This is the letter I wrote that was published (online and paper) by the Boston Globe today. The heading was supplied by the Globe editor. The letter was one of several letters that the Globe published under the heading, "Trump has hit on an immigration policy. It’s called racism."
How can we accept this behavior in a leader?
Racist thinking is not just about race. It is a way of thinking that subordinates members of a group to an identity that reflects what is believed to be the worst of the group. Members’ good deeds are ignored.
An example of racist thinking is Donald Trump’s reaction to the shooting of two National Guard troops by an Afghan refugee. The president’s reaction targets all Afghan immigrants for special investigation. Underlying his reaction is the unspoken assumption that they are all alike, that “they” are not “us.” They are all presumed to be potentially guilty because one or a few of them are bad actors.
Whether “they” are thought to be a race, undocumented residents, a nationality, a religion, Afghan immigrants, or some other group that is not “us,” this way of thinking is the essence of racism. Will we accept it as expected or normal or will we treat it with the outrage that it deserves?
John L. Hodge
Jamaica Plain
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