A new study shows that negative ads targeting President Obama in 2008 depicted him with very dark skin, and that these images would have appealed to some viewers’ racial biases. The finding reinforces charges that some Republican politicians seek to win votes by implying support for racist views and ethnic hierarchies, without voicing those prejudices explicitly. The purported tactic is often called “dog-whistle politics” — just as only canines can hear a dog whistle, only prejudiced voters are aware of the racist connotations of a politician’s statement, according to the theory.
I used to believe that racism was something collectively in our rear view mirror, that we were really heading towards becoming a society focused on the content of one’s character, not the color of one’s skin. Turns out that racism never really came close to going away. It merely went underground as it became less fashionable to express thoughts and opinions that might be construed as racist. Yes, evidently I really was just that naive.
Then Barack Obama became President in 2009…and suddenly racism was once again fashionable and out in the open. Over the last almost seven years, the Republican party has worked overtime to remind the American Sheeple that The Black Guy in the White House © is NOT one of us. Though no GOP operative is stupid enough to play the racism card overtly, there are many outside the party framework who are. Even in stealth mode, the GOP’s foray into “dog-whistle politics” has been as egregious as it is unmistakable.
Here we are, half a century removed from the Civil Rights struggle, and it’s difficult not to wonder if any progress at all has been made. Efforts are still being made to exclude African-Americans and other minorities from voting. The idea that African-Americans are less equal seems as strong today as it was when Martin Luther King, Jr. was protesting racial discrimination. If you look at GOP political ads directed at the President, the tone and intent are clear. Portraying the President with very dark skin is a bit of dishonesty intended to speak to the racial prejudices of low-information voters and those prone to judge others based on their skin color. The “He’s not like” underlying theme is as nuanced as it is unmistakeable. Worse, it’s bled over to the party’s fringes and moved some of the moral bankrupt racist Conservatives to engage in some truly offensive race-baiting and racial imagery.
Now we have a collection of morally bankrupt Republicans running for President, several of whom have demonstrated a willingness to play the race card to sow fear and anger. I suppose that’s what one does when one have nothing of value to offer; what’s left is demagoguery, fear-mongering, and racism. None of the GOP candidates have put forward a positive platform, but they know who to blame for what’s “wrong” with America. They know who’s out to destroy us, and who’s secretly supporting them because he in his heart of hearts hates America and the baby Jesus.
Welcome to AmeriKKKa 2016, where the sheeple are still easily manipulable and will hate and fear whom they told to. If it’s true that we get exactly the quality of leadership we deserve, and history has shown that to be true, being optimistic about our future presents a real challenge.
We deserve better.
