Oh, and thanks so much for your advice and observation that my current picture is probably sufficient in steering away racists. This was largely my original question and I appreciate the response!
Middle-class minorities very often engage in āracial upliftā ā as they work to achieve social mobility and acceptance into dominant economic, social and political institutions, itās the poor, or uneducated, or undocumented, or more recent migrants, or the criminalized, or the āunassimilatedā amongst them within their own groups that are blamed for undermining/ruining their own chances for achieving full acceptance. So new immigrants need to be kept out, or those damn kids need to stop dressing or acting so foolishly, or that group needs to speak proper English, etc.
To clarify, are you saying your Black grandfather, Latina grandmother (Mexican? PR? Cuban?) and yourself ā all support Trump? I would love to talk to you and hear your story as Iām actually starting to research this. I clearly donāt understand all the dynamics at work regarding racial minorities for Trump. I find the Latino support particularly interesting because like Christian evangelicals, everyone always said that it was religion (and pro-life) that was crucial for Latino conservatives. But it doesnāt appear thatās important, after all!
Chicago, I have similar language in my listing. Plus I am very up front about my orientation (first sentence in my listing). I think stating clearly that you celebrate diversity will deter anyone who believes bullying and fear mongoing are Desirable qualities and thus liable to make you uncomfortable. Ignore the defensive right-wing posts. I think you were pretty clear that youāre not interested in a political debate.
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Thanks, Jack. Iām probably just going to add āPeople of Color/LGBT welcomeā. But Iām also totally fascinated by the idea of interviewing Robertās multi-generational, Black/Latino/multiracial family of Trump supporters.
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Interesting string. I could care less who votes for who, is a redneck, a flaming liberal, tolerant or non-tolerant, it is ~none of my business~, as is none of their business what I believe in, or why. That is not the nature of their visit, it is not the reason why I am sharing my place. I find Americans, and I am one, do tend to be over-loaded with social issues and emotions; I just donāt go there with them, and is the last thing I would want or need to do. I live far, far away from the US for a reason, and they are personal, and I donāt wear the reasons on my sleeveā¦
Good basic people (my kind) come in all colors, political, sexual orientations, religious or financial levels. I choose by human instincts. I donāt sublet my place however, to make a political statement, that is not its intent, its intent is: share my place, in a beautiful natural setting (a tropical atoll), to people who would enjoy the opportunity to come into communion first with themselves and also with nature. Who knows, perhaps it is indeed adding a touch of humanity to all.
@felixcat POC was a new one on me also. 
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Hey Chicagohost, itās been ages since I logged in!
While I understand your sentiment, wouldnāt it be discrimination to turn someone away based on what they believe in?
I donāt live in the US but I follow the news closely, and Trump definitely has inhaled a few too many fumes of that orange stuff he slathers himself with, but wouldnāt you be demonstrating similar beliefs by turning those away should they want to book with you? Honest question.
I, for example, choose to not highlight āwho is and isnātā welcome in my home because these people are paying for a service, be it the hardcore Nazi couple from Argentina, or the two lesbians from Sweden, or the Imam from London - they probably will not try to convert me to their beliefs, all they want is a place to sleep at night.
I would appreciate your thoughts!
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This reminds me of the people who wonāt eat at certain restaurants because of the private beliefs of the owners. You donāt go for political reasons. You go for the good food.
The same goes for hosting. Iām not hosting to connect with a guest on some political wavelength. As long as their credit card isnāt rejected, neither are they. Itās simple enough.
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Having an open mind to othersā belief systems is a component of being in the hospitality business. Although Iām a Democrat and donāt like Trump, I also know that there are many decent and wonderful people, who for whatever reason, might vote for Trump. I offer you this, be open minded and you might be surprised. Much of the divisiveness in our country comes from people who hate the other political party so much that they wonāt have anything to do with them. I agree that having an honest profile that talks about who you are will deter the fascist type of supporters. Good luck.
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Iām pretty comfortable hosting most types of people who read my profile and decide Iād be a good fit for a host (for example, I am a vegan who has hosted hunters, no issues).
However, Iād be uncomfortable hosting a Nazi, as I donāt really want someone who thinks my family and I should be dead staying in my home. Civility and open mindedness are great, but there are some beliefs I am not interested in tolerating in my home.
I have not seen as strong a reaction against hosts who say they donāt host the Chinese, Russians, old people, couples, etc.
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I think that all of your questions are interesting and contrary to your original post that states you donĀ“t want interaction with people on that side of the table, yet, your post includes lots of questions youĀ“d like to ask. Maybe, a great guest who would be willing to sit down and talk openly would be a great way to get answers. I know I would love to. IĀ“m certain this forum is not the place and wow, trying to respond here would be like going to a fire hydrant for a drink of water. BTW For the record, DT is not a conservative. HeĀ“s an anti-establishment business man. And contrary to your comment about his work ethic, he is a work-a-holic, not a spoiled rich kid. Like him or not. There are several great answers here for you. Good luck and God bless!
I absolutely agree with you and couldnāt have put it better myself. I do wonder if, as an āexpatā (and it sounds as if you are one too) I feel more emotionally detached from my home countryās politics and social issues ā¦ though still keeping an interest in them. And I also have to say that I donāt remember ever having a guest who has imposed their political or social views on me, though Iāve had many interesting conversations with some of the best ones on these topics.
I think itās not difficult to get a feeling for the sort of people guests are quite early on. If I feel their views on social issue are likely to be very different from mine I will just chat on a superficial level, be hospitable, talk about the weather and their trips but not engage on any deeper level - and Iāll remember that theyāre only around for a few days of my life!
However, Xenaās post made me think ā¦ acknowledging that I must admit to the privilege of not having the experience of belonging to a minority race/sexual orientation ā¦ what would I do as, say, a black host if guests rolled up with a KKK bumper sticker? What I hope I would do is grit my teeth, put on my most charming smile and kill them with my most gracious and kind hospitality so that they would leave thoroughly converted from their vile opinions ā¦ yeah, dream on, but it just might make them think a little?
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I understand your point of view. Do you have on your profile a note stating that youāre vegan/anti-Nazi etc? I know some people make their vegetarian kitchen known in their description. The reason Iām asking is because there probably are scenarios where you canāt tell from the picture/initial conversation/first impression what the guest/host stands for, perhaps it would become more obvious once they arrive. You know what I mean?
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BRAVO!!! BRAVO!!! BRAVO!!! I was thinking just the same regarding your last comments!!!
I mention that I am vegan in my profile (but not uptight about it), and my guests donāt have access to the kitchen, so it isnāt really a point of conflict so far. I hope I shouldnāt have to say Iām anti-Nazi, as I think most people in my city are. Here in the States, neo-nazis and fascists are kind of underground, and probably wouldnāt be using AirBnB, so I donāt think it would likely come up, but it is some food for thought about how willing we are to host those who are different than us.
Chicagohost, you said a mouthful here! That is precisely why many Republicans are so angry and resentful. To be tolerant of everything is just wrong but thatĀ“s what has been crammed own our throat. DT is not a conservative, heĀ“s an anti-establishment, businessman who speaks about securing our borders, strengthening our military. You are right about his positions on the other issues. Some are quite questionable. And personally, I detest his language and arrogance.
But while we are talking about emotionally-charged issues and you asked about constitutional rights and the protection of them: In relation to an AIRBNB, do you think someone might need to say, ĀØThere are guns in my homeā¦oh yes, and ammunition, too. I believe in my constitutional right of defending myself. I you fear I might wake up with a bad case of indigestion and shoot you, because, as you know, anyone who is a pistol-packing mama is a loose cannon and unstable,ā you might not want to stay hereĀØ? Just askinĀ“
When I accepted the one āissue-basedā guest Iāve ever had (a trans who had expressed worry she would not be accepted) I reassured her she was more than welcome here, and even went out of my way to offer special goodies and things I donāt normally do. My thanks? In the review was a long list of nit picksā¦ which was so disappointing and led me to conclude that guests who align themselves with some sort of issueāpolitical or otherwise-- and make a deal out of pointing out same will likely turn out to be the high-strung, overly nervous, hand-wringing type of guest who wouldnāt usually be a good fit for me.
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ding ding we have a winner
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Isnāt the GOP convention in Cleveland?
Personally, I do believe there is such a thing as ātoo much informationā, especially subjects that have nothing to do with a temporary host-guest relationship. Politics, race, sex, religion for example tend to be incendiary subjects among humans anyway, so why even go there? Radical differences in such areas may just ask too much of human nature on both sides and make what would have been a simple temporary and pleasant exchange turn into an emotional internal quandary. Once such information rises, of course our own belief system (unless one is catatonic), will come into play so perhaps is wisest to not go there in the first place.
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Tasteful minimalism. Hospitality. Be nice. Golden Rule.
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