"After class, I looked at the news on my phone. A December 4 CNN report showed a video of a boat blasted to bits by the U.S. military. Flames engulfed the four men on it. They are only a few of the 115 people killed in the 35 military strikes so far on alleged "narco-boats," ordered by Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth."
"Hear the disturbing glee in his reply? The Trump administration has made the spectacle of violence a powerful tool to achieve its goals. It paints opponents with the label of "criminal." The "bad guys" are my students and Caribbean boats, whole immigrant communities, so-called " antifa," and transgender people. When people are labeled "criminals," it excuses others to look away as their rights are violated. The label serves as an excuse for murder."
Students born in the U.S. report fear and connection to rhetoric that targets undocumented people and their communities. A CNN video showed a boat destroyed by U.S. military strikes, part of 35 attacks that killed 115 people on alleged "narco-boats" ordered by Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Public figures and officials celebrated or responded gleefully to the strikes. The administration leverages spectacle and criminal-labeling to dehumanize immigrants, protesters, and transgender people. Criminalization enables bystanders to ignore rights violations and can be used to rationalize lethal force. The pattern links earlier public cruelty to escalating state violence.
Read at Truthout
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