Parties and Prejudice

"Anti-minority rhetoric in American politics has grown more overt. What were once fringe comments on Stormfront have now become typical campaign appeals from many mainstream politicians. This is the social and political terrain we now live in. If there was ever a doubt, this is a poignant reminder that the boundaries of what is "acceptable" and "unacceptable" to say and do are fluid and socially enforced. In Parties and Prejudice, Maneesh Arora offers a broad framework for understanding the current political landscape. Arora argues that the interaction between social norms and party politics determines whether overt prejudice is accepted by the public and what the political consequence of prejudicial speech will be. Moreover, identifiable historical and contemporary factors have led anti-minority messages against certain groups to be more socially acceptable, and more electorally advantageous, than others. Using a case study approach that incorporates dozens of experiments, survey data, T.V. news coverage, and real-world examples, Parties and Prejudice shows that norms of acceptable political rhetoric have developed in distinct ways for Black, Muslim, and LGBTQ Americans. Norms have also developed in more inegalitarian ways within the Republican Party than within the Democratic Party. Arora argues that the relationship between norms, party politics, and expressions of prejudice is essential to understanding Donald Trump's rise to power, the modern conservative agenda (including opposition to critical race theory and transgender rights), and the current and future threats to the development of a multiracial democracy"--