Racism: prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group.
Putting my PoliSci cap on… Most Americans would say, “Two wrongs don’t make a right. Being racist today isn’t a valid fix for the harms of people being racist yesterday.” And that’s why Republicans win when Democrats focus too much on racial issues - the 7 in 10 perceive it as a new form of racism directed at them.
Do you want to be right at all costs? Or do you want to win this election?
None of which applies to redressing the balance by hiring someone in the minority who would normally not be hired for the job despite being just as skilled as a member of the majority
Was it racism when Mae Jemison was selected to be the first black woman to be an astronaut? Or was it because most astronauts before her were white men, so it was about fucking time?
We’re having two different conversations. I’m not here to say whether Biden was right or wrong to only hire black women for those roles. I’m not even going to pass judgement on how to redress the balance, as you put it. Those questions are way above my pay grade.
I’m merely here to say that when Republicans say “The people hiring based on DEI are the racists, not us”, the data shows that the majority of Americans agree with them. Therefore, as a purely political strategy, criticizing Biden and democrats for not considering white women for certain roles is a net win because more independents will agree than disagree.
Democrats are free to say “But we have to use a calculated form of counter-racism as a cure for historical wrongs.” They may even be right. It may be the only moral thing to do. Disagreeing may be evil and immoral. But none of that changes the fact that it’s not a winning electoral strategy to say or focus on those things in the 2024 presidential race.
Racism: prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group.
Putting my PoliSci cap on… Most Americans would say, “Two wrongs don’t make a right. Being racist today isn’t a valid fix for the harms of people being racist yesterday.” And that’s why Republicans win when Democrats focus too much on racial issues - the 7 in 10 perceive it as a new form of racism directed at them.
Do you want to be right at all costs? Or do you want to win this election?
None of which applies to redressing the balance by hiring someone in the minority who would normally not be hired for the job despite being just as skilled as a member of the majority
Was it racism when Mae Jemison was selected to be the first black woman to be an astronaut? Or was it because most astronauts before her were white men, so it was about fucking time?
We’re having two different conversations. I’m not here to say whether Biden was right or wrong to only hire black women for those roles. I’m not even going to pass judgement on how to redress the balance, as you put it. Those questions are way above my pay grade.
I’m merely here to say that when Republicans say “The people hiring based on DEI are the racists, not us”, the data shows that the majority of Americans agree with them. Therefore, as a purely political strategy, criticizing Biden and democrats for not considering white women for certain roles is a net win because more independents will agree than disagree.
Democrats are free to say “But we have to use a calculated form of counter-racism as a cure for historical wrongs.” They may even be right. It may be the only moral thing to do. Disagreeing may be evil and immoral. But none of that changes the fact that it’s not a winning electoral strategy to say or focus on those things in the 2024 presidential race.