A group of political scientists recently published a paper which details the results of a study they conducted. What that study — undertaken by Brian Schaffner, Tatishe Nteta, and Matthew MacWilliams — concluded, was that if we control for the variables of political ideology and partisanship, the factors of racism and sexism had a far stronger relation to President-elect Donald Trump’s support than that mere dissatisfaction with the economy.
Many Trump supporters would, of course, be the first to protest claims such as this, yet essentially everyone aside from themselves have had the mettle to admit that values founded in sexism and racism have both been driving forces behind Trump’s fanatical support the entire time.
A thing I find humorous, however, is that, for some reason, people think this is an easy thing for liberals to say. Apparently, we like screaming that everyone is racist or sexist or out to get us. I’ll speak for myself in saying this, but I know I’m not alone. Never, for a second, think that I just want to blame racism and sexism for anything. It is, in fact, a wish of mine that one day no one will ever have to blame racism or sexism for anything. I actually find pleasure in hoping that both disgusting ideologies will eventually be absent from the face of this rock we call Earth.
No, it is not the case that I like to play the victim, nor that I like having to speak out against racism and sexism. It is, however, the case that I would very much enjoy not being a victim, that I would consider it pretty cool if I weren’t marginalized, and would think the world a better place if racism and sexism weren’t hanging around to be discussed in the first place. As long as these parasites of society keep leeching off of advancement, I’ll try to write remedies. So, remember that I say this about Trump and many of his supporters not because I enjoy it — I would very much rather having nothing to accuse them of in the first place. They think too highly of themselves. I say it because it still needs to be heard.
I’ve heard that old tag line before, where a Trump supporter attempts to gain the moral high ground and make appeals for empathy for suffering the great “prejudices” facing them, in which they claim “You (liberals) think that just because I voted for Trump I’m some racist or sexist pig!” I’m not saying that, so stop trying to feel bad for yourselves.
What I am saying, though, is that if you are a racist or sexist, then yes you probably giggled your way to the polls, side eyed everyone unlike yourself, spoke only to those like yourself, signed in happily at the desk and cast your ballot for a bigot that you thought bigots could look up to for generations to come.
I repeat, a vote for Trump does not necessarily make you a racist or a sexist, and anyone who jumps to such a conclusion is not reasoning without their own prejudices. Perhaps you actually wanted change, perhaps you were thoroughly displeased with current policy ­— all feelings I’ll likely relate to very soon. Perhaps it was even a petty contempt for the Clinton family name, just as many dislike Trump’s own. Nonetheless, this does not make you disgusting, homophobic, a climate change denier, a religious zealot, a sexist, a racist or anything else. I have no wish to make petty assumptions of all based on any amount in a group — even if that amount were 90 percent of the group. I have no wish to alienate decent people.
It is that exact same thing that I seek not to do, however, that was preached by Trump throughout the entirety of his campaign and to this day. And, in conclusion, allow me to set something about assumption making straight. Not all Mexicans are rapists, not all black people are drug dealers, not all Muslims are terrorists and not all Trump supporters are racists and sexists. Only rapists are rapists, only drug dealers are drug dealers, only terrorists are terrorists and only racists and sexists are racist and sexists. That is the only condition.
Hearsay the point that still stands here is that very many of Trump’s supporters are still racists and sexists. As a matter of fact, that little factoid is why this column has any point at all.
Let those Trump supporters who deny it deny it all they like. But, put simply, they are wrong. Also, put simply, this has very sad implications for the nation. German Lopez, staff writer at Vox, couldn’t have put better words on the matter when he wrote, “The point, at least for me, is not to demonize Trump voters. The point is to understand them in order to better grasp how they could vote for someone who ran a clearly bigoted campaign and who most voters agreed is unqualified for the nation’s highest office.”
No matter how much people try to focus on his “plans” for his tenure in office, the fact still stands that this man did in fact say absurdly cruel, absurdly racist, absurdly sexist, absurdly rude, absurdly childish, and absurdly idiotic things. Yet, he won nonetheless. And don’t think he won because some Trump supporters simply forgot about the things he said. Rest assured he won because some of them agree with it. Rest assured that some of them think they can grab women by their genitalia if they were to achieve fame. Rest assured that you live with these people every day, and don’t be foolish enough to deny the fact that they influenced the election.
For some reason, it seems other Trump voters took his words about his “plans” seriously, yet turned their red faces away from his other remarks and took them with a grain of salt. But, that debate of logic aside, it would still be ridiculous to accuse all Trump supporters of sharing the status of the degenerates that are racists and sexists.
Let us not forget the bigots, the deplorable, the ignorant and the power that they held in this election, and let us not deny that, without them, such an equally deplorable man, a man who won the electoral college by only 80,000 votes in three states, would not be where he is today.
Jordan Marcell is a 20-year-old literature and studio photography sophomore from Geismar, Louisiana.