I think in terms of mutable and immutable characteristics.
We can choose to have integrity, dignity, honesty-- things he chooses not to. We can’t choose our ethnicity, surname at birth, bone structure, childhood hardship.
People find it acceptable to make fun of people enacting character they don’t like by transferring to things they don’t understand or don’t regularly encounter.
Think about some feature of yourself that’s unusual but immediately apparent. I have a large facial mole, for instance. Think about how it sucks when people put down that feature for no good reason. It fucking sucks.
Then try to imagine: the thing that’s unusual is something everyone in your family, or your community, or your culture, possesses. Maybe it’s even a source of dignity and pride, like wearing a turban to show your religious devotion. But most of the majority culture doesn’t understand or regularly encounter it, so it’s just a joke. Or a threat. Or a scapegoat. It’s hard to tell the difference, sometimes.
Vivek “drill, frack, burn coal” Ramalamadingdong. I’m having flashbacks to that dipshit Palin and her drill baby drill battle screech.
He’s a piece of shit, but calling Ramaswamy “Ramalamadingdong” is pretty gross to me.
Exactly! That title belongs to Mr. M. Night Shamalamadingdong!
Out of curiosity, why?
I think in terms of mutable and immutable characteristics.
We can choose to have integrity, dignity, honesty-- things he chooses not to. We can’t choose our ethnicity, surname at birth, bone structure, childhood hardship.
People find it acceptable to make fun of people enacting character they don’t like by transferring to things they don’t understand or don’t regularly encounter.
Think about some feature of yourself that’s unusual but immediately apparent. I have a large facial mole, for instance. Think about how it sucks when people put down that feature for no good reason. It fucking sucks.
Then try to imagine: the thing that’s unusual is something everyone in your family, or your community, or your culture, possesses. Maybe it’s even a source of dignity and pride, like wearing a turban to show your religious devotion. But most of the majority culture doesn’t understand or regularly encounter it, so it’s just a joke. Or a threat. Or a scapegoat. It’s hard to tell the difference, sometimes.
It’s more than a little vaguely racist.
It’s the equivalent of calling Elaine Chao, Mitch McConnell’s wife, “Elaine Chingchongdingdong”.
Being disrespectful through casual racism is low hanging fruit. You can dislike them without being racist about it.
Please reallty try to giive everybody else on the stage a similarly racist treatment and come back to us.