What Are the Social Consequences of Racist Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric?

Relentless verbal attacks on Mexican immigrants and Muslims by President Trump and nativist pundits are one piece of a larger phenomenon. Media, academic, and law enforcement surveys suggest a rise in racist rhetoric against immigrants in this country and around the world. The effect of such rhetoric on social media has been a subject of study, but less is known about its broader social impact. Do racist words translate into violence? Does such rhetoric inhibit targeted minorities from participating in civic life, interacting with law enforcement authorities, or obtaining the services they need? And what does it mean for children—and for their health, education, and self-esteem—to grow up in an environment where such rhetoric is routine? Director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at UCLA School of Medicine David Hayes-Bautista, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dean Hansell, and UCLA psychologist Patricia Greenfield visit Zócalo to discuss the social costs of the racist rhetoric that surrounds us.