My Thoughts on Comments

Some of these comments express fears and anxieties. How would you describe the fears and anxieties being expressed in these comments? What are these commenters afraid of, specifically?

     The first Anonymous post that discusses the need for a new Industrial Revolution in America shows fears of a poor economy.  This comment expresses a fear that Illegal Immigrants are taking jobs and causing a poor economy.  Anonymous really portrays more fear in a poor economy rather than the issue of Trumps original comments about Illegal Immigrants.  Paul shows fear of Illegal Immigration in general.  He agrees with Trump in that Illegal Immigrants are a terrible thing for the United States.  Gina's anxiety stems from feeling that Mr. Trump is not a suitable president for The United States because of his inability to show sympathy. She feels as though Trump is just a business man who needs to stick to the business lifestyle and refrain from incorporating business into politics.  Jake's anxiety comes from Illegal Immigrants.  He agrees with Trump's statements that the Mexicans coming to America are not Mexico's best and are rather just blue collar workers that are taking jobs that Americans are perfectly capable of performing.  The second Anonymous's post is irrelevant towards Trumps statements.  This commenter shows is merely trying to incorporate a tradition in Mexican culture into an argument that doesn't seem suitable for the relation.  Later on in the comments, Al'n portrays anxiety towards Trumps remark because she feels directly connected to what he said.  She appreciates her Father because he came here illegally under harsh circumstances that forced him here illegally, but she was able to make a name for herself and her dad did the same.  She fears that Trump has the wrong idea of the traditional Illegal Mexican Immigrant. The final Anonymous commented about Hitler trying to relate the Genocide of Jewish people to the comments being made.  This comment shows fear towards a dark hatred from Mexican Immigrants.  

What kinds of beliefs and values are represented in these comments? How would you characterize the kinds of values and beliefs being expressed in the comments?

     The comments have beliefs and values that range from people expressing moral values and obligations all of the way to remorse from past events and hatred towards certain stereotypes of Mexican people.  Paul and Al'n both show beliefs directed towards the Mexican lifestyle and the stereotypes of the Mexican heritage. They have opposite beliefs, however.  Paul is against Mexicans.  He portrays the idea that Mexicans have a bad reputation for coming to this country and destroying the American lifestyle.  Al'n represents the opposition to Paul's statement, stating that she has a first hand experience as to how valuable Mexican Immigrants can be to the country.  Anonymous One and Gina both discuss values that are based around the business end of politics. Anonymous One mentions Illegal Immigration briefly, but focuses on the fact that Trump is a business man and could potentially aid the United States by beginning a new Industrial Revolution to spark the economy. Gina opposes him saying that Trump would hurt the economy because of his racial comments.  Her business minded comment shows some sort of emotional value because she feels strongly that Trumps statements are hurtful and do not portray what a presidential candidate should be arguing for in his race for presidency.  The values and beliefs represented in these comments range from emotional and moral values to values based only on opinions related to the business side of Trumps presidential campaign.  

Which commenters came across as the most reasonable? What made them seem reasonable?

     Jake and Al'n came across with the most reasonable comments.  This is because they use real life evidence to back what they are saying and they tie their evidence to their opinions toward Trumps statement.  Jake has first hand experience Immigrants because he was a law enforcement officer, and he uses this knowledge and experience to portray his argument as to why Trump is accurate in saying that Illegal Immigrants are generally bad people. Al'n, although her appeal is purely emotional, is reasonable because she backs her feelings with experience as well. 

Which commenters came across as lacking credibility or trustworthiness? Why didn’t they seem trustworthy?

     The second and third Anonymous post are the least credible for multiple reasons.  For starters, they are both Anonymous, showing that they do not want to release their identity to the public because they are potentially afraid of what people might think of.  This makes them seem unsure of their feelings on the matter.  Also, both commenters do not stick to the issue at hand. They both begin and end their comments off topic of what the true issue is.  Anonymous Two's post has little to no relevance on the issue whatsoever.  This comment discusses dog fighting, which has relation to Mexico, but nothing specific about what Trump was saying.  This comment could be taken away with no harm done to the argument or the arguers.  Anonymous Three tries to relate Illegal Immigration to the largest genocide in human history.  Adolf Hitler was a terrible man who, although he stood up for what he believed, he acted upon his feelings in a gruesome way that put others at risk.  This comment was an attempt to relate Hitler to Trump, showing that Trump has goals to erase Mexicans completely.  This is not at all what Trump was saying.  Hitler and Trump should not be compared.  Although Trumps views may not be well liked by this commenter, it does warrant a comparison to history's number one mass murderer.