I rarely discuss politics due to its polarizing nature. I prefer to laugh with my friends and family, not launch into a diatribe that devolves into a conniption. I know there’s no winning with beloved family members who ladle ziti onto your plate one minute but lament about “The Mexicans” the next. When I was young, my parents tried to shield me from the bigotry that plagued our extended family. But it’s worth wondering how seemingly kind, wholesome people can conjure such contempt for other people. I’ve evaded the subject of politics for far too long, but Donald Trump’s candidacy has devolved from a political concern to a humanitarian one.
Last Tuesday, the YouTube channel “SoFlo” read Hitler quotes to Trump supporters, disguising Hitler’s words as Donald Trump’s. The Trump supporters vehemently agreed with Hitler’s words, regarding sterilization, the use of cruelty and the rejection of humanitarianism. When the true author’s identity was revealed, one supporter said he would support the quotes “if Trump said them.”
This may have been a perfunctory, and even dangerous, method of exploring Trump supporters. Labeling Trump supporters as daft or racist is unfair and will only incite further tensions. Of course, not every Trump supporter supports Hitler or the Holocaust, but an overwhelming theme of the responses was compliance. This, in conjunction with prejudice, can engender a holocaust.
In the infancy of the Holocaust, people did not believe the extent to which it existed or if it even existed. To quote Elie Wiesel’s “Night”: “Wipe out a population dispersed throughout so many nations? So many millions of people! By what means? In the middle of the twentieth century!” The Holocaust was not a perfect storm. It has existed in different times and different veins all over the world. As long as hate dominates the political conversation and rulers derive their power from fear, a holocaust remains possible. It is too simple to underestimate the potency of words. To deny words a life and a soul is shallow.
At this point, it doesn’t matter whether Trump receives the nomination. Some say that our criticism and obsession with Trump is only making him stronger. Getting a Gremlin wet only fortifies him. But we have an obligation to speak out against hate speech, lest we repeat history. Martin Niemöller’s haunting words are relevant today. “First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Regardless of the author’s intent, Trump’s words have galvanized people through fear, which is a reflex of prejudice. Not all Trump supporters are full of prejudice. Like all of us, they loathe ISIS and the turbulence that threatens the Middle East. But this loathing has extended to innocent Muslims and Syrian immigrants, some of whom have more disdain for ISIS than Trump supporters themselves.
The violence expressed at Trump rallies toward Muslims and people of color is unacceptable. It seems every time Trump gives a speech, we’re moving further from humanity. Nevertheless, Trump supporters should be welcomed to articulate their views and legitimize their reasons for voting (if they possess the ability). Just as long as Mexican rapists, violent Muslims and ugly women are allowed to voice their concern.