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Faster than a whiplash, identity politics returned to the forefront of the political culture wars as soon as the Democratic Party nominated Vice President Kamala Harris as its candidate for president of the United States. Identity politics never went away; it was always there, like the oil in the machine of American racial politics. But this time, it has returned to the forefront with such ferocity and such a level of absurdity that I am somewhat jaded.
I hate identity politics because it has never done anything for the people in my community on the South Side of Chicago. It only emphasizes and emphasizes our black identity while leaving too many of us underdeveloped to compete in today’s economy. It has left us with a label of inferiority, made us believe that we are a violent people and that we must be pitied or saved. I know this because when I travel around the United States and tell people where I am from, I get a certain reaction that I know someone from Poughkeepsie does not feel.
I also hate the idea that my skin color is supposed to determine who I vote for. That’s why when I saw the hashtag #BlackWomenForBiden trending on X right after Harris’ announcement, I felt a certain disappointment. Harris has not been the best public servant to black men and women and she should be judged on her public record. Yet according to identity politics theory, black women are supposed to ignore her actual actions and vote for her because they share a similar skin color pigmentation? My city of Chicago is run by a black mayor, a black district attorney, and countless other black public officials and yet violence and corruption persist. Don’t get me started on Baltimore and other black-run cities.
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On the other hand, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson is black, but you wouldn’t think so. That’s because he governs as a mayor, not as a mayor. Black MayorHe governs reality, not black politics. He governs for all and that is how it should be in today’s America.
Then I saw “White Women for Kamala Harris” trending and wondered if white women were really that sad. Shannon Watts, one of the leaders of this movement, preached that it was white women’s responsibility to elect a black woman. She castigated white women for questioning their white privilege, doing “the work,” and never speaking out or contradicting a black person. She said nothing about Harris’ qualifications. It was just white this and that and black this and that and just plain old racism. We need to start calling these white women racists and shaming any black person who feeds off their noblesse oblige.
I think you know who’s next in my rant. Yeah, “White Guys for Harris.” Wow. I haven’t watched it, but I heard it’s a pity fest about how dudes need to check their toxic masculinity and do the right thing. All I have to say here is where were you in the 60s when it mattered? When black people really needed help being a part of America? In the 70s? In the 80s? Even today, for God’s sake. We can always use volunteers in our community to expose our people to new thoughts, paths, and opportunities. I never saw them around – because they were on a Zoom call preaching their goodness by voting for a black woman. White dudes for a black woman – that’s all I have to say about that.
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Democrats aren’t the only ones engaging in radical identity politics. Last week, while scrolling through X, I came across a piece by the DailyWire’s Matt Walsh that said, “Almost Everyone Is Afraid to Tell the Brutally Honest Truth About the Crime Epidemic.”
I knew right away who he was talking about: Black people. He went on to explain in his video how politicians and activists blame gas stations and cars for violence instead of blaming criminals directly.
All I can say about this is that I have been saying this for a long time, long before Walsh. He acts like he is a brave soul willing to tell the truth, whereas we have been telling the truth all along – we are not afraid to speak with brutal honesty about the root causes of our community’s problems.
But Walsh will never know. He’s never been here.
The furthest he’s gotten is in his podcast studio, where he plays identity politics and stigmatizes entire races to get clicks. And if he thinks this is just a “black” problem, he needs to get out more. I’ve been to “white” towns that are being destroyed by job losses, drugs, violence, and, yes, increasing fatherlessness. It’s time for Walsh and other Republicans to stop scapegoating black people. But white identity politics doesn’t sell as well as black identity politics.
What I hate most about identity politics is that it emphasizes racial tribalism instead of emphasizing our humanity. That’s why I’ve disciplined myself to look beyond race to the harsh realities that trouble my neighborhood.
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Only by seeing reality and all its complexity can I begin to formulate answers to the problems. And none of these answers are based on race. They are all about expanding one’s abilities, expanding one’s access to opportunities, and instilling the unerring American principles of merit, responsibility, and accountability.
Shame on all those on the left and right who lack discipline and exploit identity politics to get votes and clicks. They are our number one problem today and America will not improve as long as we continue to give power to these racist fools.
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