Thats why, when Trump says he wants to ban Muslims from coming to the U.S. (remember, an estimated 23 percent of American Muslims are black), that there are good Mexicans and bad Mexicans, Germans hear that massive deportations and internments are coming. But Americans, including black Americans, assume that its the same rhetoric weve always heard. When George Wallace said, Segregation now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever in 1963, black folks werent re-enslaved. Later comments from other political figures, referring to welfare queens and superpredators, foretold of bad policy, but not the end of America as we knew it. So we rationalize that things might be bad, but essentially wed all be perfectly fine under President Trump, right?
All of this puts me in an interesting position. Im acutely aware of the racial realities in the U.S., but I found myself trying to assuage the concerns of mostly white Germans about an American political leader rising to power off of racial resentment and violent rhetoric.