Proximal this and distal that
each inflect for number as these
and those. The word this indicating

something nearby, and that
indicating something further
afield. These words may also be used

either independently or dependently
as is evidenced in the sentences:
“That’s not true,” in the former case,

or, “This meat is rotten,” in the latter.
But what really matters about these
two words is that, if used correctly, they

refer to inanimate objects, not
humans or animals. Therefore, one
says of a steer, “He looks healthy,” but

of a side of beef, “That looks bad.”
And when Donald Trump says,
“Those people shouldn’t be allowed

to cross our border,” he’s using the plural,
dependent form of the very distal word
that to refer to animate human beings,

or at the very least, animals, and not
things. It is only those assholes who prey
on our worst natures that do this on purpose.