https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/what-jd-vance-and-donald-trump-dont
"JD Vance’s broadside against the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio is one
of the uglier mask-off episodes in American politics in recent memory. It isn’t
just the racism, it’s the glee with which right-wing personalities and outlets
have focused a third of the country’s rage and ridicule on one vulnerable,
easily-identifiable group of immigrants in a single city.
All Vance’s claims about the Haitians in Springfield are based on lazy,
long-held stereotypes about immigrants, and about Haitians specifically. On
some level, even debunking his claims feels like capitulation. Immigrants don’t
need to justify their existence or prove their humanity. And the burden
certainly isn’t on them to prove they aren’t doing whatever horrible new thing
of which some shameless politician has accused them.
Yet Vance’s claims are worth debunking for one important reason — he isn’t just
putting Haitian immigrants at risk, he’s now endangered the entire city of
Springfield. And the long-term goal of his rhetoric is to snuff out the main
thing that’s giving slowly-dying cities like Springfield life and hope —
immigration.
As I write this, the MAGA right is reveling in a giddy frenzy of unabashed
racism. An army of right-wing chuds and influencers have descended upon
Springfield, combing the city in a desperate search for evidence that some
immigrant might have once eaten something unseemly. Meanwhile, the
New York
Post is now publishing articles [about] fender-benders in which no one was
harmed in a city 600 miles away — because the drivers happen to be Haitian.
Professional bigot Chris Rufo offered a $5,000 bounty to anyone who could
produce “proof” to back up Vance’s racist pet-eating claims. He managed to
scrounge a single grainy video supposedly depicting immigrants “barbecuing
cats.” Except the alleged immigrants are apparently from the Congo, not Haiti;
the video was shot in Dayton, not Springfield; and the meat was probably
chicken. It too has been disputed by local police.
But hey, Congolese people are black and speak funny. That’s good enough. So
Vance declared victory. On with the pogrom."
Via frater chaos and Janet Logan.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
