Trump offers blacks immigrant-bashing, and nothing else

Donald Trump’s schizophrenic personality and policy positions reached a new level of incomprehensibility over the past week when he made the effort—before the same kind of all-white crowds who beat on a black protestor or two at his rallies, actions he defended as representative of the “anger” of (white) Americans—to attract black voters. How to do it? What else: give them a scapegoat—“immigrants.” What else is new in American history? The Irish, the Germans, the Chinese, the Italians, eastern Europeans have all had their turn, although those from Latin America have been the ‘go-to” to blame since at least the 1930s, when to its discredit, the FDR administration did nothing as hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens of Mexican heritage were simply rounded-up and tossed across the border with only the possession they could carry with them, and no redress of human rights violations—a sordid chapter that is ignored by the history books. And all to satisfy racists who blamed the “Mexicans” for stealing “their” jobs.

Trump is telling blacks “What do you have to lose?” implying that Democrats have done “nothing” for them, taking them for granted. What does he offer them? Well, nothing, but at least he is up-front about it. His white supporters don’t want to “help” blacks; after all, that is why they are Republicans and/or supporting Trump, because they believe that his mantra of “Make America Great Again” means reshaping the country into white supremacist-friendly. Blacks and Hispanics, despite what black Trump supporters like CNN commentator Amy Holmes (probably because she thinks only white men deserve someone as “beautiful” as she) think, are excluded from this equation. Oh, and by the way, CNN has lots of black commentators, but not one Hispanic, especially one who has something to say about anti-Hispanic misinformation and scapegoating in this country.

In any case, those who wish to blame immigrants—who historically have been a benefit to the U.S. economy due to their at least temporarily superior work ethic (before they and their children become “assimilated” into the “culture”) and maintaining a reliable pool of workers—really have no one to blame but themselves. For certain groups, it is their jobs to take, if they want them and have the desire. All too often I have seen certain people act as if they are “entitled,” and blame the “system” or “racism” if their lack of effort or bad attitudes are used against them—especially when compared to the work ethic of immigrants.  Most people do want to work and work well when they are motivated, no matter how much they the work is “beneath” them (of course, if the pay is “right,” it doesn’t matter so much); but when they are not, they are a drag on those who do. 

Of course, there is discrimination at work, but this is more often occurring at workplaces in which white people with delusions of grandeur are employed, or outright prejudice is practiced, albeit of the “unspoken” variety. Otherwise, Trump offers blacks nothing but a way to obfuscate reality.