There's a lot of talk these days about what does and doesn't constitute racism (also sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, etc, but I'm focusing on racism today). Before I get going, let me first mention that as a white person, it is not up to me to decide what is and isn't racist. That goes for every other privilege I hold which bars me from gatekeeping what people of lesser privilege find offensive to them as human beings. Privileged people do not get to decide what is offensive to other groups, because our privilege shields us from fully understanding and acknowledging what can cause hurt to people of those groups. We don't get to tell someone what is and isn't hurtful to them - I can't slap a person and tell them it didn't hurt. But our privileged position in the world is also what makes us feel entitled to gatekeep these things - "well, it doesn't hurt me, so why would it hurt others?"
So, having acknowledged my own privilege, I'm now coming at this from a place of understanding of how sociological factors inform our language and our behaviour.
Trump's recent "go back to where you came from" comments are absolutely racist, and here's why:
If he was speaking about white people, these words would have never come out of this mouth. This is because white is the default - no one wonders where a white person is from. But in a Eurocentric North American country, we see a person of colour and tend to automatically assume they are from elsewhere. It's the same reason it is inherently racist to ask a person of colour where they came from, or where their family came from, or make any assumptions in this regard. There are generations of North Americans of colour who constantly have to defend their own Canadianness or Americanness, simply because they are not white.
Trump's attack on these congresswomen is a perfect example of this; all four women are American citizens, and three of them were born in the States... sooo their country is America! The words "go back to where you came from" imply that they are not American, that they don't belong there. Again, it is unlikely he would have said these words to a white person of say, Irish heritage. So yes, this sentiment is indeed racially-charged.
How can I be so sure of racist intent? Because sociology. Because cultural hegemony. Because kyriarchy. Because time and time again this maddening excuse for a President has proven that he is a fucking racist, or at the very least wants to appeal to his demonstrably racist base.
We like to think that we are unique beings with our own self-guided ways of thinking, and it's really hard for people to recognize that this isn't the case; we are all products of the society in which we were brought up. We learn our culture's norms and we internalize them. This is why racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, fat-phobia and all other internalized systems of oppression are so prevalent - yes, even in you. Even in me.
Whether we like it or not, our society was built in a certain way to cater most to a certain demographic, and this means that those of us within that demographic have been taught to think and behave in ways that harm others, and we don't even know we're doing it. Here is another reason we can't be the ones to gatekeep what is and isn't offensive - because we are blind to the ways we might offend someone... and we're not very good at recognizing personal fault because of course we're all perfect, kind, good human beings with no cruel intent. Well guess what: lack of intent to be cruel doesn't mean we're not being problematic, hurtful, or offensive.
I use words like pussy to describe weak people, even though I obviously consider myself a feminist and I know using words like this ascribes weakness to female attributions. This is an example of internalized misogyny - and I fucking love women! I know the female reproductive system is strong as hell - we can literally build, sustain and bring forth life with our uniquely amazing bodies. A pussy can withstand incredible trauma and is anything but weak.
My point here is this: we internalize what our culture instills in us, and North American culture is incredibly racist. American culture is incredibly racist - this is undeniable truth, and if you disagree you haven't been paying attention to its 500+ year history and current social climate.
And since language is inherently linked to culture, since each informs the other, we can be using racist language without knowing it, and we can behave in an offensive way without realizing it. All it takes is a little deconstruction, critical thought, and recognition of a broader societal picture to pick apart the meaning behind a simple string of words.
What we say, and who we say it to - and who we wouldn't say it to - matters. Cultural context matters. And in the context of a verifiably racist leader speaking venomous words with laughably inaccurate implications to a group of women of colour - yes, it's fucking racist.
