The term “dog whistle” has at least two different meanings. It refers to a kind of whistle used in training dogs that emits a high pitched sound that is inaudible to humans. Politically “a dog whistle is the use of coded or suggestive language in political messaging to garner support from a particular group without provoking opposition.” Very often this language attempts to convey a racist message without using offensive racial language. A major example of this happened during this week’s Presedential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. In describing the influx of Hatian immigrants to the town of Springfield, Ohio, Donald Trump included a baseless internet story that Haitians were stealing and eating pet dogs and cats in that town. While the word “race” was not used or the racial identity of the immigrant Hatians mentioned, it is clear that the horrific false story was meant to contrast the Black Haitians with the white residents of Springfield. Throughout the debate, Donald Trump referred to the supposed millions of undocumented people who are invading the southern border and causing crime to sky rocket in our country. Yet the facts show that overall crime rates are actually down and the level of crime among immigrants is no higher than among the native born population. The hypothetical “invasion” is nonetheless a racial dog whistle, because the people who are entering our country from the southern border are mostly Black and Brown.
The use of racial dog whistles are not new. For example, opponents of the modern Civil Rights Movement regularly used the phrases “law and order” and “outside agitators” to perpetuate the stereotypes of Black criminality and communist influence without using those words. Dr. King and many other leaders in the movement were regularly targeted with these dog whistles.
For any of us who believe the Biblical affirmation that all people are made in the image of God, it is important to recognize, call out, and debunk these dangerous dog whistles that demean the humanity of our targeted sisters and brothers. In Springfield, Ohio there are already reports of Haitians receiving verbal abuse and even bomb threats following the Presidential debate. Racial dog whistles based in lies have real and dangerous consequences in Springfield and wherever they are used. The video posted below features a PBS report about the actual situation in Springfield. While a major influx of new residents from a different culture presents challenges, the Haitian immigrants are also making positive contributions to revitalize a town that had been economically depressed. Both the challenges and contributions point to our common humanity rather than perpetuating the hatred and lies at the heart of the racial dog whistle.