Grotesque and Terrifying: A Look at Recent Political Rhetoric

“They walk among us.” These ominous green letters appear against a dark background. Above them, words like “aliens” and “declassified” suggest the disclosure of once-secret files about extraterrestrial beings. Further text appears gradually: “For 60 years, the U.S. government has kept a closely guarded secret.” The revelation isn’t about a horror film, but rather a surprising web page by the White House. It isn’t about extraterrestrial aliens, but immigrants targeted by immigration enforcement.

The page declares, “Aliens have been walking among us, living in our neighborhoods, and interacting with us in our daily lives.” The message is blunt and uses phrases such as “They do not belong here” and, “Deport them all.” It portrays immigrants in the U.S. as nonhuman invaders, intertwining fascism with trolling.

Users are invited to search for numbers of immigrants arrested on criminal charges in U.S. cities and towns. This webpage exemplifies a subgenre of Trump-related actions that combine menace with immaturity. Ernesto Verdeja, a genocide-prevention expert, describes it as “Grotesque and terrifying and juvenile.” Such rhetoric changes societal norms in gradual steps.

Benjamin Valentino, a professor at Dartmouth College, suggests the real purpose is to cause inaction. He believes the page aims for the majority to ignore government actions against immigrants. “They want a majority of the population to turn their backs,” Valentino said, suggesting that this passive complicity is all that’s needed for the government’s agenda.

Valentino co-founded the Early Warning Project which predicts risks of mass atrocities globally. Although anti-immigrant violence in the U.S. doesn’t match the atrocities Valentino often studies, he notes that dehumanizing language serves as a typical warning sign. Such rhetoric prepares the ground for potential mass violence against groups seen as ‘other’.

Valentino warns, “It’s not that it turns normal people into murderers,” but rather into passive onlookers.