Quote:
Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall
Trump's response to a question about what he thinks of people seeing his rhetoric as emboldening white nationalists and whether he was concerned that Republicans would be seen as supporting white nationalists is exactly what I've been talking about on this board.
"That's a racist question," is not just a dodge. The ability to act as if you are so color-blind that any discussion of race--even in response to something so clearly coded to purposefully and specifically excite racists--is itself racist is the type of shield white people deploy to avoid addressing racism all the time. Not to this ridiculous degree of course, but it is the exact same concept.
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You credit Trump with thinking there. That's too much credit. His response there is idiotic even for someone trying to dodge. That whole presser was simply... unhinged.
I agree "I'm colorblind" is often a dodge. But you might also consider the intent, which is important:
1. The speaker's attempt to not discuss race simply because he does not wish to discuss that topic. Kind of like when people who don't want to talk about something heavy or potentially divisive will shift the conversation. "So... How about those Mets?"
2. The person is someone like me, who feels the compulsion to demonstrate that he views things entirely logically as much as possible. I'm not afraid of someone calling me a racist because they think I'm actually racist. People who get into a conversation on that topic would quickly realize I'm not. But I am extremely insecure about being seen as someone who'd allow an irrational ethos like bigotry to infect his thinking. You may tell me that I'm unconsciously racist for any number of reasons which have been offered here, and I can accept that. But somebody thinking I'm susceptible to the illogical arguments of intentional racist thinking would infuriate me as he'd be insulting my capacity to reason. I'd be compelled to offer some form of purely intellectual response to that person, along the lines of, "Physical attributes used to categorize people as one 'race' or another are utterly deficient measuring sticks in every conceivable regard." And I can see how that would look like a dodge.
Some of these "dodges" aren't born of insecurity, guilt, or lack of comfort with the subject. It does not undo your point, and is not intended to do so, but I do think it's worthwhile to note the existence of that differentiation.
