Racism and Xenophobia Archives

Money doesn’t grow on trees: What Bernie Kids don’t understand

On April 18, 2016

In Economics, Feminism, LGBT, North America, Racism and Xenophobia, SJWs, Social Politics, Taking out the Trash, U.S. Politics

So, this came out.

@lindsayzissis telling me why she’s voting for #BernieSanders she’s $226,000 in debt for trying to help the world pic.twitter.com/oo2Z7q8nDv

— Shailene Woodley (@shailenewoodley) April 16, 2016

Highly opinionated and ideological with zero economics knowledge, laced with perceived victimhood, privileged, wasting thousands of dollars on subjects with minimal job prospect, and expecting a bailout from the taxpayers. This is what welfare queens look like these days.

Now, here’s something deeply troubling with this tweet. And that goes into the heart of the problem we are facing today, not just in US but across the World.

First of all, who in their right mind borrows $226,000 dollars to study Speech Pathology, and then expect a bailout from taxpayers? I never borrowed ten dollars to study something, which doesn’t have job prospect, just because I am bleeding in my heart to help people, unless I am smart enough to get a scholarship.

(Thankfully I always had, not because I am the smartest man in this planet, but in this volatile and fluid era, with chances of conflict between great powers increasing, which might result in massive death unless a grand strategy pattern is predicted, my research is in a field which analyses the aforementioned foreign policy patterns of great powers. Demand, meet supply.)

Look, it is simple economics, and here’s how it works.

Exclusive: Greek far-right organising violent anti-refugee rallies

By Katja Lihtenvalner

On April 12, 2016

In Europe, European Politics, Greek Politics, Politics, Racism and Xenophobia, Refugees

“Greece belongs to Greeks!”

Shouts rang out at a demonstration held by far-right Greeks protesting against refugees last weekend in Piraeus, a port city south of Greek capital Athens. More troubling was the chant, “Knife into the heart of every antifascist!” That chant would be taken into action with fists and clubs.

In Greece there are still over 50,000 refugees and migrants are trapped by the closed borders, with over 4,000 having waited in the port of Piraeus for over 2 months. The Greek far-right sees increasing numbers of refugees as an opportunity for gatherings and pushes the agenda “Against the Islamisation of Europe.” Similar anti-migrant gatherings are being organised all over the Greece lately.

“We are many hundreds here today and this is just a beginning. Our heroes who were fighting against Islam once are the ones leading us,” spokeperson for Greek parliamentary neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn Ilias Kasidiaris stated from an improvised stage, where the slogan “Stop Islam” was written.

Just an hour before Greek rightists reportedly carried out an attack, led by Golden Dawn MPs Yiannis Lagos and Ilias Kasidiaris. They attacked the group of anti-fascists who gathered to protest a Golden Dawn rally. Among those attacked were also journalists, including

Does Cruz use anti-Semitic dog whistles?

By Mitchell Blatt

On February 8, 2016

In Journalism, Politics, Racism and Xenophobia, U.S. Politics

Washington Post op-ed writer Dana Milbank accused Ted Cruz of using “anti-Semitic dog whistle[s],” such as his attack on “New York values.” Does he have a point?

A lot of the phrases about “New York,” “Wall Street,” and “bankers” could be anti-Semitic in certain contexts, but they are also absolutely part of ordinary political discourse. That is what makes them potential dog whistles, after all, but it is also hard to say Cruz had any anti-Semitic intent or meaning with such thin evidence.

Milbank has to have a little bit of “chutzpah,” shall I say, to make this argument:

At an event in New Hampshire, Cruz, the Republican Iowa caucuses winner, was asked about campaign money he and his wife borrowed from Goldman Sachs. Cruz, asserting that Trump had “upward of $480 million of loans from giant Wall Street banks,” said: “For him to make this attack, to use a New York term, it’s the height of chutzpah.” Cruz, pausing for laughter after the phrase “New York term,” exaggerated the guttural “ch” to more laughter and applause.

But “chutzpah,” of course, is not a “New York” term. It’s a Yiddish — a Jewish — one. And using “New York” as a euphemism for “Jewish” has long been an anti-Semitic dog whistle.

It wouldn’t be the first time Cruz has been accused of using anti-Semitic dog whistles. What about his claim to support an “America first” foreign policy–the same slogan of Charles Lindbergh and those who opposed involvement in World War II?

But in this particular case, most of what Cruz said can equally be attributed to responding to Donald Trump’s equally nasty attacks. Let’s break down the points one-by-one:

Today in Trump tweets: Trump shares obviously fake picture of “Saudis”

By Mitchell Blatt

On February 6, 2016

In Politics, Racism and Xenophobia, U.S. Politics

Second-place finisher in Iowa Donald Trump tweets so much racist bullshit that it is hard to keep track.

Here’s one I missed. On January 28, when he was campaigning against Fox News’s debate, he tweeted an image of “Mygan Kelly” photoshopped with some Saudi people. The text falsely stated that Prince Al-Waleed was the co-owner of Fox News. (Apparently Prince Al-Waleed is a Muslim, or something, and so he’s in favor of having women as moderators. I don’t know what Trump’s thinking was.)

"@BradCross4: @Drudge_Report_ @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/Ur1qgG291Z"

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 28, 2016

Unlike most people, I accually did “GOOGLE IT!” and here’s what I found:

According to news accounts, Prince Al-Waleed’s investment firm, Kingdom Holding Company, holds a 6.6% stake in 21st Century Fox, the parent corporation of the Fox News Group (which includes the Fox News Channel and the Fox Business Network) — a sizable chunk, but far from a controlling or co-controlling interest in the company.

Snopes

Donald Trump tweets “white genocide” (multiple times)

By Mitchell Blatt

On January 22, 2016

In Politics, Racism and Xenophobia, U.S. Politics

On December 30, I wrote about how white supremacist groups like the “White Genocide Project” have endorsed Trump. Racists on Twitter tweet, “Thank you for fighting #WhiteGenocide, Donald!”

Trump has seen hundreds of these tweets, and now he got into the act:

It’s far from the first time Trump tweeted outright racism. On November 22, he tweeted a meme made up by a neo-Nazi falsely claiming that 81% of white murders are done by blacks.

In July, he tweeted, “#JebBush has to like the Mexican Illegals because of his wife.”

The “white genocide” tweet follows a long campaign of his fans thanking Trump for “fighting white genocide.” I included some examples in my earlier article. Those white supremacists like Jared Taylor who support Trump’s immigration plan think that there are too many minorities “genociding” whites in America.

Racism is a major driving factor behind Trump’s poll numbers

By Mitchell Blatt

On December 30, 2015

In Politics, Racism and Xenophobia, Social Politics, U.S. Politics

Donald Trump’s attacks on illegal immigrants, legal immigrants, foreigners, Hispanics, Muslims, and other minority groups seem to have had their intended effect. He is winning the racist vote.

Many of his supporters have gone beyond just shrieking about immigration and globalization to using racist slogans like “White Genocide.”

Ralph Johnson of the “White Genocide Project” wrote a post “thank[ing]” Donald Trump “for exposing White Genocide.” As their tweets show, they can hear the whistles Trump is blowing, and they want to thank him for blowing those whistles.

.@realDonaldTrump I've pulled my pants up, I'm ready to help you fight #WhiteGenocide! #tcot #FutureForum #GamerGate pic.twitter.com/roJ0mmY2uc

— PantsUp Johnson (@PantsUpWontLoot) December 21, 2015

Donald Trump and mainstream fascism

By Maitra

On December 10, 2015

In Academics, Exclusive, Podcast, Racism and Xenophobia

The Economist cover story : “Playing with fear” (December, 2015)

What explains this bizarre abomination?

Here I explain how Donald Trump is making Fascism mainstream, and what are the explanations behind his run.

Racism is a collectivist value, so individualistic conservatives should oppose it

By Mitchell Blatt

On December 8, 2015

In Politics, Racism and Xenophobia, U.S. Politics

Since Donald Trump said Muslims must be banned from entering America, I have encountered a number of bigoted conservatives–or conservative voters–who support Trump’s backwards plan. One, Todd Foster, even asked me (in the comment threat at Powerline Blog), “[W]hy don’t you name the American (or Liberal Western) value Muslims most admire?”

Since immigration is an individual action, the question is ill-thought out. Individualistic philosopher and novelist Ayn Rand once explained, “The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.”

Rand is popular among many conservative Republicans like Paul Ryan and Rand Paul and even Ronald Reagan, among others. Conservatives usually oppose government programs that treat individuals as members of groups or societies. As Tory icon and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said:

I think we’ve been through a period where too many people have been given to understand that if they have a problem, it’s the government’s job to cope with it. ‘I have a problem, I’ll get a grant.’ ‘I’m homeless, the government must house me.’ They’re casting their problem on society. And, you know, there is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families.

To be racist or bigoted (yes, there is much crossover between adherents to the two concepts, and yes, Trump has criticized specific races, too, and yes, bigotry applies to religious bigotry, too) one must apply a stereotype to every individual member of a group and then act on that stereotype. So why should individualists be racist or bigoted if they can help it?

This is how I responded to Todd Foster asking me to stereotype every Muslim (and to formulate an ironclad ban on immigration based on that stereotype):

B+D Exclusive: Journalist attacked, witnesses threatened at neo-Nazi Golden Dawn trial

By Katja Lihtenvalner

On December 5, 2015

In Europe, European Politics, Foreign Policy, Greek Politics, Journalism, Politics, Racism and Xenophobia, Terrorism

The trial against Greek’s far-right and self-proclaimed fascist political party Golden Dawn started on 20^th of April this year. From the beginning is marked with controversy. Sixty nine defendant members of the neo-Nazi political party, including its founder and leader Nikos Michaloliakos, as well as lower level operatives like police officers, navy officers, and school teachers, are accused of operating a criminal organization.

Called the most publicised trial in decades, it is bringing little or almost no interest in international or European media. (With the exception of few rare visitors, I am the only foreign reporter in the courtroom all the time.) It is also rare to see local media deeply involved in case, and at many hearings photojournalists are not present in the courtroom.

This is especially worrying because of escalation of threats and violence by Golden Dawn members in last three hearings (including the one yesterday). When defendant Giannis Kazantzoglou, who is accused of participating in the murder of anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas by a Golden Dawn member, was identified by a witness, he responded in a manner that suggested threats of reprisal.

Most of the time, less than a dozen local journalists can be seen in the press area of the courtroom.

“You remember me from two years ago!?” Kazantzoglou shouted at witness Dimitra Zorzou

SCOOP: Anti- migrant performance on football match in Ljubljana

By Katja Lihtenvalner

On November 22, 2015

In Europe, European Politics, Foreign Policy, Politics, Racism and Xenophobia, Reflections, Refugees

Last evening in Athens there was a football derby match between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos. On the other part of Balkans another big derby match was going at the same time between two biggest Slovenian football clubs: Olimpija Ljubljana and Maribor.

Sometime around midnight, I received a text from a good friend of mine, who’s a Slovenian researcher and blogger: “You should check on this!” There was a photo from a football match showing supporters of Maribor also called “Viole” with banners and flags.

Maribor fans wrote on a huge banners following: “The most precious thing that can be taken from us is our own nation. If we will not fight for it we will lose it forever. Stop migrants!”

Supporters lift with banners also national flags of Slovenia and there was a flag with the Celtic Cross mainly used by ultra-right, fascist and nazis groups.

Source: Facebook page of NK Maribor

Let’s just mention some facts on football club Maribor. The coach of the club is Krunoslav Jurčić, Croatian. Here is for the illustration the team that started yesterday’s match:
In Athens the match between Olympiakos and Panathinaikos was canceled. But supporters of Panathinaikos still came with this banner:

For years I have already been dealing with research on right-wing ideologies. Obviously I am aware of links between football supporters and neo-naziism or neo-fascism. “In the 80’s and 90’s, Nazis were still the dominant forces in our group. But sure, we kicked those mother fuckers out,” supporters of Athens based Panathinaikos told me once. “In our group they are minority now,” they claimed.