount of positive results of migration. Though I realize this offers little in combatting Trump’s claims, I hope it reminds us that, many of us are all immigrants in one way or another. Very few of us have native ties to the North American land we inhabit. Given the chance to succeed, we’ve prevailed. So Donald Trump, (who from my research is of German decent), should not everyone be given that same chance?

http://www.ibtimes.com/famous-syrian-americans-amid-refugee-fearmongering-remember-steve-jobs-jerry-seinfeld-2190439



sarahmedei-
ros
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Re: "Trump`s Rampant Islamophobia"
on: January 28, 2016, 15:36

Do you ever feel like the older you get, the less you understand other people? That's how I feel about Trump.
For a man who built an empire using immigrants in his own workforce, who is completely open to building his wealth by connecting with international companies, he sure likes to spit the phrase "build a better America with Americans" a lot.
The United States, like Canada, was built on immigrants. We are all aware that our community is a wonderful mix of nationalities which make our town or city special. However, I need to address the fact that none of this matters to Trump. What matters to a successful CEO? Success, of course. He is quick to jump on bandwagons that suit the need of his extremely naive and ignorant voters that will earn him instant success. As the article states, when the San Bernardino shooters hit the news, he instantly took the fresh Islamophobic tension that spread over the U.S. and vowed to ban all Islams from entering America. As labor tensions began to spread in the South in regard to Latino immigrants, Trump quickly vowed to build a wall and 'protect' his country from illegal immigrants. Unfortunately, although his views are outrageously ogreish and downright wrong, he is very successful in his endeavors. Those "small" tensions build in the American community until there arises the question "...but what if that race 'wasn't here?' Would that solve the problem?"
Trump is always there with an answer.

Besides his horrible business strategy in regards to politics, the problems with his Islamophobia are immense. As the article I posted below suggests, shoving Islams into a box of isolation and distrust will only cause more problems. People who become shunned from their home and are racially shamed for being nothing other than themselves will cause unrest, mistrust between all races and would send America back to the days of The Red Scare. If Trump is trying to get rid of terrorism, maybe he should stop pointing fingers at individuals of any race at all. Discrimination has been the cause of so many past tragedies that you would think a presidential candidate in 2016 would simply know better.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/i-am-a-muslim-but-trumps-views-appall-me-because-i-am-an-american/2015/12/10/fcba9ea6-9f6d-11e5-8728-1af6af208198_story.html



rose
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Re: "Trump`s Rampant Islamophobia"
on: February 4, 2016, 10:32

Trump is fear-mongering again! Every time he opens his mouth he spews out his own bile, these are the things he fears. He is not looking for a unified America. Everything he talks about has to do with race. America is stolen land built up by immigrants and none too kindly either. He is of German descent, does that not make him an immigrant also, actually a settler, if one wants to be politically correct. He also became a billionaire by immigrant labor in his businesses, so who does he believe he is fooling? Even the 'founding fathers' of America did not espouse those moronic values of 'sending the immigrants home'. They believed that if and when you came to America you were given an opportunity to be and become something better from whence you came. Is that not usually why the immigrants go there? Islamophobia and his idea of politics will only create a deeper chasm in political relations creating more unrest. Excuse my phrase but is that not the 'pot calling the kettle black'? C'mon Trump, you can do and be more open-minded than that. The general population must have something other than racial bias to look forward to.



Nicole
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Re: "Trump`s Rampant Islamophobia"
on: February 23, 2016, 18:11

Every comment made so far on this post is against Trump, and as I read them over I found myself agreeing with every one of them. If we can see through Trump's racism and bigotry, why is he such a serious contender for the upcoming presidency? I wholeheartedly agree with what Rose said about Trump "fear-mongering", but I remain hopeful that America's fear does not lead to her downfall. Furthermore, I cannot help but wonder how much of what Trump says is used to garner attention. He seems to be a strong subscriber to the "all press is good press" mentality, making me wonder if he is using racism and intolerance to place himself in the spotlight. If this is his plan, then it is working. There are currently five republican candidates competing with each other, however I doubt that many people could name any of the other four who are not Donald Trump. Yes, we do know Trump as someone who stands for hate, fear, and intolerance, however the fact remains that we do know him. He has become a household name and ever if he loses the election he will not necessarily lose the notoriety that it granted him. His fame in itself is a dangerous thing. It is the unfortunate truth that Donald Trump has a lot more influence than the average person. This leads to the question of whether or not we are falling for Trump’s ploy by talking about him, debating his ideas, even by mocking him we are simply making him more famous. So it our dismissal, our disapproval, and our disgust regarding Trump actually helping him? I hope not, but I still fin myself wondering.



LianaDavid
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Re: "Trump`s Rampant Islamophobia"
on: March 1, 2016, 11:00

Most of the comments in this thread cover my thoughts on the article and Trump's Islamophobia. What I would like to add is that I think a huge reason why Trump still stands as a front-runner for becoming the Republican representative is because he does not hold back on this fear-mongering tactic, nor the racist remarks that go along with it. Many of his supporters often defend their choice to support him because of his supposed openness and "courage" when he speaks about topics like Islam. But one could argue that these same people are simply relieved to have a spokesperson to express their own Islamophobic thoughts, someone who has more social power and who is more capable of receiving criticism and backlash from an angry public. Yes, Trump is fear-mongering many people into supporting his platform, but there are a good number of supporters who have held these Islamophobic mindsets even before Trump came in candidacy. People often seek comfort in hiding behind the stronger backbone of another, which is what I think a lot of Trump supporters have been doing.



Mike-
Langston
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Re: "Trump`s Rampant Islamophobia"
on: March 1, 2016, 19:31

Here's one of the best articles I've read so far on the Trump Phenomena.
"Donald Trump's Il Duce Routine" by Roger Cohen

A key quote:

Part of the Trump danger is that he’s captured an American irredentism, a desire to reclaim something — power, confidence, rising incomes — that many people feel is lost. Trump is a late harvest of 9/11 and the fears that took hold that day. He’s the focus of vague hopes and dim resentments that have turned him into a savior in waiting. As with Ronald Reagan, it’s not the specifics with Trump, it’s a feeling, a vibration — and no matter how much he dissembles, reveals himself as a thug, traffics in contradictions, the raptness persists.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/01/opinion/donald-trumps-il-duce-routine.html?&moduleDetail=section-news-3&action=click&contentCollection=Opinion®ion=Footer&module=MoreInSection&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&pgtype=article&_r=0



sergiobald-
ini
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Re: "Trump`s Rampant Islamophobia"
on: March 17, 2016, 16:30

I've always felt that the world needs a boogeyman. The world needs a person or a group of people, be it based on religion or culture, for people to look at and say "they are the problem." The United States, at this moment, has found that group of people and they are Muslims. This, of course, makes the racists and bigots of the United States feel better about themselves and Donald Trump validates that argument and makes them believe they are right. Even though statistics say that white men with guns are a greater threat to US security than any member of the Islamic faith, it doesn't matter. These prejudiced individuals have found the bad guy and are not willing to listen to common sense or reason. Donald Trump is a demagogue. Everyone can see that. Only his supporters cannot and that makes them the real threat to American security and democracy.



emfoley13
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Re: "Trump`s Rampant Islamophobia"
on: March 20, 2016, 08:26

Recently in an act of political character assassination (if there is even any character left to assassinate in Drumpf), John Oliver aired his news segment on Donald 'Drumpf.' There's been a long history of political parody shows eviscerating candidates but I can't remember any as savagely cutting. Though John Oliver raised a plethora of valid points as to why Drumpf should not be elected i.e his lack of business savvy, his rampant bigotry, his childishness, for me the most interesting segment surrounded his renaming as Donald 'Drumpf' in order to shatter the illusion of wealth and success that 'Drumpf' brings to mind. 'Drumpf' is the name of an ancestor of Drumpf, who changed it upon moving to America.
To me the irony of this is that Drumpf supporters are quick to point out the hypocrisy of this jab by the left, failing to see their hypocrisy in defending the history of an immigrant. I feel like the vast majority of American people have tried to wash their collective histories with the ol' red, white and blue. America has always been a melting pot, where the essence of your previous cultural history is boiled down in order to rebirth you as 'An All-American.' Recently beloved ex-boy band singer Nick Carter ran the "All-American Tour." The concept of the 'All-American' is one that permeates the culture of America, yet does not truly exist. It is merely an idea, of what no one is entirely sure.
So I guess my question is; where does this rampant sense of nationalism in a country composed solely of immigrants come from? Is it insecurity based? Does it speak to a need to belong to a massive marketing ploy that holds no place in reality? And when Donald Drumpf says "Make Donald Drumpf Again," to which America is he referring?



JeanGiroux
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Re: "Trump`s Rampant Islamophobia"
on: March 20, 2016, 21:09

My head shakes every time somebody makes mention of Trump nowadays, akin to the reaction the crowd had when John Oliver introduced him in his monologue. Perhaps his election campaign is all theatre, designed to garner support amongst the the less enlightened members of American society. However, no matter what side of the political spectrum you lean, there is no place for Trump's ideals in American politics, or in politics period. Trump is wildly inconsistent in his policy advocacy and maniacal in his war promotion. Trump preaches racist bigotry and xenophobia and his campaign fosters aggressiveness and hate; one needn't be an expert in global affairs or social sciences to understand that fuelling that sort of sentiment will not bode well for the future of America or the course of humanity. Recent footage of a Trump rally showed a Trump opposer being sucker-punched and stomped for showcasing his political views - this is the attitude Trump seems to be cultivating amongst his supporters. Let's hope that the American voting public come to their senses when it really matters, otherwise, the world's hegemony could be in trouble, and that would mean trouble for us all.



harry094pa-
rk
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Re: "Trump`s Rampant Islamophobia"
on: March 24, 2016, 23:33

In response to emfoley13: I believe Americans, thanks to the particularly violent form of identity formation that their nation went through in its early years, have essentially attempted to "erase" their immigrant roots, in place of a new identity which is inexorably "American". I don't observe this happening here in Canada, where people by-and-large seem to understand that their heritage and their Canadian identity can coexist. As a total outsider from North American culture, I find it fascinating that two nations whose earliest European immigrant ancestors were guilty of similar crimes against the Natives (which are perpetuated to this day in many ways, such as alcoholism - free beers for any Native, according to Sherman Alexie!) can have such vastly different attitudes towards immigrants today. There is another thread on this forum called "Misinforming America", which I think has some great ideas on why such xenophobia has seeped into the American identity.

In regards to Trump, I agree with the majority of concerns raised about his rhetoric in this thread. However, I think the most important reason he should not be elected is not the fact that he's a bigot in all senses of the word. To me, it's the fact that he is brazenly presenting what can only be a well-planned character act that deliberately shifts to appease the worst of the American public - this kind of man in the White House would truly be dangerous, not because of the rigidity of his hatred, but the lack[ of said rigidity. He would conform to whatever he felt the public wanted, which in a country as politically polarised as the US, could easily be catastrophic on an international scale. From the way he's presented himself throughout this campaign, I can only describe him as a malevolent and thuggish version of Hillary Clinton, who is equally guilty of redefining herself at her own leisure in order to align with public sentiment. If a politician cannot champion their beliefs in the face of criticism, they will not have the fortitude required to face off with world leaders and enemies, no matter how loud they can shout - or how big (read: small) their hands are.



emilydedon-
atis
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Re: "Trump`s Rampant Islamophobia"
on: March 28, 2016, 22:01

After reading the article posted by professor Hamilton from the Saudi Gazette, I can't help but comment on the influence of certain stereotypes and how they are shaping the fate of the current presidential campaign. As everyone has been discussing, Trump is most definitely not a fan of those who constitute a racial, religious, or ethnic group other than his own. He addresses immigration as if it were America's greatest problem of the century, and with this, he promises to essentially eradicate certain racial and religious groups (ie. hispanics and muslims). What particularly interests me is his presidential slogan, in which he promises to "make America great again"...a slogan that has become the ideal rally cry for an older generation who identify everything as being better at some arbitrary point "back in time". However, was there ever a "great" time in America's history where immigration into the country was non existent? Like many of you, I come from a long line of European immigrants (particularly Italian) who idolize the entire continent of North America, and who are incredibly proud of being a contributing member to the land of the free. This is particularly why I would assume that older immigrants of the country would be offended by Trumps remarks that pin immigration as a threat to society...but I'm absolutely wrong in this remark. After reading an article from the Huffington Post, I was shocked to understand that some Mexican-Americans are actually supporting Trump and his presidential platform against immigration of all sorts. One woman was interviewed, Delilah Rodriguez, who claimed that "if anyone has the right intentions in entering the country, they would not be afraid to go through the right channels". I believe that Trump is receiving support from the racial, religious and ethnic groups that he promises to shun from the country because he is labelling himself as a modern-day problem solver who strives for the same goals as you and I. What the general public fails to understand, however, is that Trump is most definitely and in no way similar to the average American. He's not even similar (in his morals or ideals) to the modern day politician! He's a prominent business man who has learned to exploit every avenue (particularly the media) in order to make his name known worldwide. And this, my friends, is exactly why people adore him. If elected, he promises to exploit every avenue in order to make his platform goals a reality, whether it involves violence or prejudices against the innocent members of American society. By doing so, he becomes a symbol of effectiveness, a man who is more than just talk, and a man who will stop at nothing to get the job done. Some would say that he's succeeded in achieving the "American Dream" with his worldwide Trump empire prior to entering the world of politics, so it is really no question as to why he wouldn't appeal to a modern American society comprised of people who strive so desperately to achieve this "American Dream" themselves...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/24/donald-trump-mexicans-new-hampshire_n_7864980.html



jennynicol-
le
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Re: "Trump`s Rampant Islamophobia"
on: March 31, 2016, 13:59

After reading the article posted on this thread, remaining optimistic about this topic, it is difficult to rationalize about the comments he is making about certain ethnic groups. targeting Muslims in the united states and labeling them and Muslims as a breed that exemplifies "extremists" and "radicalist" is un-intelligent and narrow-minded thinking. in relation to sergiobaldini post, I believe he brings up some good points on how a group has to be the perpetrators and labeled as the problem. Donald Trump is using politics and current world issues to infiltrate his campaign and increase the viability of him winning the election. Thus, his platform and what he publicizes is what the American citizens want to hear and shun out any other criticism or resolutions to solve current problems. The issue with banning Muslims from entering the united states is a bigotry plan of action on solving terrorism. I believe, this idea by Trump will lead to bigger democracy and liberal issues among the citizens. Lastly, mass-shootings within the united states have been mainly perpetrated by Caucasian males, most of the time who've been heavily armed. Therefore, the issue of islamaphobia has no place of discussing when gun control in the united states led by non-ethnic people has had more of a relevancy than terrorism led by Islam extremist groups.



MoriahA
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Re: "Trump`s Rampant Islamophobia"
on: April 5, 2016, 20:25

I find it eerie how similar Trump sounds to people of the past. It is a sad trend that throughout the world, what trump is saying has been repeated throughout history many times. To me personally, Trump seems similar to another American president and that's Theodore Roosevelt. Here is an example of Roosevelt, "It is urgently necessary to check and regulate our immigration, by much more drastic laws than now exist; and this should be done both to keep out laborers who tend to depress the labor market, and to keep out races which do not assimilate readily with our own, and unworthy individuals of all races...". Alright, now this does sound familiar. However, there are differences. Roosevelt felt that as soon as immigrants "Americanized" that they should be welcomed. Trump doesn't seem to have that same view. Here is an article which CNN did about Trumps immigrations views: http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/16/politics/donald-trump-immigration-planned-parenthood-iraq-2016/index.html

This is just a scary and yet interesting video. If you haven't seen this, I would have a look:



SN_America
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Re: "Trump`s Rampant Islamophobia"
on: April 11, 2016, 16:30

I believe those that see Trump as worthy of our concern are correct. Behind his hilarious television persona lies a demagogue of the highest order. However, demagogues and their motives are not a mystery - all of history’s demagogues have sought power by playing upon the whims of the public. There has been a shift to the right globally and it has been observed by political scientists that regardless of the political party, contemporary candidates are far more conservative than their peers 30 years earlier - take a look at this video on the issue of immigration for instance:

….Bush Sr. and Reagan sound far more to the left than Trump’s ridiculous ads.
Yet, focusing on Trump obfuscates the the larger issue of the ‘whims’ at play. As we have seen in our class this year, figures like Roosevelt have played on public feelings in order to justify horrible things in their speeches by playing on whims of nationalism, racism etc ; think of Spiegalman's Maus and how it was able to show the “banality of evil) (Arendt). Benedict Anderson in Imagined Communities states that a nation an ‘imagined community” where “regardless of the actual inequality and exploitation that may prevail in each, the nation is always conceived as a deep, horizontal comradeship” (Anderson 50). Trump has been able to tap the contemporary “political unconscious” (Jameson) that lurks beneath the veneer of the nation. In the 21st century, humanity in our current epoch is ridden with anxiety and frustration in the face of violence and economic precarity. Many Americans at the margins have been left out of the political system and according to Chris Hedges:

"There are tens of millions of Americans, especially lower-class whites, rightfully enraged at what has been done to them, their families and their communities. They have risen up to reject the neoliberal policies and political correctness imposed on them by college-educated elites from both political parties: Lower-class whites are embracing an American fascism”
(http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_revenge_of_the_lower_classes_and_the_rise_of_american_fascism_20160302)

Its no surprise that Islamophobia has been part of this sentiment, Islam has been used as an issue of concern not just by the lower classes; but political elites for much longer than our contemporary moment. Texts such as McAllister’s Epic Encounters, Said’s Orientalism and Covering Islam have documented a long history of how the Middle East/ Islam has been invoked as a civilizational other in the act of furthering the agenda of the state or civilizational superiority. American is no stranger to the carnage of ‘othering' as we have seen in Dubois, Toomer, Ellison Silko. What is needed more than ever is what Chomsky calls an “intellectual self defence kit” in order to curb the fire haired real estate siren’s song.

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