50 Years After the Civil Rights Movement, How Has the Landscape Changed?
In a world where bi-racial couples can be seen in national advertising campaigns and one of televisions most beloved talk show hosts is an open, out and married lesbian; many would argue that the United States has made great strides in their social policy. In this same landscape, several others would still claim “the administration’s policy of trying to control the movement of black and brown people into the country via shifting legality is informed by a legacy of U.S. government policy that’s long been antagonistic toward certain groups—but that seems to be getting worse by the day.” [1](Patterson, 2018) These attitudes and in most cases their related policies create an environment that is ever increasingly hostile for the immigrant to strive in.
“1968 confirmed the Democrats’ racial justice politics while sending the Republican Party on a more rightward trajectory. Of course 1968 also was when Nixon used the Southern strategy, meaning opposing Democratic civil rights policies in order to win the votes of Southern whites. Republicans have used that strategy ever since.” [2](Muir, 2018) This President has certainly been charged on more than one occasion with using language and rhetoric seen as divisive. For some his base pandering rhetoric, which many claim are both sexist and racist have elicited cries of protest. “[…] the Women’s March and Black Lives Matter in particular, are spurred by similar concerns as those in 1968.” [3](Muir, 2018)
In a very similar vein to his Grand Old Party predecessor, President Trump uses Dog Whistle politics, [“political messaging employing coded language that appears to mean one thing to the general population but has an additional, different, or more specific resonance for a targeted subgroup.”] [4](Wikipedia, 2018), which fortunately for many is neither coded or leaves unclear its target. “During the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump’s team framed people from countries in the Global South, as well as some American citizens, as the “other.” Mexico and Mexicans, in particular, received sustained attacks, and they were characterized as “criminals” and “rapists.” In addition, a judge of Mexican ancestry, who presided over a fraud case against Trump University, was targeted. Trump described the judge as being biased and eager to retaliate because of campaign promises to build a wall along the southern United States border. The judge, Gonzalo Curiel, was born and raised in Indiana.” [5](Patterson, 2018)
A country founded on the idea of rebellion and solidified through an epic battle between good and evil can never really rest on its laurels. “America is a country of immigrants. While those immigrating have shifted over centuries, all seek to turn the “American Dream” into a reality by making themselves, their families, and their country better and more prosperous.” [6](Patterson, 2018) Looking forward beyond the mark of the half century that has passed since the US saw a major shift in its political conscience, the question maybe whether there has been any significant impact to the landscape. While the ads and programs being broadcasted tell one tale, the policies of this administration tell a starkly different story. Who will emerge victorious is ultimately still up to “We the People”.
[1] Patterson, Donna A. (January 26th, 2018) AMERICA’S ANTAGONISTIC HISTORY WITH IMMIGRANTS http://bit.ly/2EjExfo
[2] Muir, Pat (January 28th, 2018) The 1968 parallel: Times seem troubling, but America has proved resilient http://bit.ly/2BzvDHv
[3] Muir, Pat (January 28th, 2018) The 1968 parallel: Times seem troubling, but America has proved resilient http://bit.ly/2BzvDHv
[4] WIKIPEDIA 2018 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog-whistle_politics
[5] Patterson, Donna A. (January 26th, 2018) AMERICA’S ANTAGONISTIC HISTORY WITH IMMIGRANTS http://bit.ly/2EjExfo
[6] Patterson, Donna A. (January 26th, 2018) AMERICA’S ANTAGONISTIC HISTORY WITH IMMIGRANTS http://bit.ly/2EjExfo
