'Every Racist I Know Voted for Donald Trump'

[n2doc]

By CONOR FRIEDERSDORF

As a hobby, the black musician Daryl Davis persuades members of the Ku Klux Klan to defect from the organization. Over the years, he has spoken with hundreds of white supremacists. And due to his work, a couple dozen people have left the organization, including at least two prominent figures in senior leadership positions.

Two years ago, after listening to his life story on Love+Radio, the peerless character-driven interview podcast, I wrote about his belief that “when you are actively learning about someone else you are passively teaching them about yourself.” In listening to his most bitter enemies, Davis heard words and ideas that chilled him to the bone—yet he found that by listening and conversing he could subvert them. Some men even handed over their Klan garb, as he reminds critics of his approach. “I pull out my robes and hoods and say, ‘This is what I've done to put a dent in racism,” he explained. “I've got robes and hoods hanging in my closet by people who've given up that belief because of my conversations sitting down to dinner. They gave it up. How many robes and hoods have you collected?”

This week, Love+Radio released a followup interview.

The show’s creator, Nick van der Kolk, felt that in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, Americans were having a hard time conversing. “I think when people feel scared they start arguing from this place of emotionality,” he said, “which is totally understandable, but it's also not very effective in terms of converting people.” He called Davis to ask his advice—and his thoughts on Donald Trump.

“Every racist that I know—and I know a lot of racists—every racist that I know voted for Donald Trump,” Davis said near the end of the interview. “However,” he added, “that does not, and I expressly repeat it, that does not mean that everybody who voted for Donald Trump is a racist. There are plenty of people, including good friends of mine, who are not racist, and who voted for Trump. A lot of people wanted a change from what they were accustom to for the last decades … they wanted a change of the status quo, a changing of the guard. And they were willing to overlook his misogyny, his racist or bigoted comments. They just wanted that change. They were are not racist people. But every racist I know did vote for him.”

more
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/02/every-racist-i-know-voted-for-donald-trump/516420/

[Kimchijeon]

1. I have heard that from a lot of people

Something to the tune of "Not every Trump voter is a racist, but every racist I know voted for Trump"
Not that surprising really though, is it?

[rock]

3. It's unbeknownst to them but

It is a litmus test for racism.

[Lanius]

2. Not every Republican is a racist, but most racists are or vote for Republicans

[dalton99a]

4. Trump has pretty much a monopoly on that bunch.

[manicraven]

5. Isn't there just a fine line between enabling and actually being a racist?

When tRump enacts a Muslim ban or accuses Mexican people of being "bad hombres" or rapists, etc., and these Trumpists voted him into office knowing what he planned to do and how he behaved, aren't they enablers?

Additionally, if Trumpists voted for tRump but oppose the ban or the racist comments, why aren't they speaking out against at least this part of things? The Trumpists I know simply deny they're personally a racist and will even state that they don't think tRump is a racist either.

If a person joined the Nazi party and didn't actually personally kill Jewish people or others, aren't they still part of the machine that enabled and assisted the murderers?

[democratisphere]

6. So true. The racist love their "imperial wizard drumpf".

[The Polack MSgt]

7. Supporting racism is racist

Doing racist things makes you a racist.

All Trump voters are racist.

Makes no difference what else they thought about the election or how they try to rationalize their votes.

[mackdaddy]

8. Many if not most of the Trump voters I know ARE racist, but do not know it themselves.

It is like the old "but I have a friend that is ____, so I am not racist" statement.

If you talk to them or read their facebook posts anyone who is not "like them" is the "problem". I think the ones who just laugh at the racist/sexist jokes are worse than the ones that actually tell them.

And again most of them do not even realize how they really are.

[loyalsister]

11. Most racists don't take part in lynchings

or even buy the rope. Someone might support segregation, but be uncomfortable with violence.
I think of it like a spectrum.
Denial, dismissiveness, lack of discomfort, subtle active participation, and all the way to the kind of hate that drives the most horrific acts.
In the end, they are all members of the same club.

[Orsino]

9. Trump isn't just for racists.

Don't discount the sexists.

[calguy]

10. Not every Republican is racist

but every racist is Republicn

[SammyWinstonJack]

12. They wanted a change from the status quo, they voted for the status quo...