If I had a bowl of Skittles and I told you one was Donald Trump, would you throw the whole bowl in the garbage to make sure he never got elected?
Donald Trump Jr. compared Syrian refugees to Skittles, disingenuously implying that three out of a bowlful would kill you. But in order for this to be an accurate analogy, the bowl would have to contain over a billion skittles.
You are far far more likely to be killed by lightning than from terrorism. And foreigners on the Visa Waiver Program (which admits refugees) have killed exactly zero Americans. Your chance of being killed by a foreign visitor on a tourist visa (you know, the one used by Melania Trump to work illegally in the US) is 1 in 3.9 million per year. So if you are that paranoid about being killed by a foreigner, it would be far more important to stop letting foreign tourists visit the US than admitting Syrian refugees.
But that won’t stop Trump and other Republicans from trying trying to scare you into voting for them. And if they were actually concerned about your safety, why won’t they pass a law to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists?
6 Comments
I’m not sure, but people seem to need to feel fear. Trump provides a focus for their fears. Facts not needed. I have friends who have decided that they will not go into the city of St. Louis anymore because of the danger. Really! Their unfounded fear is just that, unfounded. But they truly believe that they are in danger when they cross that imaginary line from the county to the city.
Leave it to a Trump to turn something sweet into something so sour and insensitive. The Wrigley company (maker of Skittles) then felt compelled to remind that Skittles are candy and refugees are people, leaving it at that to avoid the appearance of callous marketing. Meanwhile, as the kid was making that bizarre candy-as-refugees analogy, a peek into the old man’s twitter feed around that time shows him praising the authorities in one post and then, less than an hour later, being critical of them for letting the latest bomber into the country in the first place. A naturalized citizen, btw!
“Great job once again by law enforcement! We are proud of them and should embrace them – without them, we don’t have a country! @realDonaldTrump 23h”
“Once again someone we were told is ok turns out to be a terrorist who wants to destroy our country & its people- how did he get thru system? @realDonaldTrump 24h”
A better question would be, how did this orange bozo get thru the nominating system?
Wildwood – in the media, sex sells. In politics, it’s fear. Nothing new here, beyond Trump taking it to a new low. If you’re a child of the 60s, like me, you remember the Goldwater/LBJ campaign and the overarching theme of the Red Scare and nukes. This article from Mother Jones features a short video of a Republican actor lamenting the nomination of Goldwater and wondering what happened to his party or how on earth he captured the nomination. You could substitute “Trump” for every time he says “Goldwater” and it’d be pretty much up to date (except when he lights up near the end…unless that’s a joint, and who could blame him, then or now? lol). The more things change…you know. Sigh.
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2016/03/republicans-against-barry-goldwater-ad-so-spot-2016
I’m convinced that Trump moved from his life long Democratic label because Republicans are more gullible.
You just might be right Ebdoug. And more fearful perhaps as well?
Ralph, I was in high school when Kennedy was running. In fact I went to see him speak at an arena here in St. Louis and I was lined up on the rope when he came out of the place. I was 16 and was two feet away and just awed to be that close to him. When he was shot, I think I just shut out politics for several years. I was dating, working, getting married, moving and having babies. Just took me a while to get interested again in politics, so the Johnson years are kind of vague. I was aware, but not really paying close attention. Even if I had been paying attention, I would not have remembered the ads and the specifics. But in politics, I’m pretty sure that what goes around comes around, only this time, other than politicians having orgies while debating, I think it may have sunk as low as it can go. Maybe.
My day to get interested in politics was in March 2003 when Baby Bush invaded a sovereign country.
I’ve read everything since then and found more and more how Johnson pushed Civil rights through.