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[quote=Anonymous][quote=jsteele][quote=Anonymous]I'm a minority female and don't get the racist vibe.  He definitely speaks in broad sweeping stereotypical race comments as his sound bytes.  He's a character and a clown and that's been his way for long now, it would be weird and fake if he spoke in more politically correct ways.

Growing up as a second gen kid in the South, I heard all kinds of ignorant speak and stereotyping.  Most of these people were not actually racist, just spoke in less cultured ways.

What I've heard from Trump, weeding through the extra which I've also learned to do growing up in South, is that he isn't opposed to immigrants, just illegal immigration.  That he isn't opposed to Muslims, but to Islamism that is causing trouble in many parts of the world right now (Europe, Middle East, South Asian, Africa, Australia- it's not make believe) and doesn't want American soil to be the next country dealing with this fanaticism.

No not everyone who thinks these things are racist or bigoted.  It's okay to have concerns about these issues.  It's not okay to be called a racist, bigot, Islamophobe, Mexican hater or whatever simply for voicing these concerns.

Now do I think he could actually address any of these issues if he made it to the WH?  That's debatable.  I doubt it.  I definitely rolled my eyes when he threw his hat into the ring and made fun of him too.

I've been up close and personal with racists, have been subject to harassment and violence.  I'm all too familiar with true racism.  I don't think Trump is racist.  A doof, maybe.  Racist, no.
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None of us know what is truly in Trump's heart. That's why I said in my first post that we don't know whether Trump is a racist or simply cynically using racism as a political tactic. However, you are really glossing over the role racism and bigotry plays in Trump's campaign. Dangerously so, in my opinion. Trump doesn't simply demonstrate "concern" about violence committed by some Muslims. He actually proposes halting entry to the US by all Muslims. He has even toyed with the idea of requiring Muslims in the US to register in a manner similar to how Jews were required to register in NAZI Germany. He is not only opposed to illegal immigrants, but stereotypes illegal immigrants of all being of Hispanic (primarily Mexican) origin and being associated with entirely negative -- often horrific -- acts. Over and over again, Trump holds entire communities responsible for the acts of a minority.

I see a lot of folks ignoring obvious patterns to Trump's rhetoric and, instead, looking at his words with rose-colored glasses. You are hearing what you want to hear instead of what is actually being said. There is not a day that goes by in which Trump is not attacking some group or other for a host of perceived transgressions. I'm not sure how you can simply ignore that or suggest that it is meaningless.

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I guess the only way I can explain this and it's also how some of my minority friends feel- some of us growing up as minorities in this country have felt and experienced real racism.  [u]Real, raw hate.[/u]  The kind that makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.  The kind that can cause you and your family to move or switch schools or change jobs, the kind that can land you in the hospital or lead to the death of a family member.

We've been subject to stereotypes and honestly it's something we've come to let roll off our backs and expect from people and not just certain types of people, even the least suspecting people will let their stereotypes slip.

I don't agree with Trump's stereotypes, but I also know he's being singled out because he's vocal about them when there are PLENTY of what most would consider normal, average, intelligent people that have those same stereotypes about groups of people.  They could be your neighbor, your mailman, your coworker, your boss, your child's teacher.  I don't go around thinking they are racist because of their ignorance though.

I'm not a ra ra Trump supporter at all.  But I do think that throwing the word racist around diminishes it's value to a certain degree.  It becomes just another word then and the potency of the definition is diluted.

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