There’s a rather telling detail in a piece in Politico on the reactions of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to the attacks on 9/11.
In a television interview only a few hours after the twin towers collapsed in flames, Trump managed to work in a strange little boast about his real-estate empire:
“40 Wall Street,” he said, referring to his 71-story building blocks away from the now-collapsed twin towers, “actually was the second-tallest building in downtown Manhattan … And now it’s the tallest.”
Trump will always be Trump, I guess.
But the Politico story does note that aside from this little bit of brand-building, Trump was actually rather restrained in his response that day, at least by normal Trumpian standards:
A decade and a half before pledging to “bomb the shit out of” ISIS and proposing a deportation force and a Muslim ban, Trump didn’t talk about retribution or leap to conclusions about who was responsible. In fact, he avoided identifying potential enemies—any terrorist organization or Muslims in general.
We live in what is, in many ways, a much uglier America today, and Trump has been one of the leading enablers of this ugliness.
As Mic noted in a post yesterday, Islamophobia is much worse today than it was on 9/11/2001, and hate crimes against Muslims are on the upswing.
Immediately after 9/11, there was a significant rise in anti-Muslim activity.According to the FBI, in 2001 anti-Islamic hate crimes spiked by 1,600 percent with 481 incidents. CAIR noted another surge in 2006 — the reason for it remains unclear. Another spike followed the Park51 controversy in 2010, in which New York City considered building a Muslim community center and mosque near Ground Zero.
But the highest concentration of anti-Muslim crimes came at the end of 2015. According to CAIR’s latest report, 78 mosques were targeted for vandalism that year — more incidents than they had documented in any one year since they started tracking in 2009. Compare this to 2014, when CAIR only documented 22 similar incidents, or 2013, when they documented 20. The 2015 spike came after the attacks at the Charlie Hebdo headquarters in Paris and around the same time Donald Trump infamously proposed that the country should ban Muslims from entering until we “figure out what’s going on.”
Similarly, the Southern Poverty Law Center found that in 2014 while the rate of hate crimes overall had fallen compared with the previous year, hate crimes against Muslims saw a 14 percent increase.
Emphasis mine.
The vicious attacks against Muslims have continued apace this year. The latest: an attack on two Muslim mothers in Brooklyn last Thursday. The New York Daily News reports:
A bigoted Brooklyn woman launched a sickening attack on two Muslim women pushing their babies in strollers — punching them in the face and trying to pull off their hijabs, prosecutors said Friday.
Emirjeta Xhelili, 32, hurled Islamophobic insults as she pounced on the two victims near her Bath Beach home about 1:30 p.m. Thursday, authorities said.
“Get the f–k out of here,” Xhelili, 32, allegedly yelled at the pair, according to prosecutors. “Get the f–k out of America, b—–s.” …
Brooklyn prosecutors said her attack included an attempt to knock over a stroller carrying a 15-month-old baby.
Happily, the baby (and both mothers) are ok, and Xhelili was quickly arrested.
The alleged attacker is, of course, a Trump supporter. The Daily News notes that
Her vile social media musings include several bizarre tweets cheering the candidacy of Donald Trump.
“America is the ark of Noah,” one reads. “Trump’s gonna win.”
Such is life in America fifteen years after 9/11.
H/T — Raw Story/Liberaland for highlighting the Trump quote.
@Mig,
The other subjects, as in confirmation bias and fundamental attribution bias? Most of my references are in hardcopy or journal white papers, which I unfortunately can’t circulate. It’s not that they’re a difficult thing to chase down, though.
Not that I’d recommend it, mind you. Learning about human biases are the quickest way for a moderately intelligent person to absolutely cripple their connection to the real world.
See, the problem is that the biases are universal – no one is exempt, try as they might. Brains don’t work that way. So most proto-rationalists learn the biases and use them to shoot down every single opposing opinion they come across. This destroys their ability to take in new information and to change their minds.
Before you learn about biases, learn about the Principle of Charity and practice it awhile first. Don’t start researching biases until after you’ve managed to change your mind on a few important things first.
Oh, and,
Again, thank you for front-loading your bias.
People don’t rebel unless there’s a cause to fight for. Or are you the sort of guy who thinks women are at best insolent children who need to be guided by a strong paternal hand? Either way, your bias is obvious.
Look at it. Learn. Grow. Be better.
@Sclidfreja
I wouldn’t classify myself as “moderately intelligent,” so what’s the problem? You appear to have practiced the whole charity thing a little too well.
Two separate, logically-unconnected statements. At least this time you’ve separated them with a conjunction, which makes it more clear that they are not a single concept.
Yes it does. “Bigot” by definition means “someone who is a jerk to some group or other.” Just because someone is not a jerk to you doesn’t mean they are not a jerk to someone. Do you just not care? Do you think that you are the only important person in the universe, so your experience is the only objective one? These are serious questions. I would like to know what kind of asshole I’m dealing with in you.
Technically true, in that there is not a magic ray that transforms someone into a bigot as soon as they profess allegiance to Trump. However, being aligned with Trump means that someone at at minimum doesn’t mind being aligned with bigots, and that is very problematic. It’s really hard for me to imagine someone who isn’t a bigot but who has no problems whatsoever with hanging around with bigots.
*stares hard at you*
There’s no deductive conclusion that it is impossible, but I find it … unlikely.
Bono-bons
Is it just me, or has the ratio of trolls to post gone up a notch? And now they’re getting offended by in-jokes and naming conventions, even ones from the past week. I’m not sure they’ve fully understood the purpose of this website.
ETA I feel honour bound to point out (given the Pratchettiness of my moniker) that a bonobo is an ape, not a monkey.
@Weatherwax
They seem particularly disingenuous lately, too. Poe’s Law and all, but I don’t buy their sincerity.
@Mig,
I was being coy. Smart and not-as-smart people alike get caught up in biases such as these all the time. It’s how you get PhDs sucked into cults. It’s frankly dangerous to everyone.
The Principle of Charity isn’t about kindness, it’s about mental hygiene. It’s the stronger partner to the Principle of Parsiomny, which you might know as Occam’s Razor.
@Diptych
Too true. Plus they seem to say thank you a lot, but in a way that sounds like they don’t really mean it.
@Weatherwax
THREE today.
Marky’s sad he’s being ignored in favor of a more intelligible troll though.
@PoM
Plenty of people in meat-space say I’m well-mannered, thoughtful, helpful, etc., but I’m inclined to disagree. I tend to be selfish, egotistical, obsessed with my reflection (I don’t like it, but I can’t stop looking at it), vindictive, dismissive of other’s complaints and emotions, reticent, mean-spirited, and prone to holding grudges. I like for people to praise me and I don’t forget it when they criticize me. I’m nicest to those I don’t know, while I tend to be somewhat dismissive and abusive of those who are closest. I have temper tantrums sometimes, but always when I’m alone and no one’s around to see. Does that answer your question?
Yeeeeeeeaaaaah, did they? First of all, if people supported them or knew what they would be up to, they wouldn’t need to be totalitarian in the first place. Second, what is your totally valid reason in north damn america? How cheap do you sell your supposedly beloved freedom? Will you sell it just so other people will lose their rights and you’ll be waaaay more free than everyone else again? What a beautiful human being you are.
HE’S SAYING IT, LEFT-WING!!!!!!
I don’t know. Were you there? Was any commenter here there? I know I never killed, ordered someone else to be killed, nor voted for a politician who’d manage to get anyone who disagreed killed. Can you say this much?
Oh, I suppose that if you are a white, straight, cis male american citizen it really can barely matter if someone, even the president, is a bigot, it’s actually good, unless you’re a soldier. But there are people who aren’t, can you believe that?
Read my last paragraph.
I wonder why they don’t like you. Can it be because YOU SAY SHIT LIKE THIS?!?!?
Hahahahahaha, wait, what? I got confused here for a second. Who here is willing to vote for a fascist government that may kill all dissidents, us or you? Projection, much?
@Sinkable John
I almost feel sorry for him. Almost.
Shorter ATMaT:
That’s an interesting self-perception, @Mig. What’s your opinion on it? Do you like to be that way, or would you rather have other attributes? What are those other attributes, if so?
LOL you sound like my 18-year-old nephew. Self-identifying a bunch of flaws, missing the most important ones, and, crucially, doing jack-all about any of them. I can’t speak for whether you are doing anything about your flaws (and “flaws”), but you are a dead ringer.
Also, I asked two very specific questions and you answered neither of them, so the answer to your question is no, you did not.
@Chiomera
Open a history book, you fool. Preferably one on 20th century European and Asian history.
You people suck. I don’t have to put up with any of you; give me one good reason I should actually take anything you people say seriously. You’re starting to rub me the wrong way.
Pablo Escobar was created through his obsession of being a ‘real man’ and caring for his woman and his children. That’s TRADCON psychopathy. His sickness was gynocentrism and male disposability – through which men have been brainwashed by gynocentrists (misandrists) for centuries.
His TRADCON mother forced the creation of a psychopathic, mass murdering monster, both loathing women outside of his familial connections and seeing less connected women and men as sport, to be used and disposed of at his discretion – thanks to male disposability, the abuses of gynocentrism and cultural misandry. All of his victims died under this paradigm. All of his victims died under the TRADCON image of male slavery, male supplication and devotion to family, women and children (tradconism and gynocentrism) – a breeding chamber of sociopathy.
Gynocentrism and its father tradconsim need to end for the benefit of all humanity – not just for women’s benefit. Women need to stop brainwashing men in this passe, deeply anti-male, pro-female hypocritical way if anything is to change for the betterment of humans – both male and female.
Men and boys are not here to sacrifice their lives and fortunes on women’s behalf. For women or men to think in such a way is to prove their misandry. An example is radical feminism – those who breed boys into disposable men – or wish them dead should they not supplicate properly – to join the meat grinder of misandry (gynocentrism).
True equality is represented through one who survives and thrives through their own efforts – not through the taking of lives and fortunes of others nor the suffering of others – the path on which misandric women and men (gynocentrists) have thrived for far too many centuries.
Feminism for women. MGTOW for men. This is the way forward. MGTOW serves to keep feminists honest and moving along a path that leads to true equality.
Trump must not be elected. Trump epitomizes misandry (gynocentrism). Only Hillary has the ability to open peoples eyes to a future of positive change.
Dude. We’re putting up with you.
’cause the people on here actually do know what the fuck they’re talking about. Unlike you.
Then Go Your Own Way off this thread and to your home subreddit.
@Nequam
Regarding an earlier comment of yours, including a song by They Might Be Giants, I’m finding the line
“Can’t shake the devil’s hand and say you’re only kidding”
more and more apposite as this thread goes on.
Another running theme across the recent trolls – they all make it pretty clear that what they really need is to stop picking fights, meet some new people without judging them, have some more varied life experiences, and maybe get some help from a qualified professional if they’re comfortable doing that. Granted, maybe that applies to all trolls – hell, it’s probably good advice for just about anyone – but our recent visitors have been awfully candid about it.
Mig,
You can leave the way you came in.
http://pre04.deviantart.net/fec1/th/pre/f/2015/179/5/c/fluttershy_umm_face_by_alloutlol-d8z344b.png
Err, you don’t have to put up with any of us. You could just not post, if you want. That’s up to you.
As for us giving you a reason for you to take us seriously… why do you take anything you believe seriously? By your own self-description you’re a cluster of biases tailor-made to misinterpret and skew the truth to suit your own ego, why do you think you’re right about anything?
(Note: Don’t feel too bad about that! Everyone’s got skewed perceptions. Just, well. By your description, you’re pretty deep in that mire.)
Weren’t you going your own way? Why are you even still here?
@TOWIE (just an in-joke for my British friends here, pay it no mind)
“You people suck. I don’t have to put up with any of you; give me one good reason I should actually take anything you people say seriously. You’re starting to rub me the wrong way.”
Well, gosh. I’m really sorry you’re offended. After all, you came here, started spouting opinions that were clearly the opposite of what we were saying, made sweeping generalisations about us, but you don’t like what we’ve said in response.
I’m very surprised. Not.
ETA Ninja’d all over the shop. But will no one respond to Mark? No one?
@MarkyMark,
http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/e/e9/Fluttershy_smiling_in_relief_S5E21.png
No one’s listening to you, honey. If you want to participate, you have to actually put down your hobby-horse and join into the conversation that’s currently happening.
Yes, honey, you can pick it back up again after. No one’s taking your blankie away from you.