Sticks and Stones
The Washington Post periodically publishes a column by Gary Abernathy, publisher of the Hillsboro, Ohio Times Gazette, who purports to speak for the Midwest Middle Americans who sent Trump to the White House and support him still. Lately,
he defends Trump’s reference to “shithole countries” with two major
contentions: 1) people in his rural area, proud of disparagements from
disliked liberal elites and media, elected an African American woman to
local office and thus would be surprised to discover that they are
racist; 2) he and his community wonder “when the rest of the world
became so thin-skinned.” The African Union, which demanded a retraction of Trump’s comments, could have responded with “Who cares what he said?” We can choose whether to be offended, Abernathy says.
Presumably,
the African Union cares—in the same way many Americans care—because
Trump is the President of the United States, with the powers that belong
to the title: economic, political, moral. And we care when those who praise Trump’s “truth telling” disregard the tone of his comments, as if relationships—international, congressional, personal—aren’t affected by it and as if we can’t choose to aim for decency in our language. Abernathy also ignores the rest of Trump’s declarations: his clear preference for white-skinned (Norwegian) immigrants over black and brown ones (African, Haitian). Many
of us thin-skinned Americans—white and people of color—are repelled and
disgusted to be represented by a man who is dragging our country
through the muck of our divisions and whose presence elevates voices who
can cloak their prejudices under the robe of respectability.
A newspaper editor should recognize that the language we use matters. So should a president.
Publishing history
Times Herald-Record 1/23
New Paltz Times 1/26/18
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