(no subject)
The New York Times has an interesting graphic on its on-line front page right now in which you can click on a different demographic to see how that demographic voted in each state's Democratic primary.
It is too bad that this primary race had to be so focused on race and gender. I guess it's naive to think it could have been any other way, considering that this is the first election in which we had not just a woman and not just a black person so far into the race, but both. It's exciting, and about time. I wish the country was such where race and gender mattered less than they do. To me, voting for someone because she is female or because he is black is as ludicrous as not voting for someone for those same reasons. I suspect there's a bit of middle class white privilege at work in that feeling though. (I am, however, female, and Clinton's female-ness never factored into my decision. That said, one of the things I found most telling about the graphic on the NYT website was how much more drastic the difference in voting was when you compared black to white voters than when you compared male to female. Is there a corellation between this and the sense of disenfranchisement felt by these particular demographics?)
All of that said (and I really just meant to say it's too bad the race was/is so focused on race and gender) the really good thing about the race being so focused on these things is that, over the past few weeks, I have read so many interesting things about race, gender and class issues. I like that people are talking about these things. Maybe they always were. No doubt they were. I like that I'm listening.
It is too bad that this primary race had to be so focused on race and gender. I guess it's naive to think it could have been any other way, considering that this is the first election in which we had not just a woman and not just a black person so far into the race, but both. It's exciting, and about time. I wish the country was such where race and gender mattered less than they do. To me, voting for someone because she is female or because he is black is as ludicrous as not voting for someone for those same reasons. I suspect there's a bit of middle class white privilege at work in that feeling though. (I am, however, female, and Clinton's female-ness never factored into my decision. That said, one of the things I found most telling about the graphic on the NYT website was how much more drastic the difference in voting was when you compared black to white voters than when you compared male to female. Is there a corellation between this and the sense of disenfranchisement felt by these particular demographics?)
All of that said (and I really just meant to say it's too bad the race was/is so focused on race and gender) the really good thing about the race being so focused on these things is that, over the past few weeks, I have read so many interesting things about race, gender and class issues. I like that people are talking about these things. Maybe they always were. No doubt they were. I like that I'm listening.