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The problem with ‘America First’

After President-elect Donald Trump’s win on election night, there was a great deal of conversation through media outlets on what exactly Trump meant by putting “America First” and how it would affect the nation.

Trump exalted nationalist ideology throughout his campaign. For instance, back in April, he told an audience in Washington, “‘America First’ will be the major and overriding theme of my administration.”

When you put his two most predominant mottos, “Make America Great Again” and “America First,” together, it can easily create a frightening feeling of uncertainty in marginalized people around the country.

Although Trump told a crowd of mostly ecstatic white people during his victory speech he would be a president for “all Americans,” the widespread protests across the country following his win clearly indicate a racial and religious polarization in the country.

Multiculturalism in the U.S., the coexistence of diverse racial and religious cultures, is threatened by monoculturalism — white people who feel their racial existence is threatened by diversification.

Trump was able to give a voice to the nation’s white population that deem themselves racially marginalized — although whiteness continues to be privileged in both the country’s economic and political order.

But don’t take my word for it: according to a poll conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute titled, “‘Americans’ Racial Disconnect on Fairness and Discrimination,” 52 percent of white people agreed with the statement: “Today discrimination against whites has become as big a problem as discrimination against blacks and other minorities.”

One should realize that a marginalized white America is, of course, nonexistent – but a privileged white America that feels marginalized does exist and it’s a rather dangerous phenomenon.

The way many white people, particularly Trump supporters, speak of their alleged racial marginalization is by denouncing multiculturalism, which many believe has left the country — their country — in shambles.

Whether they blame the nation’s “failure” on trade agreements like NAFTA — which allow the U.S. to trade freely with Mexico, relocation of American jobs overseas to countries like China or business reliance on cheap immigrant labor — multiculturalism is the biggest problem many nationalist white people face.

Is this racist scapegoating? Definitely.

This monocultural nationalist ideology among white people is especially dangerous now that the far-right is openly gathering and recruiting members to join in on their extremist creed.

On Nov. 19, members of the alt-right movement, a movement which emphasizes preserving the white race in the U.S., gathered in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade center — which are only three blocks from the White House in Washington D.C.. Members of the racist movement not only celebrated Trump’s surprise win but also “the unexpected march of their white nationalist ideas toward the mainstream, portraying Mr. Trump’s win as validation that the tide had turned in their fight to preserve white culture,” as reported by writers Alan Rappeport and Noah Weiland for the New York Times.

Richard B. Spencer, one of the movement’s father figures not only quoted Nazi propaganda at the conference and deemed black and Latinx people as inferior, but also called white people a race of conquerors and creators who have become — there’s that word again — “marginalized.”

Spencer went on to exclaim, “Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory!” while encouraging the crowd to take part in doing the Nazi salute with him.  

So what should marginalized people alongside our “pro-multiculturalism” white peers do? Create tolerant environments — and continue to diversify this nation, no matter what Nazi’s gather in the nation’s capitol or even if white nationalists accuse us of ruining their monocultural nation.

Multiculturalism is important because it tempers the disregard of tolerance, and embraces it with the authentic benevolence of acceptance. It doubles as a bridge between the two.

Returning to my earlier sentiment on Trump’s plan to place “America First” — it leaves me to wonder — what part of America will he exactly put in first place? I truly hope Trump’s America doesn’t become a kind-of hierarchy where his supporters — many of them white nationalists — come first while marginalized people may not even be on this figurative list.

It’s time to end the anti-globalist and anti-multicultural sentiment. It’s time to end the obvious racism. This nation started with immigrants, albeit white, and while I wish the land where the current United States stands was never stolen from the American Indians, it’s time to at least end the racism that white people have created.

Because it truly is racism.

According to an analysis titled, “Explaining Nationalist Political Views: The Case of Donald Trump” by Gallup, based on 87,000 interviews, those who viewed Trump favorably — including his anti-immigrant and subliminally pro-white rhetoric — have not been affected by foreign trade or immigration. This means that, on average, his supporters didn’t necessarily have lower incomes than other Americans nor were most unemployed.

Unfortunately, there is a want by white nationalists to place an end to the diversification of the United States — they essentially want to keep the country historically white for many years to come.

All I can say is white people are not peripheral to communities such as the black and Latinx groups — it’s time to embrace multiculturalism.

Exchanging experiences, sharing communities and being exposed to people of diverse backgrounds and cultures isn’t unfortunate, it’s beautiful and empowering. A diverse country can easily broaden the minds of citizens and improve the capability the country has to succeed.

2 Comments

  1. Avatar

    You would think that after losing the presidency, the senate and the house that people such as yourself, would look in the mirror and wonder “Hmm, what is it about us that caused this to happen?” Oh, I don’t know. Maybe calling everyone racist, bigot, sexist, xenophobe, Islamophobe when someone disagrees with you as well as being anti-cop, anti-white, anti-America, attacking people, destroying cities, blocking highways, burning flags and wanting open borders, constantly radicalizing people into feeling like “victims” got tiring?

    You all love to talk about dangerous rhetoric but constantly teach people to hate whites and to blame them for everything. At Cal Berkeley last month, they had students protesting and blocking white students from going to class. Did the D49er say a word about that? Nope. Doesn’t help your narrative.

    It would be nice of you all that claim to love diversity so much, would actually care about diversity of thought.

  2. Avatar

    What other non-white majority countries have multiculturalism forced upon them? Also, do you think the concept of conquering land is unique ? You think Natives were all peaceful and hand holding? No. Those tribes were as diverse as any other group and after coming over in multiple migrations (shocking, right? The Natives weren’t just plopped down here by God) they conquered each other constantly and had some outright savagery.

    Do you think no other country has conquered land? How do you think borders should work?

    I also love that you think white people created racism and as if whites are the only ones capable of being racist. Every day, you people with ZERO SELF AWARENESS preach about how whites are evil, how white privilege exists, how whites are oppressors while sitting back and playing victim all the time. You think every other race is allowed to have their own interests but whites. The hypocrisy is astonishing.

    Multiculturalism and diversity are simply code words for “we want less white people.” It is never used in any other context…EVER. No one goes to Japan or an African country or an Arab country and demands “diversity.”

    Honestly, I think you’re a total idiot. If whites are so “economically privileged” then why do Asians lead in household income? Your safe space bubble and echo chamber at this school allow for you people to never be called on your BS of delusion. I also enjoy how you intentionally conflate illegal immigrants with immigrants to mislead. The sad part is, I think you believe your own BS.

    So yeah, let’s demonize people for not wanting their country to be ruined and go down the route that Europe is currently going and wanting to reject globalism and radical ideologies that are not compatible with western civilization.

    You think the U.S. should act as a parent with endless pockets and allow people to come and go as they please and take what they want. It’s no wonder your the same guy who would be in a protest where the Mexican flag is waved but not the U.S. flag.

    Once again, your lack of self awareness in your racism is hilarious. You bash whites constantly and blame them for everything yet have the audacity to call others “racist.” What a joke you are. I’m sure your editor won’t let this comment stick. You all love to put your fingers in your ears to shut out opposing views. TOTAL HYPOCRITES.

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