Opinion: Trump’s hateful rhetoric set stage for rally’s racist jokes

Who knew that racist banter and sexism would make a smashing comeback in political campaigns? I sure didn’t, but after watching Donald Trump’s damning rally on Sunday in New York, I now know that the divisive sentiments never left. They just hid in an old shed out back waiting to be rediscovered.
At Trump’s campaign rally in Madison Square Garden, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe openly spewed racist remarks. The jokes he made about carving watermelons with his Black friend, referring to Puerto Rico as a floating island of garbage and Palestinians throwing rocks were an egregious reminder that bigotry is alive and well in America.
Do you remember when political correctness was used to shape the tone of political campaigns? A time when candidates carefully chose words not to offend or alienate voters. Ah, those were the days, albeit short-lived.
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Now, political correctness has taken a backseat to cancel culture, confrontation, race-baiting and entertainment.
The rise of social media platforms like X and Facebook democratized political discourse, providing an unfiltered channel for candidates to communicate directly with voters. Politicians started using social media to bypass traditional media filters, leading to more unscripted and brash language.
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During Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012, there was a noticeable shift in digital communication. As online audiences grew, connecting and disconnecting with people happened faster, attention spans and language grew shorter, and speech filters became nonexistent.
People were beginning to reject political correctness because it was seen as a hindrance to free speech; they wanted to express their growing frustration with politics as usual but felt censored.
The departure from politically correct language has increased the emphasis on plain speaking to reach a wider audience, prioritizing directness over diplomacy. Although politicians should speak more candidly about controversial topics, alienating and endangering our nation’s residents isn’t the way to go about it.
Trump’s lies aren’t an issue of political correctness or censorship; they’re an issue of morals and ethics. Trump singles out certain demographics and pits others against them, and with politicians increasingly willing to make provocative statements, the political landscape has become more aggressive and identity-focused rather than policy and community centered.
Although negative campaigning is nothing new, in recent years it has become increasingly combative and divisive. Campaigning has shifted from winning voter support to all-out culture wars that impact more than elections.
These fights pose a threat to those who seek asylum and refuge in the United States and harm the mental well-being of our citizens.
What will be the long-term effects of abandoning civility in the name of erasing political correctness? Will we return to a place of moderation or become even more polarizing?
As political campaigns make the obvious shift toward our current non-politically correct reality, candidates shouldn’t forget that compassion and authenticity are still great leadership qualities.
Voters, too, must not hold entertainment and shock value higher than diplomacy and unity. Sticks and stones may break our bones, but our words have power, too.
Marla Bautista is a military fellow columnist at USA TODAY Opinion.