Don Roach: Donald Trump is Not a Racist. He’s Worse

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

 

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Don Roach

I think we’ve been using the wrong label for our current president. Donald Trump is not a racist.

It’s easy to call him a lot of different names and racist is one of the names we use. I think it’s intellectual laziness to consider Donald Trump a racist. Many of my friends are rolling their eyes or already formulating their comebacks as to why Donald Trump is a racist. Guest MINDSETTER, Geoff Schoos recently wrote the following, “Donald John Trump is an unabashed and unapologetic racist”.

But I’m going to try and demonstrate why Trump is not only not a racist, he’s actually worse than a racist.

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First, let’s consider what the definition of a racist is - a person who shows or feels discrimination or prejudice against people of other races, or who believes that a particular race is superior to another.

For Trump to be a racist, he’d need to think his race/ethnicity are above others. I checked what Trump’s ethnicity is and it’s German/Scottish. Now let’s see if we can find some disparaging comments he’s made of other race/ethnicities (please withhold laughter). He’s made comments about black people, Chinese people, Mexicans, Saudis, and on and on.

In my opinion, Trump’s comments taken out of context can certainly be viewed as racist. But here’s the thing, Trump has had very choice words and disparaging remarks towards many, many, many people of his same race. He’s had a very long (and bitter) war with Rosie O’Donnell calling her dumb, obnoxious, crude, and ugly if I recall. He said Mark Cuban wasn’t smart enough to run for President.

I could go on and on and on. Donald Trump probably has made more people upset than perhaps any other human being in history. Ok, maybe that’s a little much but he could be in the top 10 of such a list of upsetting human beings, no?

That doesn’t make him a racist. To me, to be a racist he really needs to believe that due to his race he is superior to others. You see White Supremacists out there. Those guys think that people who look like me are inferior to them because they have less melanin in their skin than I do.

Trump, in my opinion, is worse. You see he doesn’t think you, me, or anyone else is less inferior to him because of their skin color. No, he thinks we’re all less than him because well, we’re not him.

Here’s the definition of narcissism and tell me if this doesn’t more fit with Trump – “extreme selfishness, with a grandiose view of one's own talents and a craving for admiration, as characterizing a personality type.” If we’ve learned anything about Trump this past year, it’s that he craves admiration and the slightest insult drives him crazy. He also believes so highly of himself that, in my opinion, it shows a detachment with reality.

Donald Trump is a narcissist, he is not a racist. That’s pretty scary for the country but at the same time could be useful. Narcissists want to be admired and they want to do things that would cause people to admire them.

Last week, Trump offered a DACA deal which would grant a pathway for citizenship for many “Dreamers”. Many Democrats knee-jerkishly rejected the deal. Surprised? You shouldn’t be, that’s our world today, partisan and sometimes lacking common sense. But that’s for another day.

What also shouldn’t be a surprise is Trump making a concession. Trump isn’t a Republican and he isn’t a Democrat in the partisan sense. He wants glory and he believes he can achieve that glory with a wall between Mexico and the US. He is willing to compromise to achieve that goal, something many Democrats and Republicans have been unwilling to do for years.

He isn’t compromising like you or I would. It’s not like it’s your girlfriend’s birthday and she wants to go out but you’d rather attend a function you were invited to attend. Most (sane) men would compromise here for the greater good. For Trump, the only greater good is himself.

Ultimately, he wants to be admired by all of us peons who are beneath him. To think he’s a racist is to miss the true sinister nature of Donald Trump. For Trump, it’s me, myself, and I. The rest of us don’t really matter.

 

Don Roach can be reached at [email protected]. You can also follow Don on Twitter at @donroach34.

 

Related Slideshow: GoLocal: Benchmark Poll, October 2017

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Sponsor: GoLocalProv

Sample: N=403

Rhode Island General Election Voters Margin of Error: +/- 4.9% at 95% Confidence Level

Interviewing Period: October 9-11, 2017

Mode: Landline (61%) and Mobile (39%)

Telephone Directed by: John Della Volpe, SocialSphere, Inc.

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Are you registered to vote at this address?

Yes: 100%

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When it comes to voting, do you consider yourself to be affiliated with the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, Moderate, or Unaffiliated with a major party?

Unaffiliated: 49%

Democrat: 32%

Republican: 15%

Moderate: .4%

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Next year, in November of 2018, there will be a statewide general election for Governor and many other state offices. How likely is it that you will vote in this election?

Will you definitely be voting, will you probably be voting, are you 50-50...

Definitely be voting: 78%

Probably be voting: 13%

50-50: 9%

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In general, would you say things in Rhode Island are headed in the right direction or are they off on the wrong track?

Right track: 39%

Wrong track: 45%

Mixed: 10%

Don't know/Refused: .6%

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What would you say is the number one problem facing Rhode Island that you would like the Governor to address?

Jobs and economy:  21%

Education: 12%

Taxes: 12%

Roads: 12%

State budget: 9%

Corruption/Public integrity: .8%

Healthcare: 3%

Governor: 3%

Homelessness: 2%

Immigration: 2%

Other: 7%

Don’t know: .9%

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Over the past three years or so, would you say the economy in Rhode Island has improved, gotten worse, or not changed at all?

Changed for the better: 35%

Changed for the worse: 16%

Not changed at all: 43%

Don't know/Refused: 5%

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Over the same time, has your family's financial situation improved, gotten worse, or not changed at all?

Changed for the better: 26%

Changed for the worse: 19%

Not changed at all: 54%

Don't know/Refused: 1%

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Recently, a proposal has been made to permit the issuance of $81 million in bonds by the State to build a new stadium for the Pawtucket Red Sox. If there was an election today on this issue, would you vote to approve or reject issuing $81 million in financing supported moral obligation bonds to build the stadium?

Net: Approve: 28%

Definitely approve: 15%

Probably approve: 14%

Net: Reject: 67%

Probably reject: 19%

Definitely reject: 48%

Don't know: 4%

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Could you please tell me your age?

18-24: 7%

25-34: 15%

35-44: 15%

45-54: 20%

55-64: 17%

65+: 25%

Don't know/refused: 1%

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What was the last grade you completed in school?

0-11: 2%

High school grad: 16%

Technical/Vocational school: 1%

Some college: 23%

College grad: 34%

Graduate degree: 24%

Don't know/refused: 1%

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The next question is about the total income of YOUR HOUSEHOLD for the PAST 12 MONTHS. Please include your income PLUS the income of all members living in your household (including cohabiting partners and armed forces members living at home).

$50,000 or less: 27%

More $50,000 but less than $75,000: 13%

More $75,000 but less than $100,000: 13%

More $100,000 but less than $150,000: 17%

$150,000 or more: 13%

Don't know/refused: 17%

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What particular ethnic group or nationality - such as English, French, Italian, Irish, Latino, Jewish, African American, and so forth - do you consider yourself a part of or feel closest to?

American/None: 21%

English: 13%

Italian: 13%

Irish: 12%

Black or African American: 6%

Latino/Hispanic: 6%

French: 6%

Portuguese: 3%

Jewish: 3%

German: 1%

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Would you say that Donald Trump has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as President?


Excellent: 13%
Good: 12%
Fair: 14%
Poor: 57%
Never heard of:  0%
Cannot rate: 3%

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Would you say that Jack Reed has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as a United States Senator?

Excellent: 22%
Good: 29%
Fair: 23%
Poor: 15%
Never heard of: 6%
Cannot rate: 6%

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Would you say that Sheldon Whitehouse has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as a United States Senator?

Excellent: 17%
Good: 22%
Fair: 21%
Poor: 28%
Never heard of: 6%
Cannot rate: 7%

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Would you say that David Cicilline has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as a Member of Congress?

Excellent: 9%
Good: 29%
Fair: 21%
Poor: 27%
Never heard of: 6%
Cannot rate:  8%

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Would you say that James Langevin has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as a Member of Congress?

Excellent: 7%
Good: 30%
Fair: 20%
Poor: 18%
Never heard of: 13%
Cannot rate: 11%

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Would you say that Gina Raimondo has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as Governor?

Excellent: 6%
Good: 28%
Fair: 30%
Poor: 31%
Never heard of: 1%
Cannot rate: 3%

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Would you say that Daniel McKee has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as Lieutenant Governor?


Excellent: 3%
Good: 16%
Fair: 21%
Poor: 8%
Never heard of: 26%
Cannot rate: 25%

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Would you say that Peter Kilmartin has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as Attorney General?


Excellent: 3%
Good: 20%
Fair: 28%
Poor: 17%
Never heard of: 13%
Cannot rate: 19%

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Would you say that Seth Magaziner has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as General Treasurer?

Excellent: 4%
Good: 18%
Fair: 24%
Poor: 13%
Never heard of: 21%
Cannot rate: 21%

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Would you say that Nellie Gorbea has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as Secretary of State?

Excellent: 5%
Good: 21%
Fair: 21%
Poor: 10%
Never heard of: 20%
Cannot rate: 23%

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Would you say that Jorge Elorza has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as Mayor of Providence?

Excellent: 4%
Good: 24%
Fair: 24%
Poor: 22%
Never heard of: 9%
Cannot rate: 15%

 
 

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