General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump blasts 'breeding' in sanctuary cities. That's a racist term.
This is Donald Trump. He meant exactly what you think.
The tweet, offered Wednesday morning, argued that Californians prefer his hard-line policies to those of Gov. Jerry Brown.
"There is a Revolution going on in California. Soooo many Sanctuary areas want OUT of this ridiculous, crime infested & breeding concept. Jerry Brown is trying to back out of the National Guard at the Border, but the people of the State are not happy. Want Security & Safety NOW!"
Link to tweet
https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/18/politics/donald-trump-immigrants-california/index.html
wasupaloopa
(4,516 posts)I cant wait until his ass is in prison.
meadowlander
(4,397 posts)The actual English version is "Many people in California don't want to be associated with the crime-breeding concept of Sanctuary Cities."
There's a lot of things to attack Trump for. Like the stupidity of saying that the Federal Government should be cracking down on how States choose to enforce immigration law. Or that statement that immigrants cause a disproportionate amount of crime which is racist and factually untrue.
You don't need to hang the argument on what he may or may not have meant vis-a-vis people "breeding" like rabbits because it's pretty easy to argue that's not what he actually said.
msongs
(67,420 posts)meadowlander
(4,397 posts)If you stick another word between an adjective and a noun it becomes another adjective modifying that noun. Therefore what he actually wrote was "crime-breeding concept".
If you're going to divorce the word breeding entirely from its context in that sentence and start free associating then it's not difficult to believe he meant anything at all including "my daughter is hot" or "the breasts in my KFC bucket keep getting smaller" or "I wish John Kelly would wrap up this immigration meeting so I can enjoy some more Executive Time watching the Swedish girls on Fox & Friends".
The point is why jump past the obvious racist point that you can nail him with (that he keeps insisting that immigrants cause crime after being repeatedly fact checked) and hang your critical hat on a fairly obscure potential meaning you've had to dig out of his word salad.
Stinky The Clown
(67,808 posts)Right?
meadowlander
(4,397 posts)The point, which I've already made four times in this thread including in the post you are responding to, is why walk past an obvious example of Trump's racism (saying that immigrants cause crime) and latch onto a speculative example of his racism that opens us up to criticism that we are reading into things or being hyper-sensitive?
dawg day
(7,947 posts)The term "breeding"-- whether it refers to "crime breeding" or "good breeding" ("I have the best genes" or "inter-breeding'-- is always problematic because it reduces human beings first to their reproductive ability and second to DNA.
It's a dog whistle word. Interestingly, it seems to appeal to Trump's base, most of whom he certainly wouldn't consider had "good breeding". They don't even realize they are being insulted.
Tavarious Jackson
(1,595 posts)It's what white men complain about when they see a white woman with a black man etc...
meadowlander
(4,397 posts)The dictionary definition of breed is "to cause or be the source of; engender; give rise to". You can "breed discontent" which has nothing to do with human reproduction. You can say "Success breeds jealousy", "Power breeds corruption", "Poverty breeds crime", "Familiarity breeds contempt".
None of those are dog whistles.
John Fante
(3,479 posts)Given Gump's track record, we can safely assume he meant "breeding" in the most offensive way possible. This is man who used the slur "anchor baby", remember?
meadowlander
(4,397 posts)is that you don't have to assume anything. He very plainly and obviously made the racist statement that immigrants cause crime.
So why tie the English language into knots trying to prove that a statement you have to read into to find the racism proves that Trump is racist when the content of what he is actually saying already makes that obvious?
I'm not rationalizing anything. I'm saying "If you come at the king, you best not miss". And "the word breed is always racist and so is any sentence containing it regardless of the context" is a lame and factually inaccurate argument. So why make it when you have a much more obvious thing to attack Trump for in the same sentence?
struggle4progress
(118,295 posts)malaise
(269,054 posts)so there's that
spanone
(135,844 posts)that's a fact jack!