July 11, 2015
Assessing 'The Donald'
By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.
(TriceEdneyWire.com) - "Rapists...Criminals...Infectious (with disease)" – these are all terms used by Republican presidential candidate, Donald J. Trump, Sr., to describe "Mexican immigrants." Although his words have stirred a firestorm of controversy and have cost "The Donald" lost revenue in canceled and discontinued business arrangements, he clings to these statements as accurate and as a valid assessment of the character of those he describes.
In typical minimalist fashion, the larger segment of the media is analyzing Trump's statement in the context of his personal motives. Is he for real? Is he just seeking greater notoriety? Is his presidential bid just an act of self-aggrandizement or self-promotion for some unseen future objective?
Others in the media focus on the reaction, or lack thereof, of "responsible, establishment Republicans" to the inflammatory rhetoric of Trump. Why are main-stream Republican candidates slow to condemn his comments? Why has the Republican National Chairman, Reince Prebus, been publicly silent on this issue? Why is there an absence of public outrage among nationally recognized Republican leaders against this stereotypical misrepresentation of the character of a people? Are the statements of Trump truly representative of the spirit and position of the Republican Party?
Racism and ethnic prejudice have always held a unique position in the construct of the American Ethos. Trump's words can be juxtaposed, in historic context, to apply to many different groups of immigrants - both forced and voluntary. The Irish, the Eastern and Southern Europeans, Asians, Africans and African Americans have all fallen victim to the actions provoked by this type of distorted thinking. Interestingly, only those without the "stigma" of melanin or cosmetic characteristics in variance with an Arian appearance have been able to progress beyond the negative stereotypes applied to them.
It may seem cynical, but our history and our national inability to work beyond the age-old hatreds of racism and prejudice cause me to question the motives of many of the principal players in this most recent drama. I question the character of many fellow Americans whose silence is giving consent.
It is simple to understand why those, like Univision, who are targeted under the cross-hairs of Trump's ethnic bias, have reacted with righteous indignation. The more important question is whether those businesses severing ties with Trump have done so from a position of altruism or have they just been motivated by the potential impact on their bottom-line? Many observers of the Trump empire see his true wealth positioned in real estate and his other "side deals" as ultimately inconsequential. They estimate the financial loss to Trump by those who have already cut ties with him as a mere "blip" in his financial statement, so it may just be that status/appearance in the market-place may be the driving factors motivating businesses to disconnect from Trump.
The larger questions are, "How are Trump's comments being received in the larger community? Does his recent surge in support indicate the true pulse of contemporary racism/ethnic prejudice in the United States? “A clue to these questions might be that a newly released poll of North Carolina Republican voters indicates Trump as THE leading contender for the presidential nomination in that state. Even more unsettling is his position as the number two contender in most other polls. Admittedly, by measure of pollsters, the number of conservative Republican voters is shrinking, but Trump's popularity is indicative of support of his way of thinking among a significant number of citizens.
Instead of assessing the positions of Donald Trump, our greater concern should be a realistic assessment of the core values of our fellow citizens. Instead of publicizing the rhetorical vitriol of Trump and others of his ilk, our effort must be directed to establishing increased openness in our dialogue with those of differing views.
(Dr. E. Faye Williams is President of the National Congress of Black Women. www.nationalcongressbw.org. 202/678-6788)