At last, we have an accurate name for the alt-right revolution that has flushed the American political system right down the toilet.
Back in June 2016, the Washington Post published an article defining Trumpism as “a personality-fueled movement…intensely nativistic, ethnocentric, exclusionary, angry, fearful.” It is the wrathful result of the Republican party exploiting the white working class for their votes, subtly legitimizing their racial fears, and ignoring their needs year after year, election after election. Trumpists feel abandoned by their government and oppressed by their more liberal counterparts.
In other words, Trumpism is a lot like Nazism. But you’ve heard that comparison before. Let’s talk about Trumpism as less of a cult of personality, and more of a political phenomenon.
Trumpism is no longer limited to Trump himself, or his devoted followers. Instead, much like an infectious disease, it has spread to almost every corner of modern-day American politics. One such corner is our northeastern-most state, Maine.
Recently, Maine Governor Paul LePage (R) has come into the spotlight for his intensifying flurry of inane and willfully ignorant comments. Some of these comments include the following.
In an interview with WMTW News 8's Paul Merrill, Gov. LePage talked about Democratic representative Troy Jackson as a man who “claims to be for the people, but [is] the first one to give it to the people without providing Vaseline.” In other words, Representative Jackson metaphorically penetrates the people of Maine in the ass without lube.
Despite media and liberal outrage, Gov. LePage kept his job, and maintained his popularity. So he decided that he could press some more buttons.
In a press meeting, Gov. LePage was asked to respond to general allegations that he was a racist. (This is following his previous comments defining the enemy as "people of color or people of Hispanic origin.") Gov. LePage took this to mean that one such representative, Mr. Drew Gattine (D), was overtly accusing him of being a racist. Gov. LePage subsequently left this voicemail on Mr. Gattine’s answering machine:
“Mr. Gattine, this is Governor Paul Richard LePage. I would like to talk to you about your comments about my being a racist, you c*cksucker. I want to talk to you. I want you to prove that I’m a racist. I’ve spent my life helping black people and you little son-of-a-bitch, socialist c*cksucker.”
Gov. LePage then instructed Mr. Gattine to publish the message, so everyone could know that he (LePage) was after him (Mr. Gattine). So Mr. Gattine did.
Gov. LePage flirted with the idea of resignation, but when met with overwhelming support from the alt-right that elected him twice in a row, he affirmed that he would remain in office. Other than some more media and liberal outrage, Gov. LePage suffered no consequences for his words.
And to top it all off, Gov. LePage is an avid supporter of Trump. Who’s surprised?
But the key to Trumpism, I find, is not the outrageous and public statements of hatred and bigotry, or the pride in which such statements are proclaimed. Instead, Trumpism is about the lack of consequences associated with public bigotry. A Trumpist America does not believe that words, by themselves, are harmful. Racism and hatred, to them, is only defined by overt violence: such as mass shootings, lynchings, and beatings. Words that may inspire such acts are innocent, however, because it was not the speaker’s intention to incite violence.
Trumpism, in my view, is the belief that speech should be free of consequences. Speech is inherently unable to hurt anyone, especially if it was not the speaker’s intention to cause harm.
This narrow interpretation of speech dissociates it from action, and gives the few the freedom to speak their minds without fear of repercussions, but denies many a space where they do not have to engage with bigoted rhetoric.
The fact is that speech hurts. Speech starts as an idea, then develops into an ideology, and inevitably makes its way into politics. In politics, speech becomes public, speech spreads, and speech—with enough popularity—becomes law. In some cases, this is a good thing: public education being one example. In others, this is a bad thing: racial segregation in public schools is another example.
Of course, it is this ideology about speech that separates Trumpism from Nazism. But, perhaps, this ideology could make Trumpism even more dangerous.
