And - this is how fucking naive I was - I remember just bursting into tears when he was elected. I was so overwhelmed with joy. I thought... oh, finally, maybe the arc is really bending. People will see that he's not scary and decent, and it will shift their racist sentiments.
I think exactly the opposite happened.
Taught me something profound, that did. I realised there was never any rationally addressing their fears.
@farah yeah in my mind there was some other time period between them. like we had Obama (and I know it bugged people, we got the email forwards…………)
but it was finally sinking in like literally this week was confirming w/my wife, that it was really Obama, comma, Trump with nothing else in that "comma" — the pendulum went straight from:
* Muslim Communist Who Wasn't Born Here [but we're not racist]
to:
* The Hero Who Will Never Let It Happen Again [and isn't afraid to say what we're thinking]
@farah a desperate attempt to 'whiten' America at the population level by terrorizing millions of people into leaving... as a response to one very moderate half black guy getting elected?
(sigh) Yeah.
Bigots don't believe in the marketplace of ideas, they believe in racism and the stupidity of at least half of their children.
Bigots don't really believe in America.
@farah It was not just that he was a black man it was that he was a black man who was better than them by any way that could be measured.
@farah honestly, it’s so much worse than that.
This all started immediately after the Civil Rights movement. There was literally a university spinoff out of U of Virginia dedicated specifically to reversing civil rights-Buchanan and his crew.
And not in a conspiracy way. That is literally their stated purpose and The Republican Party actually references them.
There are whole research books that bring receipts. Books like Democracy in Chains (Nancy MacLean). Like, these people literally describe whole plans for white supremacist nations.
And ALEC (writes right-wing laws) and people like the Koch brothers come very directly from this. In fact ALEC is an organization specifically created by the UVa groups.
Obama was literally proof that they were not being fascist enough, but the plan was literally 50 years of US politics.
@FinalGirl Y’all would probably know better than me. I’m just an outsider
@farah I meant to say “yes, and…” I’m just saying you are right, and yet it’s even worse.
@FinalGirl No worries! I always appreciate your feedback
@farah people really twist themselves up in knots to find an explanation that’s not the one staring us all in the face
@farah Sadly, the Black president united the GOP in the same way Bush Jr united fighting Muslim factions.
I think this pretty much explains it all. The racism was always there, but Obama actually broke their fucking ugly little minds. They've been psychotic sadists ever since
And - this is how fucking naive I was - I remember just bursting into tears when he was elected. I was so overwhelmed with joy. I thought... oh, finally, maybe the arc is really bending. People will see that he's not scary and decent, and it will shift their racist sentiments.
I think exactly the opposite happened.
Taught me something profound, that did. I realised there was never any rationally addressing their fears.
@Remittancegirl @StillIRise1963 Saaame. Obama’s election was the first election I witnessed as a US resident. I felt validated about moving to USA. Everything was progressing. It’s truly heartbreaking to see it end like this. The other I was talking to the guy about going back to my home country which I haven’t thought in a very long time.
@farah oh yeah, I remember. Mitch McConnell promised to do everything possible to make Obama a one-term president.
@dave And he did try. Very hard
And they never see that, Obama is half white, raised by a white grandmother.
Also, we don't do half-racism here. What kind of lazy good fer nunth'ns do you take us for?
<sigh>
I wonder if they find it even more galling that he's a good politician (charming, well-spoken, folksy, etc). A person you could talk policy with and just as easily have a beer with.
I mean, as far as ideology goes Obama's a centrist but _SO_ preferable to the insanity we're watching every second of that day now.
