It seems that in the USA anything you say is racist!
Some things that are “racist” obviously have nothing to do with racism.
One thing that really troubles me about the USA of 2019 is that if you say anything that people don’t agree with, it is considered racism.
Racism means that you are against certain races, and don’t like the people because of their race.
There is really, in my opinion, nothing wrong with not liking a person for other reasons. For example, if you know a guy named Jim and Jim always wears purple pants, you might not like that. Jim looks stupid in purple pants. You don’t like to hang out with Jim because you don’t like that he wears purple pants. I don’t see anything wrong with that.
One thing is for sure about your dislike of Jim, though. It is not racism. If you just did not like Jim because he was black, Hispanic, Asian, or something like that, then you are acting in a racist way. That being said, if you know a Honduran guy named Jose, and he always wears purple pants, and we have already established that you just don’t like people who wear purple pants, well you might dislike Jose because of the purple pants, and that, again, is not racist.
Is President Trump racist?
Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump tweeted these things:
So interesting to see “Progressive” Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly……
… and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally and crime-infested from which they came?
Well, one problem with the tweets is that several of the Congresswomen that he is talking about were born in the USA, so they are not immigrants. That was a mistake.
Are those tweets racist?
However, I do not consider those tweets to be racist. Not at all. They are xenophobic. They are anti-immigrant.
I have been an immigrant. I lived in the Philippines for nearly 20 years. I can say that I have heard “go back where you came from” many times during those years. In every case, it was when I was complaining about something in the Philippines. Filipinos (not all, but some) would be offended if I did not like something there and I was vocal about it. They would tell me that if I did not like it, I was free to leave and go home.
Those words did hurt, they made me feel bad. However, when I thought about it, I realized they were right. Nobody was holding me there. There were planes leaving every day on a route back to the United States, and I was free to be on any one of those dozens of flights any day that I chose to leave.
But, I did not leave, not for nearly 20 years at least. And, when I did leave it was not because I did not like the way things were there. I left because my family and I just thought there were good reasons why we might be better off living in the States.
But those Congresswomen are not white!
People seem to think that the tweets are racist because he was tweeting about women of color. They equate that since the women are not white, and the President was saying they should go home, he was saying that because he only wants white people to live in the USA.
Well, I abhor racism. My wife is Asian. My kids are all half-Asian. I love every one of them. How could I be a racist? I am not a racist. I know the argument… if you have to proclaim that you are not a racist, often that means you really are. But, I would challenge anybody to tell me anything I have ever done that would show me to be a racist.
Just like my example of Jim (white) and Jose (Hispanic) wearing the purple pants, saying something negative about these Congresswomen does not mean it is about race. As I said, I have personally experienced the exact things that President Trump tweeted. I never considered it racist, even if it was hurtful. In the end, I think that what those people told me (many times over the years) was right.
Let’s look at it another way.
If you like to eat at McDonald’s, but one day you decided to go to Burger King and you found that you just did not like the taste of the burgers at Burger King, would you go into the kitchen and try to show them how they should cook? No, I doubt you would, or should.
Instead, the next time you wanted a Burger, if you really like McDonald’s burgers, you would (and should) go back to McDonald’s. Do you think that Burger King is going to be open to having you come and teach them how to make Burgers? I doubt it.
So, if you go to a country and you don’t like the way things are done, go back to your own country if that is what you prefer.
And to prove that the tweets are not racist
If there was a Congressman who was an immigrant from Norway, a white person, and he did not like the way things were being done in the USA, and the same tweet was sent with that Congressman in mind, how could it be racist? You would be saying the same thing about a white person? Obviously not racist. Same words, just directed at a different person. If it is racist, it would be racist no matter who it was directed toward.
I rest my case.
I couldn’t agree more.
Thanks, Jack. If something is racist that is not good. Bit these days anything that people disagree with is considered racist. Makes no sense to me.
I whole heartedly agree!!! Well said Bob and welcome back.
Thank you, Sandy. It just makes sense that anybody should go and live in the place that they think is best.
Well said Bob. I would agree Trump is right in this case. It’s bad attitudes as these women obviously have, that actually help fuel racism.
Bad attitude for sure! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Don.
Very well said Bob, I have come to the same realization that you did about living here in the Philippines. If,I dislike something, I may voice it to my family a nd a few close friends but otherwise, the lip gets zipped. Happy to see things going so well for ya back in the states. Take care and God bless always ~Doni
Thank you very much Doni. Keep enjoying life there!
Well said.
Thank you, Dave.
Hello Bob and welcome back to the USA! Regarding this issue, there are a couple things that you as a white American could NEVER understand about the president’s comments. First, it is not just this one particular comment that makes the president racist, and the fact he said “go back to your country…” is not the same as what you experienced in the Philippines because three of the four women are native-born American citizens. The president has on more than one occasion singled out these four for criticism when they have disagreed with his policies, ideas, etc. As a resident of Michigan, I’m familiar with Rep. Tlaib’s foul-mouthed comment in her first week in office when she called the president an MF (totally inappropriate). Mr. Trump has a HISTORY of racist business practices going back to when he and his dad were sued by HUD for not allowing Blacks to rent their apartments, There have also been other statements such as “I wouldn’t want a black man managing my money.” That is what makes Mr. Trump racist. Racism usually cannot usually be attributed to one statement, but a systematic history of statements (and more importantly) and ACTIONS over a period of time. This is something my Caucasian friends and acquaintances will never be able to understand because racism for them doesn’t exist in the United States because the United States is predominantly Caucasian. I have experienced racism quite a few times during my 62 years, but it doesn’t really bother me because I simply don’t have enough lifetimes to explain to people why their words or actions may be hurtful to someone who is of a different race. People say and do racist things because that is how they were taught, or they never stop to think how their words or actions may be hurtful to a person of another race or ethnicity. This is something I learned as a very young person, and that is why I’m EXTREMELY careful regarding what I say (or do) to others since I have many, many friends of different races, nationalities, and ethnicities including a Filipina fiancee. Most people are NOT so careful and don’t take into account other people’s racial, ethnic, and nationality differences. Thanks Bob for listening to me ramble a bit, and I hope this provides some insight from a different perspective.
Thank you, Jerome.
I agree about the 3 women being native-born, and I did point that out in the article.
I think that Trump is not perfect, and I wish that he would cut back on Twitter, it usually gets him into trouble. But, overall I like him.
You are right, I don’t find him racist, and because I am white, I agree that I may not understand, because of the fact that I am of a different race. However, I would also say that it should be remembered that I was an extreme minority in the Philippines. Probably less than 2% of the population of the Philipines is white, or black.
Anyway, I accept what you say, and I am sorry for the racism that you have personally experienced. It is not right. I wish you the best!
This is the problem with racism in the USA and with our president in particular. You and I are having a normal discussion about our different perspectives, but where I think racism begins is that people, unlike you and I, generally don’t take time to see the other person’s point of view. Even though you were a minority in the Philippines it is not the same as in the USA because Filipinos have NOT grown up from generation to generation and been taught to hate white people (in fact have been taught that the fairer the skin the better), have had civil wars, and have been generally TAUGHT to hate those who are different. In the USA, white people for generations have been TAUGHT to hate blacks, the Chinese (the Chinese Exclusion Laws), etc. (I cannot address other minorities because I’m not of those races), and that ingrained hatred dies very hard.
This is one reason I loved reading your columns for so many years because your wisdom regarding this issue from a “regular guy’s” perspective I thought was great. I think the issue is not actually with Trump, but with “regular” Americans who never interact with their fellow Americans who happen to be of another race, ethnic group, or nationality, and therefore never take the time to hear, understand, and more importantly, to FEEL life from the perspective of another person. The other major issue is that these four women represent something that white Americans in general fear; they fear that within the next 15-20 years or so white people will NOT be the majority in the USA. The government continually states that statistics show the birth rate for whites is continually declining while immigration and the birth rate for minorities are the things which are sustaining and increasing the United States’ population, and this makes white Americans a bit nervous. As I said, we each should take the time to know each other, find out about our neighbors and things will be fine.
I agree that our president needs to lay off Twitter somewhat, tone it down a bit, and have his staff check some of the erroneous facts he puts out. Again, that is his management style, but sometimes it makes him seem like a child.
As always, it’s great having a conversation with you and if more people can do what we are doing, America would definitely be a much better place.
Hi Jerome,
Yes, few people can discuss things calmly, they just yell at each other.
You might be surprised that there are a good number of Filipinos who do hate white people or any other race. I am not sure if it is the skin color that they hate, or if it is the xenophobic aspect.. the hate of an outsider/immigrant. But, it does happen. I would say that it is maybe just 5% of Filipinos who are like that, however.
Being white, things are a lot different here than they were 2 decades ago. For me, I like the diversity, and Logansport has a lot of it. About 50% of the community here are immigrants. Mostly Hispanic, but also a lot of Burmese and Haitians. The Filipino community has a presence, but a small presence compared to other immigrants here.
It is an interesting life, much different from how it was last time I lived in the States!
I respectfully disagree with Jerome. Trump is painted as a racist only because he’s the opponent of Democrats, period. What Trump is is pro-American.
For literally decades Trump was idolized by Black rappers in their songs. He was given an award by Jessie Jackson for his contributions to the Black community.
During his presidency he’s been fighting the Democrats to give inner city parents vouchers so their children can go to private schools. If he was racist he wouldn’t be doing that. What else? He has been granting pardons to unknown Black felons who have been given unjustly harsh prison sentences.. Doing this gains him nothing politically because 90+% of Blacks vote Democrat. But he’s been doing it anyway. What else? He’s implemented a program called “The First Step” to reform the Federal Prison system by giving early release to convicts who have been ensnared by unfair mandatory drug sentencing laws. This will free disproportionately Black men to be reunited with their families. What else? Trump has authorized the Second Chance Act which will release hundreds of millions of dollars for felons to get job training, become apprentices, and get another chance at becoming productive citizens, capable of supporting their families. All of these things plus his economic policies and stance on our Borders has a larger positive effect on the Black community than any other group.
Trump and all of us know none of these things will change the mainstream media and Blacks from portraying him as a racist. Yet he’s doing it all anyway.
As far as the remark about Trump being sued for housing discrimination, yes when Trump finished college he joined his father’s company, and his father was one of those old time thinkers who engaged in discrimination to protect his real estate business’s value.
The two main things are this: by the time the Trump presidency ends, he will have done more for building and reuniting Black families than any President in our lifetime, and if he had run as a Democrat, no one would be calling him racist.
Jerome is also not just wrong, but dead wrong in his assertion that white Americans are taught to hate Blacks, Chinese, and other non-whites.
Hi Kevin – Great to hear from you, it’s been a while!
I agree with you about Trump and “his racism”. I don’t think he is racist. Jerome, as a black man, has an experience that neither of us can understand or feel, though, so I have to respect his feelings too. But, personally, I don’t think Trump is racist at all.
Hi
Bob
I enjoyed your Comments. For some it just a lot of people do not like Trump.
Yes Trump puts his foot in his Mouth a lot. Even when he does some good the Media jumps on him. I did know that a percentage of filipino’s did not like Americans. I got bumped into rather hard on my first visit and suspect it was intended to be that way.
Hi Nathan – oh yes, the media is not fair to Trump at all, they or not objective.
Hi Bob,
I agree with you. I grew up thinking I was a person of color (Native American), and I disagree with Jerome.
I read a lot of the racist card in the press against Trump, but when I read the full text of what Trump actually said it turns out he did not say anything racist at at all. It may have been demeaning, offensive, boorish, or in poor taste, but it wasn’t racist. The latest press response is Trump said, “go back to the country you came from”. Trump did not say that. People infer he meant that, but that is not what he said.
For my money Obama was the most recent racist President.
I find it interesting that my friends from Africa and the Caribbean Island nations tell me they have more in common with white Americans than they do with African Americans. I asked one of them how they feel when run into a real bigot or racist. I thought his response was quite different than what I hear from African Americans. “There are a**holes everywhere.”
Anyway, I like the fact you brought this up. It was refreshing.
Keep them coming. Hope this wasn’t too much of a rant.
Tony
Hi Tony – Thanks for stopping by again. Yeah, I think we are in total agreement. People have taken words out of context, and even made up things he did not even say!
Hi Bob! When did you leave??? WHY? You are like expat #1 here! Anyways, yeah, America is funny. I lived there with my Filipino wife for 8 years. She is black, Hispanic, Asian, and Pacific Islander. Never suffered racism. She had equal treatment, even before becoming American. In fact, she received SPECIAL treatment!
Here in the Philippines, me, as a white guy, suffer racism at every turn. There is no such thing as equality here! Hope you are good Bob! God bless!
We left the Philippines on January 17, 2019. There are many reasons. I was ready to move, had been there a long time. But the main reason is here:
https://bobintheusa.com/chris-in-the-usa/