Saturday, January 13, 2018

"shithole countries"

Everyone's in a tizzy about something Donald Trump allegedly said, to wit: that Haiti and certain areas in Africa are "shithole countries." Trump has denied using that term, but some Democrats claim to have directly witnessed Trump using that (and other) pejorative language, and they've leaped upon this apparent gaffe as a way to further the narrative that Trump is a racist who can't help himself. It hasn't even been confirmed that Trump actually used such language, but the media don't care, and they're running with the story which, per Stephen Colbert's old, snide term (used against Dubya), has a ring of "truthiness" about it.

Here are some alt-media reactions to "Shithole-gate," as some snarky commentators are calling it. Phil DeFranco offers a nuanced commentary:


Styx, meanwhile, is having none of it:


Neither is our favorite highlighter of hypocrisy, Paul Joseph Watson:


Over at PJ Media, there's an article titled "Top 10 Shitholes Nobody Wants to Visit," which also includes a spot or two in the United States. Within that article is an embedded video by comedian/commentator Steven Crowder, which deserves to be embedded here:


My take: calling countries afflicted by poverty, crime, and corruption "shitholes" does feel like kicking those countries while they're down and plays into a perception of American arrogance. At the same time, the alt-media's point is clear: in all honesty, would you want to go on holiday in any of these places, or perhaps move to any of these places? If you're unable to give a straight answer to that question, then you need to give your moral compass a few whacks.

Two of Trump's tweets on the subject are these:

1. "The language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used. What was really tough was the outlandish proposal made - a big setback for DACA!"

2. "Never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is, obviously, a very poor and troubled country. Never said 'take them out.' Made up by Dems. I have a wonderful relationship with Haitians. Probably should record future meetings - unfortunately, no trust!"

I have no idea whether President Trump actually has "a wonderful relationship with Haitians," but his denial, at least, is now on record. If it turns out he's lying, and that someone has audio of the DACA meeting in question, I expect to hear that audio fairly soon. Otherwise, this is a non-issue, and as two commentators (a Fox News talking head and Phil DeFranco, both seen above in the PJW and DeFranco vids) said, "This doesn't move the needle at all."



2 comments:

King Baeksu said...

The entire, politically correct worldview of the left in America, and indeed the West, for the past fifty years has revolved around the notion that People of Color are morally superior to whites and, to a somewhat lesser extent, Asians (who generally thrive in the West and thus cannot be classified as "oppressed" in Cult-Marxist fashion).

But is everyone in the world "equal"? Do native Americans not have a right to determine whom they allow to live among them in their local communities? What if 50,000 Somali "refugees" were sent to live in Wonju, without any locals being first consulted, and if any Koreans complained they would be silenced as "bigots" who refuse to accept that "everyone in the world is equal and cultural differences are irrelevant"? The reason Trump triggers the left so much is that he shoots from the hip and often exposes the fantastical, anti-realist nature of modern progressive ideology. In other words, Trump deals with facts, while the left prefer to deal with morality as they often are unable to address reality head on. Realism versus religion, in short.

Joan Walsh, a founder of Salon, was asked recently, "Would you rather live in Haiti or Norway?" and she refused to respond. We all know the real answer, but being a leftist in America today means you can no longer speak honestly or factually when it might conflict with your fantastical ideology – which is, it would seem, more often than not.

Have you see Moly's video in this subject?

Kevin Kim said...

I haven't watched Molyneux, but I imagine he has much to say.