by Julie Boler
Us and Them - Richard Willson Last week, on the one-year anniversary of Donald Trump's escalator-enhanced announcement of his candidacy, a video from that night made the rounds. It shows Trump, in an interview with Bill O'Reilly (see min. 1:55), asserting that babies born to illegal immigrants (also known, in the bigotry community, as "anchor babies") are not US citizens, 14th-Amendment dictates on birthright citizenship be damned. Trump promises to deport all illegal immigrants, but concedes that he’d work to expedite the re-entry to the US of certain deportees. Which deportees? "... the good ones. And there are plenty of good ones."
Growing up in Evansville, Indiana, in the 1970's, my grade-school-rebel self objected when my white classmates used the n-word. They appeared to have a tacit agreement that while one shouldn't call anyone that, or say it around strangers, when talking about black people among young white peers, its use was unremarkable. I disagreed. Whenever I heard it, I complained that it was a mean, bad word, and that it was wrong to say it. (Well, and I'd yell, "Stop saying that!" - one reason I always heard "You're so bossy!" at such an early age.)
Countless times then, one of my little friends would adopt a patronizing tone and explain how they’d been taught by a father or aunt or older sibling that the word didn't apply to all black people. "It just means the bad ones. There are good ones," they'd expound, "and bad ones." Trying to reassure their troubled playmate, they'd say, "Don't worry, Julie, (n-word) is only for the bad ones."
I don't remember the extent of my vocabulary at the time, but I do remember thinking, if not in so many words, that beyond using slurs, it was dehumanizing to say "good ones and bad ones" when talking about people.
Growing up in Evansville, Indiana, in the 1970's, my grade-school-rebel self objected when my white classmates used the n-word. They appeared to have a tacit agreement that while one shouldn't call anyone that, or say it around strangers, when talking about black people among young white peers, its use was unremarkable. I disagreed. Whenever I heard it, I complained that it was a mean, bad word, and that it was wrong to say it. (Well, and I'd yell, "Stop saying that!" - one reason I always heard "You're so bossy!" at such an early age.)
Countless times then, one of my little friends would adopt a patronizing tone and explain how they’d been taught by a father or aunt or older sibling that the word didn't apply to all black people. "It just means the bad ones. There are good ones," they'd expound, "and bad ones." Trying to reassure their troubled playmate, they'd say, "Don't worry, Julie, (n-word) is only for the bad ones."
I don't remember the extent of my vocabulary at the time, but I do remember thinking, if not in so many words, that beyond using slurs, it was dehumanizing to say "good ones and bad ones" when talking about people.
Mississippi schoolgirls at naptime. My siblings will recognize the title of this post as a quote we have cherished for decades, for its comedic value. It was the earnest declaration of a preteen neighbor who lived in the North Carolina apartment complex we’d moved to in the early 80's. This young lady was not an especially clever thinker, but her heart was in the right place. Her breathless, drawling that "Some of them are sweet as we are!" was inspired by some especially positive experience with a black person, the details of which I have since forgotten.
That this was a revelation to her was very interesting to us, and because her personality was so guileless and, well, sweet, it had its charm. And sure, it was good she’d figured out such a thing. But the enjoyment of the memory dulls a little when considering what her exclamation laid bare. It betrayed her presumable view that some of them are not as sweet as we are. (Okay, I still get a giggle out of that.) And it raised the question of whether, heretofore, she'd imagined that… er… none of them are sweet as we are. The "we" and "them", even when used by the kind-hearted, always rankles.
That this was a revelation to her was very interesting to us, and because her personality was so guileless and, well, sweet, it had its charm. And sure, it was good she’d figured out such a thing. But the enjoyment of the memory dulls a little when considering what her exclamation laid bare. It betrayed her presumable view that some of them are not as sweet as we are. (Okay, I still get a giggle out of that.) And it raised the question of whether, heretofore, she'd imagined that… er… none of them are sweet as we are. The "we" and "them", even when used by the kind-hearted, always rankles.
During his announcement, Trump famously said, "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with (sic) us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
As outrageous as that statement was, I was more bothered by the next one. It gave me again the feeling I'd had as a schoolgirl: the good old, surely-you-don't-mean-people-here feeling. In the statement, and I've reread the transcript to confirm my memory, Trump uses "it" to refer to "the bad ones". "They're sending us not the right people. It's coming from more than Mexico. It's coming from all over South and Latin America (sic), and it's coming probably -- probably -- from the Middle East."
As outrageous as that statement was, I was more bothered by the next one. It gave me again the feeling I'd had as a schoolgirl: the good old, surely-you-don't-mean-people-here feeling. In the statement, and I've reread the transcript to confirm my memory, Trump uses "it" to refer to "the bad ones". "They're sending us not the right people. It's coming from more than Mexico. It's coming from all over South and Latin America (sic), and it's coming probably -- probably -- from the Middle East."
One might point to such language when engaged in a dialogue about current levels of racism in the US, which often focus on overt events like Klan rallies or acts of violence by white nationalists. It's like the practice by some manufacturers of bras and pantyhose of calling their beige shade selection "nude"; or the fact that descriptors of race aren’t used in news stories except to differentiate people of color; or the observation, "You don't sound/act black." Such pervasive dismissals illuminate a constant undertone of undying racism.
Meanwhile, on he goes: Trump continues to use the "good ones" and "bad ones" terminology in his campaign. And it continues to hit my ear like the utterance of a sheltered, Southern thirteen-year old, or of a pretend-grownup fourth grader, on a playground in the 70's Midwest.
Meanwhile, on he goes: Trump continues to use the "good ones" and "bad ones" terminology in his campaign. And it continues to hit my ear like the utterance of a sheltered, Southern thirteen-year old, or of a pretend-grownup fourth grader, on a playground in the 70's Midwest.
