I was just watching for the second time the interview of Chris Hayes by Heather McGee of Demos regarding his book A Colony in a Nation. In one segment he describes his reaction to a Trump rally cheering Trump when he brings up The Wall. He has an imaginary conversation with the rally-goers and says, “You know you’re in Kenosha” and his audience in N.Y.C. laughs. “The Wall is far, far away,” More laughter. “What do you think they’re [meaning the Mexicans coming across the border] going to do, take 9 buses to get to Kenosha and…. [pause] get a job?” Much more laughter.
Don’t get me wrong. I found it very funny, too. But I am also aware that it is a condescending attitude; I’m just not sure how to stop feeling it. The humor may be a cover for outrage; how can you be so duped by this con man, how can you be so full of fear and hatred of people coming here to work, often work declined by Americans, that you go into a rage at the very thought of “them” coming on “your” property, the U.S. And why do you roar with delight when Trump trumpets his humiliation of the Mexicans by making them pay for the very wall that will keep them out? Do you really believe some concrete wall is going to keep out people desperate for work when Americans want their labor so bad, or keep out the drugs when Americans so desperately want the drugs?
And so on and on. What the hell do we do with all this but laugh?