Sep 26 2024 67 mins
A few weeks ago, former President Donald Trump made the assertion, from the Presidential debate stage, that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating citizens' pets. This was his attempt to underscore the need for immigration reform by using debunked conspiracy theories to incite fear. He received this pet-eating information from "people" who he did not name and, though the story was revealed to be completely unfounded and false, his running mate J.D. Vance continued promulgating the rumor after the debate. Since that time, Springfield has experienced bomb threats and school closures due to racist conspiracy theories surrounding the Haitians in the area (the vast majority of which are there legally). Several Haitian migrants have filed suit against Trump and Vance.
Just this week, Republican Representative from Louisiana, Clay Higgins, provided this rant on X: "Lol. These Haitians are wild. Eating pets, vudu, nastiest country in the western hemisphere, cults, slapstick gangsters...but damned if they don't feel sophisticated now, filing charges against our President and VP. All these thugs better get their mind right and their ass out of our country before January 20th."
This week, my conversation partner, Loren Romeus (who is Haitian) will help me unpack the power narratives beneath these sound bytes, interviews, memes, and tweets. We'll explore why our power narratives matter and what's at stake when we embrace or excuse lies. Join us as we continue to dig for God's gold in the baffling story of American politics.