Shaming White People Hasn’t Worked; Let’s Try Something Crazy
By: Cyrus B. Radfar
Tags: Patriotism, Racial Justice, Election 2020, Politics, Democracy

In response to:

Dear illiberal liberals,

Please stop writing inflammatory generalized attacks on folks who disagree agree with you. Respect the nuance in other groups that you’d expect them to see in the many you aspire to elevate.

Take a breath. Now, time for some real talk.

White women didn’t vote for 45 because they simply hate themselves, they’re “poison”, or terrible people — they voted for him for a simpler reason. He doesn’t make them feel bad about themselves.

There’s a lot of nuance and many reasons that people voted the way they did. It may have been self-interest, interest in their community, a lack of interest or distaste in identity politics, or an unfounded but established belief that Democrats want to end America as they know it and love it.

We need to accept that we’re not going to have systemic improvements without finding a way to pierce the bubbles that separate us. For moderates or center-right who are embedded in deeply “red” communities, they haven’t actually ever given attention to a counter-argument because their only exposure to the “left” is from extremely polarizing view-points that go viral.

It would be pragmatic to accept the reality that 45 and his social media army inspires some to feel accepted because he agrees with how they and their community think. From where I’m sitting, it’s hard to accept that 45 would inspire anyone but we can’t deny it.

Meanwhile, it is simpler to see him as a toxic leader and force in our nation. A leader whose actions and lack of action are regressing a century of progress for women, minorities and immigrants.

The cult-like “agree with me or you’re the problem” arguments need to chill the f — out.

How much data do we need the status quo approach to 45 is not working to heal a divide?

NYT writer, David Brooks shared in a post-election op-ed:

Trumpism and Wokeism are not equivalent phenomena, but they both serve as secular religions for their disciples. They offer a binary logic of good and evil, a cultlike membership experience, apocalyptic or utopian visions, witch trials for the excommunication of the impure and the sense of personal meaning that comes while fighting a holy war.

What’s the suggestion?

Focus on what unites vs divides. Identity politics have failed to lead to the results required for systemic change and are over-powering many progressive policies that the whole country can get behind. Accept that forcing people to accept one reality isn’t a winning proposition and we should focus on winning, not converting people. Accept that a person who doesn’t see or believe in systemic racism in their all-white rural town, can agree that student loan debt is a problem, healthcare is a right and calling them a racist doesn’t win their vote. Beg folks you know to stop the sharing attacks, outrage porn, and arguments which pit groups against each other based on their beliefs.

Focus on “Dinner Table Issues”

Focus less on what divides us, labels us, and requires us to change how ‘others’ think and start from a place we all agree on. The nation isn’t in a holy war for its identity. What the left wants is good jobs (for everyone), a secure nation (for everyone), protection of health (for everyone), the guarantee of free education (for everyone).

Rather than starting a conversation with identity, start with economic opportunity, security, healthcare, and pro-small business tax policy.

“I ran on dinner-table issues, and those resonate with people all across our country…” — Michigan Governor Whitmer

It’s not as grand as racial justice or equality for all, for many, and I can appreciate that.

It also may frustrate many who feel that their pain isn’t heard, accepted and shared. That said, I think there must be a way for us to appreciate the incredibly inequity and cruelty in our society without moving to blame or attack those who aren’t on the same page.

Stop Focusing on “How” We Win or What THEY Did

Is it not a win to have universal healthcare or free university even if at the top-level messaging of the campaign we focus on repairing 400 years of inequity and abuse to the Black community.

If we lead with the latter, you immediately hit a wall of cognitive dissonance for, apparently, over 70M Americans.

Let’s be real — after four years of tirelessly attempting to convince folks into seeing our side and, now, learning that millions of folks went in the other direction — why would we continue?

Thoughts, debates, and ad hominem attacks, all welcome in the responses.