How Many White Americans Think Poor Countries Are ‘Sh**hole’ Countries?

Published in Huanqiu
(China) on 12 January 2018
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Yuzhi Yang. Edited by Laurence Bouvard.
When it was revealed that President Trump called Haiti, El Salvador, and African countries “sh**hole countries,” it ignited a firestorm. According to mainstream American media, members of Congress were present at the Jan. 11 meeting at the White House about immigration policy, and Trump questioned why America would accept immigrants from such countries, instead of people from countries like Norway. Trump mentioned Norway, perhaps, because he had just met the Norwegian prime minister the previous day.

Calling two Latin American countries and African countries “sh**hole countries” was absolutely and diplomatically unacceptable. No country considers such language reported by the media as politically correct. This incident has definitely affected Trump’s own image, made the world see America as even more irresponsible, and presented a more negative image of America overall.

This leads us to believe that, in fact, most white Americans do see poor Latin American and African countries this way. It was just that Trump was not good at holding back and expressed these sentiments out loud. White politicians and members of the media may have the same view, even as they criticize Trump.

In a broader sense, the whole Western world has some degree of regional and racial prejudice. One can hear comments similar to Trump’s claim about poor countries at dinner tables and private parties, even if they are covered up by the mainstream media.

Trump’s election was the result of a surging tide of white populism in America, and his unfiltered words expressed the emotions of such believers. While plenty of the political and media elite criticized him, there’s also some acceptance of his style. Whether this incident will damage his brand of politics remains to be seen.

What is worth noting is that this comment was made in a closed-door meeting at the White House, and was exposed by someone at the meeting. The continued leaks from the White House have shown a lack of basic political consensus and unity at the highest political level. The level of infighting has far overpowered the “American national interest.” It is necessary for Trump to be careful of everything he says at the White House, just as if he were making a speech, and he’s obviously not used to such self-restraint.

It is not news that Trump is biased against the non-Western world. This kind of bias has existed in most white American societies, and may even permeate the Western world, something which is an open secret.

Yet American society needs immigrants; it is undisputed that prosperity in the West cannot survive without the multifaceted contributions of developing countries. The latter have determined what the moral and legal consensus is on strict racial discrimination in America and the West; however, political infighting in America has made this consensus hard to maintain even at the most basic level, something which has proven to be an issue.

American immigrants who came from poor countries are sure to react, too. Haiti and El Salvador have protested Trump’s comment, and the discontent among other Latin American and African countries will not dissipate either. However, none of these reactions will produce major changes to American politics.

The biggest uncertainty is coming from within America. If American news reports are accurate, Trump was caught red-handed making the comment, and it would be hard for him to defend or justify his behavior. Trump’s enemies are free to use this against him in any way they want, and are unlikely to show mercy.

America is facing the challenge of a rapidly changing world. The advantages America enjoyed during its prime are fading, but the country is still very advanced. When the shortcomings in the American leader’s ability to govern are shown, American society becomes anxious, and hesitant, too. The current American president’s style and speech are very different from past presidents, making the White House unpredictable, and fragmenting American society. Right now, it is hard to judge whether this fragmentation is a normal cyclical change or a fatal break. We can only wait and see.



美国总统特朗普被爆出在白宫会议上称海地、萨尔瓦多及非洲国家是“烂国家”(shithole countries),激起轩然大波。据美国主流媒体报道,白宫11日举行的那个会议是讨论移民政策的,有国会议员在场,特朗普在会上表示,为什么我们要让那些“烂国家”的移民来这里?为什么不能让像挪威这样国家的居民来美国?特朗普特别提到挪威,大概是因为此前一天他刚在白宫会见了挪威首相。

将两个拉美国家和非洲国家称为“烂国家”,这在外交上无论如何不可接受。而且无论在哪个国家把这话拿到媒体上,政治都不正确。这件事肯定有损特朗普本人的形象,也会加深世界对美国正变得越来越不负责任的印象,整体上会给美国拉负分。

这件事让我们相信,其实美国大多数白人都是这样看拉美穷国以及非洲国家的,只不过特朗普不善掩饰,把这话直说出来了。那些批评特朗普的白人政客和媒体人,心里未必不抱有同样的看法。

再扩大一点说,整个西方世界都不同程度存在地域及种族歧视,与特朗普对穷国的类似评述会在餐桌、小型酒会等各种私人场合听到,尽管它们通常会被主流媒体屏蔽。


特朗普上台是美国白人社会民粹主义高涨的结果,他的一些口无遮拦的话表达了白人民粹主义的种种情绪。尽管不少政治及舆论精英批评他,但他的做派也被相当程度上适应了。一个新的事件是否会发酵成对他的特殊政治打击,存在不确定性。

值得注意的是,这些话是特朗普在白宫闭门会议上说的,后被参会人“捅了出去”。白宫内部的事情不断外泄,这表明美国政治高层缺乏起码的政治共识和团结,各种政治势力之间相互倾轧的动力远远压倒了人们想象的“美国国家利益”。这实际在要求特朗普即使在白宫每说一句话都须多加斟酌,就像面对公众讲话一样。他显然承受不了这样的自我约束。

特朗普本人对非西方世界存在偏见,这不是新闻。这种偏见普遍存在于大多数美国白人群体之中,甚至有着整个西方的烙印,也是一个公开的秘密。

然而美国社会需要外来移民的存在,西方的繁荣离不开发展中国家多元化的贡献,这些又是不容抗拒的现实。后一个原因决定了美国和西方形成了严禁种族歧视的道德和法律共识。而现在美国内部的政治对抗让此共识难以维持最低限度的正常水平,这是一个问题。

美国社会内部来自穷国的移民肯定会有所反应,海地、萨尔瓦多也都表达了抗议,其他拉美和非洲国家的不悦大概也不会自生自灭。但这些都不会对美国的政治运转产生重大影响。

最大不确定性来自美国内部。如果美媒的报道确凿,特朗普这次说严重错话就被“逮了个正着”。他将很难为自己辩护、开脱,他的政敌想怎么“收拾”他都有了道义上的名义。他们大概不会愿意轻易放过他。

美国面临如何应对剧烈变动世界的挑战,美国全盛时期的很多优势都在衰竭。它依然很发达,但领导世界的能力开始捉襟见肘,整个美国社会变得焦躁,患得患失。现总统的行事和语言风格都与以往的总统大为不同,如何给白宫的变化定性,美国社会严重分歧。这种分歧是正常的阵痛,还是致命的断裂,现在很难下结论,人们只能拭目以待。

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