The Problem with Viewing Trump Like “the Drunk Uncle” in Need of a Family Intervention

When Tribalism Creates Default Denial, Defensiveness and Blind Spots

There is much outright denial (with no openness among many conservatives to even consider there may be some truth involved) about how Russian influence helped Trump rise to the presidency through manipulating media messages. Related to this is an emerging tendency among many white “liberals” to regard Trump like the “drunk uncle” in the family who’s merely an annoyance or embarrassment. Many feel more comfortable blaming Democrats for issues that tainted the recent presidential election than they do with considering that domestic threats created by white men (like Trump and white nationalists who are compromising national security and stability, in different ways) are real culprits in dismantling aspects of American Democracy. It’s similar to how they refuse to view the alcoholic uncle as a predator of adults or potential molester (psychologically and materially) of children, despite warning signs. When Nancy Pelosi recently suggested that Trump should be subjected to an “intervention by his staff and family,” it occurred to me how readily whiteness leads to seeking plausible, alternative or innocent explanations for the severely harmful actions of people who look like them. It shows how easily tribalism and the ideology supporting…