Dehumanization by Deification: On Kamala Harris and "Black Women Will Save Us"

[natyanayaki]

My introduction to the politics of Kamala Harris came from the Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP) and other sex worker organizations and activists in the wake of the federal shutdown of Backpage’s adult section in January. Backpage was a website that a number of sex workers used to advertise and screen potential clients. The closure and federal

Comments

[liliaeth]

honestly, I think there's more damage done by the purity philosophy of Sanders and his lot. (esp. since their idea of 'purity' seems all too willing to throw minorities and women under the bus in exchange for their economic pursuits)

They're so harsh in judging democrats, far more so than they ever are in judging republicans, that it gives independents the wrong idea, making them think that the democrats are at least as bad, if not worse than the extremely corrupt republicans.

[natyanayaki]

sanders' lot include women, men, and women of color so claiming that they're willing to throw minorities and women under the best is iffy at best. frankly, i don't understand the accusation that they have some sort of purity philosophy while throwing marginalized people under the bus, because an aspect of economic justice is equity -- which would unachievable if marginalized groups are thrown under the bus. though ultimately it seems like that accusation is "the left is too pure unless there's a term that we could use to paint them in a negative light." it's especially a confusing claim given the democratic party's decision (the head is a corporatist, centrist) to fund anti-choice candidates

[blackjedii]

the democratic party doesn't do well when it caters to corporatist, centrist republicans as seen in the recent election when hrc paraded all the republicans who endorsed her over nasty trump^^^ As the saying goes, if you put a fake Democrat up against a Republican, the fake Dem will lose every time. (ofc Trump is a Republican only in the sense of his paranoid, EVERYONE IS OUT TO GET ME!! mentality that has taken hold of the GOP ever since the birth of Rush Limbaugh soooo

[lightframes]

Making everyone's lives better is great, but it won't erase racism. We need racial justice and economic justice together - just one of them won't work. Right now it looks like centrist dems want to focus only on racial injustice and leftists want to focus mostly on economic justice and some racial justice when it's convenient, but both are equally important to me.

[lightframes]

This article seems to be arguing a point that hasn't really come to fruition. It's saying we need to criticize politicians regardless of their race or sex, right? That's already happening. If we blindly voted for whatever racial minority or woman ran for anything, our political system wouldn't look the way it does. Women and minorities do get criticized, to an unfair degree.

Maybe I just hang in different circles than the rest of the Internet, but I haven't seen anyone saying Harris is beyond reproach or we shouldn't be criticizing her. I'm not saying it's not happening or it doesn't matter, I just don't think it's reached the level where it's concerning. If she runs for president, trust me, she will receive criticism, deserved and undeserved. She won't skate to the nomination.

[liliaeth]

hell, she'll probably get criticized way more harshly than someone like sanders ever was. In fact if there's one guy who's skated through election season, without anyone taking a closer look at him, or any of his actions, it was Sanders.

[moonshaz]

Amen to this.

[mimblexwimble]

She's already being criticized more harshly.

[spiritoftherain]

Sounds like Kamala Harris is perfect for the Democrats, then.

Eight years of Trump, here we come.

[calinewarkwc69]

Democrats and accountability man... every time you bring up holding people accountable, it's a fucking shit show in this party.

Kamala is definitely going to get pushed by Dem establishment and they aren't smart enough to just leave it alone--- but she will never win over the left for the coalition she would need to win if she doesn't run a clean money campaign-- and i just don't think that's in the party's plans for her.

[mimblexwimble]

This seems less about holding people accountable and more about writing off anyone who isn't "perfect" from the get-go.

[invisiblegirlx]

I'm tired of centrist corporate democrats complaining about the "whiny left", when without the "whiny left" they wouldn't be pushing for medicare for all or a 15 dollar minimum wage or for prison reform or anything else for that matter. They would just be pushing republican light. It's not the 90s anymore. There is an appetite for moving to the left, not right. The Democrats in charge are too old to get this.

[icetypejim]

The left, specifically activists, push Dems to fight for actual progressive policy and social change. The Dems begrudgingly do it while fighting it every step of the way, then take all the credit for it while doing their best to kill off the progressive momentum that pressured them in the first place. Their party is a graveyard for social movements.