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The purpose of this paper is to analyze Donald Trump’s insult politics and the role of racism and religion in it. The essay looks at the ways Trump supporters respond to his frivolous speeches. It also explains whether Justin Trudeau’s blackface scandal was a case of insult politics. Finally, it presents the similarities and differences between Trudeau’s and Trump’s use of social media as a political tool.
First of all, it is essential to mention that Donald Trump did not invent insult politics. In fact, the concept of focusing one’s campaign on showing the negative side of the opponent has been relevant throughout the history of the United States. Even such a remarkable person as Alexander Hamilton was called “the bastard brat of a Scotch peddler” by John Adams, and Abraham Lincoln was accused of being a mulatto (Winberg, 2017, p. 3). There is, however, an important distinction between the criticisms encompassed by attack politics, and the derogatory insults utilized by Donald Trump.
The insult politics that have become a natural part of modern right-wing populism are not always aimed at addressing issues that possess any real importance. Often they seem to exist only to create controversy and engage in more arguments that serve no purpose. Typically, presidential candidates avoid following that route, delegating it to “surrogates such as the vice-presidential candidate, noteworthy supporters, and allies in the media” (Winberg, 2017, p. 3). However, in some strategies, insult politics are the core component.
The right-wing politicians appear to have taken a keen interest in taking this approach to beat their opponents. They use the fact that mainstream candidates have avoided it to their advantage. By employing obscene language that their opponents are not comfortable with, they create a clear differentiation between them. In addition, the public sees this breaking of the norm as “fighting the alleged elite or establishment,” which makes them more likely to support the right-wing populists (Winberg, 2017, p. 3). Overall, one can understand why insult politics has its place in history, but its role is not as clear in the modern world.
Society nowadays is more sensitive to issues like race and religion as hardly any prejudice in these spheres can be tolerated, especially when it is expressed publicly. Consequently, it would seem utterly illogical that Donald Trump could gain any support at all for his racist, bigoted, and discriminatory views. The truth of the matter is that while on the surface, the public should be outraged from hearing his speeches, some voters find them appealing, even if they cannot admit it (Winberg, 2017). Even so, racism is not the main factor of attraction for trump supporters in the US, as the number of people who share this ideology is steadily declining.
What most voters find appealing about Trump is the way he speaks. While the majority of politicians go to great lengths to avoid offending anyone, Donald Trump speaks his mind, even if what he wants to say is neither accepted by society nor supported by facts. In many cases, having no political filter can lead to scandals, but they do not seem to harm Trump’s ratings. On the contrary, every time he said or did something sexist, degrading, xenophobic, or generally offensive, his support climbed (Winberg, 2017). The liberal agenda pushed by the media would make this seem absurd, and yet it happens. In a world obsessed with political correctness, an increasing number of people will be pleased to see someone openly express their own views, no matter how shocking they might be.
Canadian Prime minister Justin Trudeau has gone a step further in the way of controversy. During one of his campaigns, someone released a series of pictures, where Trudeau could be seen dressed up and wearing racist makeup. The practice of darkening one’s skin to imitate the appearance of African people is called blackface and is considered racist. Although Trudeau has apologized for the pictures, stating that he is ashamed of himself for what he did, some people feel that it does not excuse him. Howard (2019) states that blackface is an anti-black activity, whether the participants realize it or not. This incident cannot be attributed to insult politics, as Justin Trudeau never intended to use it as such. Like most politicians, he tried to restore his politically correct image; he was not interested in creating a scandal. It seems that Trudeau has received heavy backlash for his past mistake, despite his best efforts.
Both Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau use social media as a relatively independent way to spread their influence. Examining the use of social networks by the two politicians, one can notice a stark contrast. While Trump’s online representation is rude and ruthless, like his many speeches and debates would suggest, Trudeau’s is quite different. The Canadian politician has used Instagram to cultivate a clean personal brand that would lead people to trust him. It is because of these core differences that Trudeau could not use the blackface controversy to his advantage, while Trump finds more support with every scandal.
References
Winberg, O. (2017). Insult politics: Donald Trump, right-wing populism, and incendiary language. European Journal of American studies, 12(2), 1-11. Web.
Howard, P. (2019). Trudeau in blackface: A symptom of Canada’s widespread anti-black racism. The Canadian Press, 1-4.
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