"This is why the so-called "identity politics" are so damaging. It doesn't matter how benevolent your intentions are. If you focus on differences in race or gender, you inherently group people by those characteristics. When you frame things in this way you automatically make people in each group feel that they will have to give something up in order for the other groups to improve. The effective framework is to draw bigger circles - don't talk about groups, talk about making things better for everyone. Virtually all of the most effective civil rights leaders in history have understood this. MLK, Mandela, Gandhi - their speeches and writings are full of "bigger circle" analogies, asking for everyone to be treated well, often without mentioning their specific groups at all. You can't fight subconscious human nature. The us-them response is part of the automatic response system, it's not governed by conscious thought. The best intentions in the world can't overcome it. Identity politics can't work. At least not with humans."
THIS! I absolutely agree with this.
To actually SOLVE problems and heal division you NEED be inclusive.
Instead this Administration, this Rep. party is openly dividing us. Pitting one group vs. the other. It's inner city Baltimore, those people. Them! It's the hordes of brownies swarming our borders. Them. If only we could get rid of them. Send them back home. While you're at it, send anybody who looks different, talks different, and especially that disagrees with me BACK home. Things will be better then.
The Party is headed by a liar who uses opinion research and lies posted on twitter attempting to influence opinion and the resulting research to pander to the most base weakness of humans. Fear of the other.
Do yo know that a large portion of those prospective Federal Judges that Trump is now appointing would NOT even state whether or not they supported the Supreme Court's landmark Brown V. Board of Education decision?! It is true. IF you don't know the importance of THAT decision on race in this Country I would submit you're already a racist. Perhaps just thru ignorance, but racist none the less.
I agree with all3 that to a major extent BOTH Parties are broken. Morally bankrupt.
But one party is VERY exclusionary. Worse yet it harbors and defends racists. The other Party is just the opposite. Some say too much so.
I doubt the Repugs. would even countenance "The Squad"s" members for example.
This Country needs a new voice to emerge. A voice of inclusion and reason.
A voice that recognizes the horrid evil that is racism. That understands the legacy that WE as Americans have throughout our society. As mentioned above, a tendency to fear others of difference and to group by appearance and tradition. It has NEVER served us well. It is a human weakness.
Recognize that, unfortunately, leaders have failed before. Our Gov't has made horrid mistakes. Committed horrifically immoral acts. It is our past. It has to be reckoned with. We had bottoms. Many of them. All over the place. Racism EVEN in the so-called Free states. (Google, Nicodemus, Kansas!) Doesn't anybody remember Bosque Redondo? or that guy those rednecks drug to death behind their truck on a chain in Texas a few years ago? How long must we pretend we're somehow different as humans than the rest? We're not. But, we've been courageous in the past. We've sucked it up, almost en masse! when we needed to.
We need to now. We need to, at least, summon the courage to admit the truth.
What happened in 2016 WILL eventually be widely known.
Your children will KNOW just how much Russia had to do with Trump. And I ain't talking about just his election!
We've erred before. We ratified the 18th amendment. And then realized we F'd up and quickly undid it.
A national ooops! Mulligan.
No one has all the answers. But I've learned..... you can't trust an inveterate liar. EVER!
About anything.
The G.O.P. is Grand no more. It's conscience has been stolen by nationalists and bigots.
The party will implode on itself. It's only hope is that within it a warrior or two will muster the courage to stand up, face the truth, and cast the racists from their mists.
Meantime, the only game in town is definitely in play.
Make your children proud. Overcome your weakness, beat fear. Unite against Racism.
Tulsi 2020
For ALL of America.