The United States is a divided country. On one side you have Donald Trump supporters and on the other you have those who opposed him. Politics always divide people. But in this case, the division is so great that it has evolved into violence. There are many reasons why people support Donald Trump. Among them are the idea that Trump represents the antithesis of the political elite. Others support him based on the hype of reality television. Lurking in the background is racism. But racism is too broad and not the proper way to define why America is divided along the color of skin.
Racism is the discrimination of a certain group of people because of their ethnicity. Certainly, there are racist people on both sides of the national debate. It is easy to believe that Trump supporters are racist. But that is not the case.
Trump supporters come from all ethnic groups. White supporters tend to be more visible, but the fact remains that Blacks and Hispanics also support Donald Trump.
The Great Replacement
The better way to define the great divide in America is the Great Replacement. It is the idea that the American face is being replaced by a more diversified face made up of different cultures. The Great Replacement, at its base, is the fear that White America is being replaced by immigrants.
That may be the genesis of the Great Replacement but like everything else it has evolved.
The Great Replacement today is not just about the color of skin but for many it is about the evolving cultural make up of the country. For many Trump supporters, it is difficult for them to articulate why they fear immigrants to America. This difficulty translates into simplified fears of racist views based on skin color and the fearmongering of invaders coming to America.
The fear may seem racist, but it is more complex than that.
This became clear to me when I recently drove out to try a Mexican restaurant in Jupiter Florida on Sunday. We happened upon a caravan of Donald Trump supporters clogging up the streets. When we arrived at the Mexican restaurant, we noted numerous Trump supporters in the parking lot.
I was mystified. Trump espouses the fears of immigrants crossing the border from México. Trump launched his campaign disparaging Mexicans.
Yet, over the years I noted how many of the Trump supporters had no problem eating at Mexican food restaurants. Why the apparent discrepancy?
Why are the same Trump supporters chanting “build the wall” frequenting Mexican food restaurants?
Why disparage Mexicans while eating their food?
There is a disconnect that I can’t seem to comprehend.
On the surface it looks like racism based on the color of the skin. But that can’t be it because most Mexican restaurants are owned or staffed by people of color. So it can’t simply be about racism.
It must be about cultural assimilation. Or, rather, the fear of the erosion of the White culture.
Thinking about this I soon ended up on the Great Replacement.
Readers may be tempted to argue that the Great Replacement is the fear of the eroding face of the American White culture via the growing minority cultures taking over the American landscape.
But that is also simplistic.
The Great Replacement is just another explanation levied by pundits trying to explain the Great Divide in America today.
The American divide is nothing more than accumulation of different political ideologies coming together under the Trump banner.
Yes, there are racist championing Trump as their White savior. But there are also those who see Trump as the American savior giving the American people back the power that they feel has been stolen by political elites. Mixed in this mess are the people who fear that diversity is eroding their idea of the American culture, i.e. American exceptionalism.
When this is understood then it becomes apparent as to why Donald Trump can win the November elections.
Too many voters are hung up on what Trump represents forgetting that Donald Trump represents various disfranchised voters who support him specifically for their own fears completely ignoring the other issues. Those fearing the erosion of American culture blame establishment politicos. This is also true for the racist and for those who feel the American political system has been hijacked by the political elite. Each of these voters don’t care about the rest. They just see Trump as the only option for them.
And, Donald Trump fully understands this.
Joe Biden and the Democrats are too busy focusing on racism as if that is the driving force completely ignoring that the American voters are divided on the idea that the politicians aren’t listening to them.
Therein the lies the power that gives Donald Trump the opportunity to win on November.
