2016年10月22日土曜日

"THE" otherness

Sometimes a very little word can clearly illustrate the mind of the speaker, and as for Donald Trump, his usage of 'the' shows what a racist he is. His way of speaking has even created the hashtag "#theafricanamerican" and numerously tweeted.

In the second presidential debate held on October 6th 2016, Trump said,

"I'm going to help the African-Americans, the Latinos and Hispanics. I'm going to help the inner cities."

'The' African-Americans
'The' Latinos

Many people were furious with this generalization of people.
If Trump had said "I'm going to help African-Americans" without the definite article, it would mean he was talking about African-Americans in general, whoever needs help. But when there is a definite article, he is treating the people as a mass, an object, people different from his group.
(The same goes for the 'otherness' about 'Enjoy the Girl!')

In a way, he is sending a message to his white supporters that he is with them, the others are kept at a distance and not included. This message resonates with his past remarks on building a wall along the US - Mexico border, deporting Syrian refugees, banning Muslims from entering the USA.

For Donald Trump, it is always 'the women', 'the African-American', 'the Latinos'. He considers them not as individuals, but as a mass, as an object, people that are not a part of his group.

I cannot show any approval to him and his supporters, 'The Trumps'.

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