Can a President of a nation have openly racist behavior? Are there no limits to indecency anymore? Unfortunately, it appears not.
A few days ago, he represented himself and his wife Michele as monkeys. After the criticism, he later deleted the post, but refused to apologize for the offense.
The animalization of opponents is well documented in History. It is a classic form of dehumanization widely used by fascist and genocidal regimes.
In Nazi Germany, Jews were called rats, vermin or parasites. In European colonialism, racist rhetoric of animalization of African people, described as “savage” or “primitive”, was often used in order to legitimize slavery or domination.
No, this post by Donald Trump is not an isolated case. When he arrived in politics, he brought a demolition machine. A machine that demolishes the basic rules of civility and decency that have been in force for decades, which elevate behavior and make public space a frequentable place.
These offensive, indecent or unusual statements became so frequent that they were normalized. What initially caused shock and indignation no longer had an impact. Much of society shrugs its shoulders and gets used to it.
In political science there is a concept that explains this: it is called the “Overton Window”. This window represents the set of ideas and values considered acceptable in a given society at a given time. At this stage, the window of what is admissible is wide open.
Even more serious, Trump serves as a beacon for far-right movements around the world. What he does and says, others copy – in Latin America, in Europe, also here in Portugal.
Thus, more and more people lose the shame of repeating racist, xenophobic, homophobic or sexist insults. Social media algorithms help.
How limits are imposed once again on indecency and this window of what is acceptable is closed again, that is the big question of our days. The future of democracies may even depend on it.
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