Dueling Victims—Identity Politics Taken to Its (Il)logical Conclusion
In America today, is it worse to be black, or female? That’s the absurd question many in the Democratic Party and in the mainstream media are pondering.
The victim mentality that has sustained so much of liberal ideology over the last four decades has been starkly displayed of late after pack journalists swarmed around two ill-conceived and incendiary statements by Geraldine Ferraro and George McGovern, both of whom are Hillary Clinton supporters.
According to Ferraro,
If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is.
And according to McGovern,
I have a feeling that in this country where we’re at today in our thinking, it’s going to be harder to elect a woman than to elect a black man.
To (white) Clinton supporters, it’s better to be black than female. This is a question without an answer, of course, though we know two things for sure: 1.) discrimination of any kind is damaging to the health of both individual bodies and the body politic, and 2.) the roots of racism and sexism, while both run deep, are comparable at only the most shallow levels.
If only the media weren’t, like the academy and liberalism in general, still dominated by people with a stake in keeping racism and sexism alive in the national psyche, maybe more healing could be taking place. For Hillary Clinton and her operatives to be trotting out the ugly side of identity politics is shameful and damaging to their party and our nation. The only beneficiaries of this infighting are John McCain and the Republicans.
No matter how hard he tries, Barack Obama can’t rise above the issue of his blackness, which his blue-state Democratic rival has turned into red meat for yellow journalists.
March 26, 2008 at 5:24 pm
“Obama cant rise above the issue of his blackness, which his blue state Democrat rival has turned into red meat for yellow journalists.” Well said. I know you love Obama but he’s no better than Hillary IMO. Aren’t you dictatortot from Huffington Post? Thats where I found you and you haven’t been posting there lately.
March 26, 2008 at 10:19 pm
So much for being color blind!
March 27, 2008 at 8:38 am
The only way prejudice of any kind can be overcome is when each individual is happy within him/herself and wants to work for the common good. Unfortunately, that will never happen! The fight for power, money and self will always prevail. It’s been said that “all is fair in love and war”—and in this case, politics.
March 27, 2008 at 12:19 pm
“If only the media weren’t, like the academy and liberalism in general, still dominated by people with a stake in keeping racism and sexism alive in the national psyche, maybe more healing could be taking place.”
I’m just curious why you think that the liberal movement fosters racism & sexism. I don’t consider myself a liberal, so I am not personally offended by this remark, but I think it is unfounded. I think that Ann (above) was on point when she said that prejudice is fueled by greed and disatisfaction with one’s own lot in life. I think it is also fueled by fear– fear of those we don’t understand and fear that we will somehow miss out on what we “deserve” as Americans (ie: The American Dream) because someone we don’t understand (a minority of some kind) will take it from us. It seems to me that much of America’s problems stem from this very belief that we are somehow entitled to a fancy car, 3 bedroom house, designer clothes simply because we are American. The sooner we get off our damn high horse and start putting things into perspective the better off we’ll all be.
March 28, 2008 at 9:26 am
You are right, Dr. Coleman. There are those who sincerely want to end racism and sexism and those who want to keep them (or something else, should the ‘good’ folks ultimately win) alive forever. I didn’t mean to paint an entirely black picture.