Harden perspective: Trump's rhetoric on racism is dangerous

Racism has never been "dead." It was simply in a "calm" phase of abuse.

Psychologists explain that the cycle of abuse as having four phases: first tension, then an incident, third reconciliation, and fourth calmalm. Then, the cycle starts over again with tension.

Since the Civil War there have been three major incident phases for America. 1) SCOTUS’s ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson leading to Jim Crow laws when it held separate was equal; 2) the tremendous push back after Brown v. Board of Education and the Civil Rights Act overturned Plessy, which gave minorities rights and forced integration; and 3) President Obama being elected.

The inevitability that America truly is a melting pot and not just for one race.

Trump’s presidency has put us into a tension phase and it i

s this type of rhetoric that will lead to our next incident. This is not acceptable for a leader of our nation. It is divisive and empowers the ignorant and weak minded.