The Oxford Dictionary has defined the noun "shithole" as "an extremely dirty, shabby or otherwise unpleasant place." Out of context, it is not a racist word. I may have even used it once or twice myself to simply describe a mess of a place.
What it is, according to the dictionary, is a vulgar slang word, a word that is typically restricted to a context or group of people and lacks good taste.
Is it a word that a U.S. president should be using in a formal meeting? Of course not.
The kerfuffle that it has caused throughout the civilized world is the context. It came in discussions about immigration last week, when, according to some present in the room stated that Donald Trump was heard to say something like: "Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?" Those countries included Haiti, El Salvador and undisclosed African countries. He went on to suggest the U.S. should instead bring more people from countries like Norway.
That context made it a racist statement.
When caught with his drawers down once again he, in true Trump form, denied what he said. His comment was: "No, no, I'm not a racist. I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed, that I can tell you."
He continues to prove what a sociopath he clearly is. A line from Shakespeare's Hamlet "thou doth protest too much" comes into play. In everyday speech it is an indicator of someone's sincerity. Bluntly, it means just the opposite of what is being said.
Oxford also defines racism as "prejudice, discrimination or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior." Trump clearly has always thought that he was better and whiter than anyone else.
In my mind, it all came to light with birtherism, a word that was born with Trump's obsessive questioning of Barack Obama's birthplace. He just refused to accept the fact that this biracial president of the U.S. was born in one of the 50 states.
From there it has gone on and on. Mexicans are rapists and murderers, a ban on Muslims, an American judge should recuse himself from a case because of his Mexican heritage. He was sued for refusing to rent to black tenants. Let's not forget the frosting on the cake with Charlottesville. How much more proof is needed?
What is pathetic is that many of his Republican cohorts, or swamp inhabitants, refused comment or even denied it. Republican Senator Lindsay Graham is reported to have had, at least in that moment, the body parts to verbalize his disgust right away to Trump. What is wrong with the rest of them? What has happened to the American people, especially those who have been entrusted to know better?
Folks went after Hilary Clinton for her one "basket of deplorables" comment. Wow, that was mild and, as some can see now, factual and not one bit racist. But you have the leader of the "free world" talking trash about anyone who disagrees with him and isn't of pure white skin. Funny that the true Americans didn't have pure white skin.
In my many years on this planet, I have gone through many presidents. When I was a kid, Republicans and Democrats worked together with the president. I have never seen one with such appalling and vicious behaviour as this clown. I know Richard Nixon was not a saint, LBJ had a potty mouth, Reagan had issues too; and who knew that George W. would not look so bad anymore?
I was not at all happy with the election results but, like many, was willing to sit back and give this guy a chance. In one year he has managed to insult more world leaders and countries than one could ever have imagined. He continues to taunt the fellow from North Korea with whose button is bigger. He can't go to Britain because huge protests are expected. On Martin Luther King day, Trump showed his true colours by playing golf, unlike his predecessors who went out of their way to acknowledge what MLK stood for.
Racist? As the saying goes, "If it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, it's a duck."
