Cult of Personality Politicians: How Scapegoating Non-Whites Wins Elections

by L. Howard

Every year without exception, for over a decade, my wife and I walk across the border from Texas into Mexico when we’re visiting the coast. Some politicians will have you believe Mexico is a country filled with nothing but drug dealers, rapists and bad hombres, like you find in Washington, DC.

In truth, no golden horde of rapists are lurking to soil you, your wives or your daughters (like you find in Washington, DC.). There are no drug dealers walking the street furtively glancing around whispering as they pass, “Mota?”

What You Actually Find Across the Border

What you will find are streets filled with children and chickens and vendors selling everything from back-scratchers to shoe shines. You see red tuxedoed waiters with notched black satin lapels working the restaurants. You see businesses filled with shoppers, Mexican and gringo. You’ll see groups of working men eating tacos from street vendors part respectively to allow hijas and their treasured abuelitas to pass on the sidewalk.

Mexico is beautiful and filled with friendly people that are infinitely patient when it comes to dealing with idiots north of the border, think Spring Break. And like us, they are a country filled with immigrants but unlike us, much to their credit, they have not stooped low and allowed the insanity of hysterical xenophobic stereotypes to threaten their Republic.

Voices From Under the Bridge

The indigenous women and children that are forced to flee north to escape violence from Central American countries can be found daily under the bridges over the muddy banks of the Rio Grande. Their disembodied voices rise from the river bottom with the only English words they know, imploring, “neekel, please, neekel”. I’m betting a nickel doesn’t mean much to you. But in a poor country where one of the most common questions heard on the street among friends, family and strangers is, ¿Has comido hoy? Have you eaten today? In that context, a nickel takes on a whole different dimension. As you can imagine coins fall from the sky as Mexican nationals and gringos do what they’re able to help those suffering.

The Border Wall and the Law of the River

A few months back we were hiking through Santa Elena Canyon on the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park. It is a dramatically beautiful place with the cliffs forming canyon walls that rise as high as 1,500 feet and those sheer cliffs have stopped no one, north or south from reaching for their dreams. The proposed border wall, tiny by comparison, won’t stop anyone either, ask the Chinese, and I’m betting Mexico still has no intentions of paying for it but, we both know who is.

According to the Texas Tribune, four years after Gov. Greg Abbott announced Texas would be the first state to build its own border wall, lawmakers have quietly stopped funding the project. That decision, made in the waning hours of last year’s legislative session, leaves the future of the state wall unclear. With just 8% of the 805 miles the state identified for construction completed, which has cost taxpayers more than $3 billion to date, State Sen. Joan Huffman, the state’s lead budget writer, confirmed to the Texas Tribune that none of that money will go toward the wall.

For the record, despite all the very public red meat slinging, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed on February 2, 1848, ending the Mexican-American War states in no uncertain terms, “…that there can be no obstructions on the Rio Grande or the Rio Grande flood planes.” So, your property taxes, which help to fund the state, were being spent to construct a wall forbidden by law to be built on the Rio and as such, destined to have more holes in it than Swiss cheese. Let’s be clear, Abbott’s wall was never about stopping anyone, it’s about fanning your fears so you’ll vote the status quo. It has always amused and saddened us that some voters are quick to blame democrats for their woes here in Texas when democrats haven’t been in charge of anything in Texas for over thirty-years. If you don’t like how things are being done, maybe you should vote differently.

Three Friends, One Tapestry

All through my school years growing up in Dallas I enjoyed the company of three really good friends – one brown, one white, one red and white. I enjoyed the cultural differences between our families, they made and make my life richer and broaden my world perspective. I savor our culinary differences and the way we look at humor differently and, I have always felt that the various cultural threads being woven into our shared American tapestry was the greatest gift of all virtually guaranteeing a vibrant American gene pool.

When you see a dog or a cat or a cow or a bird you marvel at its unique nature, how evolutionary adaptation and time supplied the tools necessary to survive and thrive. We don’t do this with people. You see a painted bunting and you’re thrilled yet scoff at the hapa haole that moved in across the street. If you don’t look like me, then you must be one of them. We are an insane species.

The Politics of Blame

Cult of personality politicians vilify non-whites, non-Christians and anyone else who disagrees. They tell you that little brown children are the reason your life sucks; just forget about that trillion dollar tax break for the upper one-percent and the billions being sucked up by ‘he who must not be named’, wag that dog.

Making people afraid of those who look different is how you win elections. Read Mein Kampf, it’s a blue print. Simply scare a bunch of uninformed people turned bitter by age or the fair shake that never came. Better yet, exploit their faith, then give them something or someone in common to hate and you can win elections too.

When Faith Gets Weaponized

Former Trump White House press secretary Sarah Sanders once actually said in an interview, “… that God wanted Trump to be president.” God? God wanted that? Well, if that’s right, I’ve got an apple to peel with that guy. You know, Sarah talking to God is one thing, the girl’s just praying. God talking to Sarah is another thing all together, clinical schizophrenia.

Japanese Emperor Hirohito, who was referred to as a “living God”, commanded Kamikaze pilots to fly their planes into US battleships and go straight to Heaven. Been killed recently in Jihad for Allah? You win 72 virgins in Paradise. I actually thought that was made up but I was wrong. The 72 virgin inducement to motivate suicide bombers actually has its origins in the Holy Qur’an. While it does not specify 72 anything, it does stipulate and state in sexually descriptively words why you’re going to really like being dead.

A Recipe Ripe for Racism

Throw in financial inequity and corporate interests, then add in evolving Judeo-Christian beliefs and the expanded opportunities to immigrants and ethnic minorities that evolution brings and you’ve got a recipe ripe for racism.

We need to get our collective heads out of our collective asses and get back to the fundamentals. Science is good, facts are good, critical thinking is good. Skepticism is good. Loving thy neighbor is good. And look, I’m not suggesting you live free from dogma; I’m trying to respectfully suggest that the devil can quote scripture.

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