2 weeks Ago By The Straits Times
It has been raining cats and dogs in America. The myth that immigrants are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, has triggered an outpouring of memes. An early example showed Donald Trump hugging a kitten and a goose.
These were soon swamped by plays on the absurdity of the claims. The silver lining to this postmodern version of blood libel is that humour remains an effective tool. Beneath it, though, lies a momentous twist in American politics.
Trump launched his 2016 presidential campaign with an attack on illegal immigration. He has gradually expanded that to include legal migrants who come from the wrong culture. Refugees from Haiti, which Trump once called a “shithole”, are a soft target.
Though most of the 20,000 or so Haitians in Springfield are in the US legally, they have arrived in short order. Already a subscriber? Log in Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month No contract ST app access on 1 mobile device Subscribe now All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you.
