Broad Brushes
The United States is currently a divided
nation. Close to half of the population of the United States cast their vote
for the current President. However, more than half of the U.S. did not. While
the other candidate won the popular vote, our current President won the
electoral vote.
Unfortunately, the current President ran
his campaign-and won the election-on a platform of racial bias and hate. One of
the tools that the President uses in his arsenal of hatred is broad brush
statements.
What is a broad brush statement? It is a
term for making a broad statement with little regard to details or facts. It is
likened to the imagery of using a large paint brush to apply paint to a large
area.
It is important to note that not all broad
brush statements convey messages of hatred. It is also important to note that
not all broad brush statements are true. For example, I could make a statement
saying “All women eat tacos.” Or, “All men wear purple.” These are broad brush
statements. Just because I said them, it doesn’t make them true.
.
Broad brush statements are now commonly
used as tools of hatred, to convey falsehoods about section of people, based on
ethic statistics, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity. To provide an
example, the current President of the United States once stated that the
Mexican people coming into the U.S. were all killers and rapists. Again, this
is but one example.
Unfortunately, because that same man was
elected President, broad brush statements full of demagoguery have become executive orders from the Oval Office. One example of
this was his executive order of a travel ban that targeted Muslims, which has
now been overturned in Federal Court….
It is sickening that the President uses
broad brush statements regarding people who are unlike him. It is disgusting
that other Americans are now acting in kind, making broad brush statements that
differentiate and marginalize other Americans, to perpetuate their message of
hatred.
As I began to write this essay, I truly
did not to attend to give so much attention to the President of the United
States. However, his demagoguery and hate-filled rhetoric are the best example
to explain this phenomenon. Just today Amnesty International released its
annual report, which contained many statements about the President of the U.S. NBC News reported on the Amnesty International
annual report:
“Amnesty
International says President Donald Trump's "poisonous" rhetoric on
his way to winning the White House led a global trend towards increasingly
divisive politics in 2016 that had made the world a "darker" place…It
alleged that "toxic" fear-mongering by anti-establishment politicians
is contributing to a global pushback against human rights….Politicians are
shamelessly and actively legitimizing all sorts of hateful rhetoric and
policies based on people’s identity: misogyny, racism and homophobia.….Releasing
its 408-page annual report on rights abuses around the world Wednesday, the
watchdog group described 2016 as "the year when the cynical use of 'us vs.
them' narratives of blame, hate and fear took on a global prominence to a level
not seen since the 1930s," when Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany….Amnesty
named Trump, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan and Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte among leaders it said
are "wielding a toxic agenda that hounds, scapegoats and dehumanizes
entire groups of people"...Poisonous rhetoric employed by Trump in his
election campaign exemplified "the global trend of angrier and more divisive
politics"…The limits of what is acceptable have
shifted. Politicians are shamelessly and actively legitimizing all sorts of
hateful rhetoric and policies based on people's identity: misogyny, racism and
homophobia. The first target has been refugees and, if this continues in 2017,
others will be in the crosshairs."
To read and download the report by Amnesty International, click here:
It is important that the world be aware
of these broad brushes, the hatred in these messages, and their use to validate
legislation against a group of people. If you are reading an article or piece
of news that describes any group of people, based on their religion, sexual
orientation, skin color, take a moment and question if it is a broad brush
statement. Ask yourself, “Is that true? Are they making a true statement? Are
they spreading hate?” Do not take the statement at face value. Question the
author’s motives for making such a statement.
Broad brush statements full of hate are a
complete waste of time and energy. Do not take them at face value. Question
them. Confront them. Dismiss them. I can think of other things in this world,
more useful things to humankind, that could be applied with a broad brush…
Kindness. Tolerance. Mindfulness. Imagination.
Creativity. Art. Peace. Patience. Empathy. Courtesy. Respect. Love.
© Esperanza Habla All Rights Reserved
"Anything is Possible" by Mary Engelbreit
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