Why do people think half of Americans are extremist/racist?

[Keshetar]

I am actually offended because half of a country of people are branded as extremist, not just by the other half, but the rest of the world. Why is this considered fair?

If we really are extremists, racism, misogyny, or other characteristics of "hate" might as well be tolerated speech. Just because we may have radically different attitudes on topics doesn't mean we are evil. If half of US is made of extremists, then how are we so dominant?

[Ashmoria]

if half are <whatever> how are we dominant

because you are half.

[Albaireu]

Because people need a scapegoat or someone to call names when they are angry.

[Costa Azzurra]

Because the alt-right (which I assume is the "half" you're referring to) have brought the political debate down to new lows with their vulgarity and hate speech. The highest public office of the nation is now -- thanks to said half of the population -- held by a man who's proud to proclaim that he spends his free time grabbing women by the pussy.

[Aelex]

Honestly, most of us non-americans don't give the slightest shit about you Americans and you really should reciprocate.
Does it really matter what people in the rest of the world think of you, anyway, as long as you don't know them?

[Vassenor]

Where are we getting the "half of americans" bit from anyway?

[Albaireu]

Because the alt-right (which I assume is the "half" you're referring to) have brought the political debate down to new lows with their vulgarity and hate speech. The highest public office of the nation is now -- thanks to said half of the population -- held by a man who's proud to proclaim that he spends his free time grabbing women by the pussy.

I would not call the alternate right 50% of the country neither would I even call Donald Trump alt-right in the first place.

[Romalae]

Honestly, most of us non-americans don't give the slightest shit about you Americans and you really should reciprocate.
Does it really matter what people in the rest of the world think of you, anyway, as long as you don't know them?

You foreign people do seem to like our pop culture, while simultaneously telling us we have no culture.

[Katganistan]

No, not half. Only about 30 percent of people voted, not that it mattered since the Donald lost the popular vote.

And I dare say that some of the people who voted for him are not racist. I would say they are misguided, because they believe the lies he spun about this being about making America great, believe somehow that his loading the cabinet with his billionire buddies who want to gut healthcare, education, and fuck the environment with a broomhandle for their own profit is going to improve the country, believe that he's not a racist despite him blaming all the ills of the country on Mexicans, Chinese, and Muslims, refuse to believe he's a misogynist asshole who grabs women by the pussy and brags about it EVEN WHEN HE BRAGS ABOUT IT, Ignore that he publicly mocked a disabled reporter with a 'spaz attack' because that's somehow acceptable, pretend they don't see he is financially in bed with the Russians, excuse that he encouraged them to hack his opponent's computer systems and see nothing wrong with the fact that while it's known they influenced the election and that the FBI chief KNEW IT AND DID NOTHING except sink his opponent's campaign, excuse him giving the Bellamy salute repeatedly while being supported by David Duke and the KKK, excuse that he knowingly lied about putting Ms. Clinton in jail then went back on in immediately after winning because he knew that no crime was committed.... and pretend he's supposedly put his kids in charge of his empire, so as to not have a conflict of interest, then tried to put them into positions in his cabinet and get them very high level government clearance because that's not a conflict of interest at all. That he's declared himself at war with the media and won't talk to any reporters at all from some news agencies? And they ignore how he's delayed all the lawsuits for fraud and illegal hiring practices against him so that he can hide behind the presidency?

No, some of his supporters, who are not NEARLY half the country, aren't racist. They're not even half of the pitiful number of eligible voters who got off their asses on election day. They may be just ignorant, whether willfully so or honestly so. That their candidate of choice is a complete shitbag who is in bed with a foreign power and was more than willing to accept the support of racist fucksticks should be giving them a whole lot to think about.

But I'm betting that the buyer's remorse will start setting in when he starts shafting his supporters, because understand this: the ONLY person the Donald gives a shit about is the Donald, and how he can profit from this. Ask the folks whose homes were repossessed by the banks for resale how they feel about him putting a Treasury Secretary in who foreclosed on 37,000 homes in the housing crash, a labor secretary who wants to eliminate jobs and minimum wage in favor of robots in his fast food chain, a Commerce secretary who owned the Sago Coal mine where workers died in an explosion and the mine was closed (hm, are you really bringing back jobs for coal miners?), a head of the EPA who wants to screw the environment (global warming? What's that? Drill baby drill!), a Health and Human Services guy who wants to privatize Medicare (meaning, his billionaire buddies get richer and the elderly/disabled get less medical care), a Housing and Urban Development pick with no experience and who opposes Fair Housing laws, and an educational secretary with no experience, no knowledge of the difference between proficiency and growth, who wants guns in schools, who wants to ignore the laws about educating disabled students, and who wants to dismantle the public schools to funnel federal funds into religious schools.

So, associate with this pack of ignorant, lying, racist, robber-baron charlatans, and then wonder why the majority of people who did NOT vote for this believe those who did, support him?

Why, how unreasonable to think that one supports what one voted for and proclaimed so proudly! And how awful and terrible it is for those who did not to point out how problematic that support is! So please, go on about how offended you are that people associate the folks who proudly proclaim they voted for all this with what they voted for.

[Mad hatters in jeans]

Politician X says something racist/extremist
People voted for politician X
In order to vote for politician X these people share the same values as politician X
Therefore the people who voted for politician X must also be racists/extremists

I don't share this view because it's a very rigid way of looking at things and one of the premises is easy to dismiss. Sometimes people will vote for someone they don't share the values of if they believe this person is a lesser evil than the alternative choice.

However if they do choose the lesser evil option they are in effect still pushing the ideals of politician X on the population. As such they are still linked to politician X's decisions while this person is in power.

In the case of Trump i'm willing to be a bit more lenient due to various circumstances which lead to misleading/false information about both politicians being aired.
And given how the US politics generally punish those who vote for a third party people may be funneled into voting for a politician they dislike.

Where are we getting the "half of americans" bit from anyway?

OP probably meant half the voters in the election. Although even then it's less than half of the voters.

[Salus Maior]

Most of Americans are really in-between the two extremes.

Everyone thinks the extremes are a majority because they're the loudest.

[Lautrec-]

I am actually offended because half of a country of people are branded as extremist, not just by the other half, but the rest of the world. Why is this considered fair?

If we really are extremists, racism, misogyny, or other characteristics of "hate" might as well be tolerated speech. Just because we may have radically different attitudes on topics doesn't mean we are evil. If half of US is made of extremists, then how are we so dominant?

Politicians represent the people. Said politicians are extremists. Therefore it's logical to assume that the people who elected them are extremist.

You guys elected a government filled with racists, Christian fundamentalists (Evangelicals) and misogynists who want to bring your society back to the middle ages, take away rights from women and persecute muslims and atheists. These people are going to destroy whatever is left from your public educations and healthcare, reduce taxes for the rich, let your country be ravaged by climate change and bring back religious law to all societal aspects.

If you are not extremist, you are, at the very least ignorant and your actions will have a negative impact all across the globe.

[Salus Maior]

I am actually offended because half of a country of people are branded as extremist, not just by the other half, but the rest of the world. Why is this considered fair?

If we really are extremists, racism, misogyny, or other characteristics of "hate" might as well be tolerated speech. Just because we may have radically different attitudes on topics doesn't mean we are evil. If half of US is made of extremists, then how are we so dominant?

Politicians represent the people. Said politicians are extremists. Therefore it's logical to assume that the people who elected them are extremist.

You guys elected a government filled with racists, Christian fundamentalists (Evangelicals) and misogynists who want to bring your society back to the middle ages, take away rights from women and persecute muslims and atheists. These people are going to destroy whatever is left from your public educations and healthcare, reduce taxes for the rich, let your country be ravaged by climate change and bring back religious law to all societal aspects.

If you are not extremist, you are, at the very least ignorant and your actions will have a negative impact all across the globe.

It's not our fault our parties gave us garbage nominees.

And no, Hillary wasn't much better.

[Orostan]

No, not half. Only about 30 percent of people voted, not that it mattered since the Donald lost the popular vote.

And I dare say that some of the people who voted for him are not racist. I would say they are misguided, becausethey believe the lies he spun about this being about making America great, believe somehow that his loading the cabinet with his billionire buddies who want to gut healthcare, education, and fuck the environment with a broomhandle for their own profit is going to improve the country, believe that he's not a racist despite him blaming all the ills of the country on Mexicans, Chinese, and Muslims, refuse to believe he's a misogynist asshole who grabs women by the pussy and brags about it EVEN WHEN HE BRAGS ABOUT IT, Ignore that he publicly mocked a disabled reporter with a 'spaz attack' because that's somehow acceptable, pretend they don't see he is financially in bed with the Russians, excuse that he encouraged them to hack his opponent's computer systems and see nothing wrong with the fact that while it's known they influenced the election and that the FBI chief KNEW IT AND DID NOTHING except sink his opponent's campaign, excuse him giving the Bellamy salute repeatedly while being supported by David Duke and the KKK, excuse that he knowingly lied about putting Ms. Clinton in jail then went back on in immediately after winning because he knew that no crime was committed.... and pretend he's supposedly put his kids in charge of his empire, so as to not have a conflict of interest, then tried to put them into positions in his cabinet and get them very high level government clearance because that's not a conflict of interest at all. That he's declared himself at war with the media and won't talk to any reporters at all from some news agencies? And they ignore how he's delayed all the lawsuits for fraud and illegal hiring practices against him so that he can hide behind the presidency?

No, some of his supporters, who are not NEARLY half the country, aren't racist. They're not even half of the pitiful number of eligible voters who got off their asses on election day. They may be just ignorant, whether willfully so or honestly so. That their candidate of choice is a complete shitbag who is in bed with a foreign power and was more than willing to accept the support of racist fucksticks should be giving them a whole lot to think about.

But I'm betting that the buyer's remorse will start setting in when he starts shafting his supporters, because understand this: the ONLY person the Donald gives a shit about is the Donald, and how he can profit from this. Ask the folks whose homes were repossessed by the banks for resale how they feel about him putting a Treasury Secretary in who foreclosed on 37,000 homes in the housing crash, a labor secretary who wants to eliminate jobs and minimum wage in favor of robots in his fast food chain, a Commerce secretary who owned the Sago Coal mine where workers died in an explosion and the mine was closed (hm, are you really bringing back jobs for coal miners?), a head of the EPA who wants to screw the environment (global warming? What's that? Drill baby drill!), a Health and Human Services guy who wants to privatize Medicare (meaning, his billionaire buddies get richer and the elderly/disabled get less medical care), a Housing and Urban Development pick with no experience and who opposes Fair Housing laws, and an educational secretary with no experience, no knowledge of the difference between proficiency and growth, who wants guns in schools, who wants to ignore the laws about educating disabled students, and who wants to dismantle the public schools to funnel federal funds into religions schools.

So, associate with this pack of ignorant, lying, racist, robber-baron charlatans, and then wonder why the majority of people who did NOT vote for this believe those who did support him?

Why, how unreasonable to think that one supports what one voted for and proclaimed so proudly! And how awfully and terrible it is for those who did not to point out how problematic that support is! So please, go on about how offended you are that people associate the folks who proudly proclaim they voted for all this with what they voted for.

10/10

THIS
SO MUCH THIS

[Sezraha]

well I mean maybe it's because you guys elected trump but idk

[The Bayside Municipality]

Very simple, because a populist president was elected, one with support of far right, and extreme/racist groups IG. the KKK.
There is no doubt that a big majority of the racists (, and) 'red necks' voted for Trump. The people who voted Trump all know what kind of idiot they voted for.
- Finally a president has been elected who clearly shows how the US really is... And how the rest of the world views them.

Yours,
A guy now hiding in a nuclear bunker


Sidenote props to Katganistan's post 10/10 respect.

[USS Monitor]

I am actually offended because half of a country of people are branded as extremist, not just by the other half, but the rest of the world. Why is this considered fair?

If we really are extremists, racism, misogyny, or other characteristics of "hate" might as well be tolerated speech. Just because we may have radically different attitudes on topics doesn't mean we are evil. If half of US is made of extremists, then how are we so dominant?

You're offended? OK. I assume "we" in this post refers to Trump supporters, so maybe you should do what Trump supporters keep telling everyone else to do: toughen up and don't expect the whole world to be your own personal safe space.

[Roskian Federation]

Well, those 62 million people voted for an extremist racist. Its flawed logic, but that's the truth (that that is why they think that) nonetheless.

[Minoa]

(snipped for great length)

Hola,

Wow.

I believe that sizeable proportion didn't vote due to an understandable lack of faith in the system. But then you got to add the states that ban someone for voting if they have a criminal conviction for even the smallest infraction. As much as I have no faith in the UK now, the UK still has some restraint even though you can't vote if your are in prison for more than 12 months. In most European countries, criminal convictions don't matter.

But let me tell all of you, this whole mess of the presidential election last year has distorted my view of American politics to the point where I am lamenting on how divisive the mostly two-party political system has become. I cannot believe how both campaigns were willing to throw so much abuse and allegations against each other just for one powerful job that lasts four years: this is why I REFUSE to pick a side.

However, that is in NO WAY WHATSOEVER to assume that anyone who voted for Trump is racist, but I said here, that one of the main reasons why I worry about Donald Trump so much was that the alt-right movement, along with many far-right nationalists and white supremacists, supported him with great passion and devotion - in which many of supporters in such movements thought that he, along with his limitless rhetoric, was the man for their vision.

But then again, Trump is now the president of one of the most influential countries in the world, and that kind of people who supported Trump might encourage support for other right-wing populists like Wilders, le Pen, et al.

Even though the marches of yesterday gave some hope to me, many may already know that I cannot myself rise up and take a stand due to my health and disability. All I can do is vote, but I have voted in EVERY SINGLE election and referendum since turning 18, as early as 7am in the morning. But if right-wing populism of this kind continues to spread despite all the great efforts against, I want to emigrate to somewhere safe — but then many countries REFUSE to take in disabled people whether or not they have a job waiting for them, fearing that they will become a burden on their system!

However, I DO NOT have to learn to live with right-wing populism either and swallow the consequences even though I would never vote for them: as I said in this post with for the SAKE of being honest, I would either emigrate (and recover) or I end my life (at least with dignity). And you know what, on 20 January, I posted my application to join Dignitas so that if the world goes to hell and other countries refuse to take me in because I am disabled, at least I have an way out.

Again, I apologise in advance for being brutally honest, but even my talented mind has a limit of torture or something like that.

-- Minoa

[Cetacea]

1 you guys voted Trump as your president (yeah it's your system you're all responsible)
2 even your leftwing is more rightwing than the rest of the world
3 your media promotes the extreme
4 you have weirdness that the rest of the world doesn't eg Westboro and Clive Bundy
5 American tourist are often quite loud and domineering

Anyway nobody thinks half of your are racist, although you are extreme by comparison to most nations

and your dominance is part of that extremism in as much as A)Americans invest so much into building its military dominance and spy network B) that investment + US economics has built a large number of dominant multinational companies

[New Chalcedon]

a labor secretary who wants to eliminate jobs and minimum wage in favor of robots in his fast food chain

....To be fair, that's going to happen. Fast-food jobs are neither sufficiently creative-thinking heavy nor sufficiently human-interaction heavy as to survive the development of industrial automata. And so long as that's the case, the cost-reduction incentive to automate will eventually lead to the adoption of automata doing what humans had previously done. As long as we can start, as a society, to recognize that the era of "jobs for everyone" is very much over, that can be a good thing. When we can build automata and/or computer programmes capable of performing 60%, 70% - maybe even 80% - of current demand for labour, we can become a society of artisans, philosophers, rugged individualists....whatever we want, really, freed of the former material constraints which have defined the human race throughout history.

Or we can become a cyberpunk, dystopian planet of 'burbs, full of narrow-minded, small-souled rat-racers, desperately clawing at the system for just enough to eke out an existence, jealously begrudging their neighbours' successes, as it means less for them and theirs.

Somehow....I doubt that Trump is interested in improving the human condition.

[The Liberated Territories]

I'm an anti government extremist, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

[Neanderthaland]

I'm an anti government extremist, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

You're anti-government, therefore you want people to think half of Americans are racist?

[The Liberated Territories]

I'm an anti government extremist, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

You're anti-government, therefore you want people to think half of Americans are racist?

What? How being anti government necessitate racism???

[Neanderthaland]

You're anti-government, therefore you want people to think half of Americans are racist?

What? How being anti government necessitate racism???

I'm not sure.

But the topic is "Why do people think half of Americans are extremist/racist?"

And you said, "I wouldn't have it any other way."