The Dangers of Identity Politics
The Dangers of Identity Politics
A note on how identity politics create an unfair and dangerous political sphere.
One longs for the days past when the American people could separate the wheat from the chaff during a presidential election, putting America first in its decision making. Today it appears as if "identity" leads our decision making in the political sphere. Identity politics and in specific race politics act as a mass handicap for the individuals who subscribe to them and as a nuisance for the sane amongst us. With the consequences of identity politics permeating the culture and fueling further political divisiveness, It is obvious for many the dangers they pose if allowed to flourish further. Though one can see the appeal to those who may be daft in their political approach, It must be said that identity politics are fundamentally flawed in two major aspects. Namely that they are unfair and threaten a return to civil discourse.
The unfairness of Identity politics manifests in two different ways. The first being; The great fallacy that presents itself when those of the same"identity" don't agree yet are expected to due to their "identity". A recent example that serves this argument well is one of President Joe Biden who in 2020 said “If you’re having trouble figuring out if you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black” The statement is silly yet insightful. Silly due to the fact of it's complete ignorance to the fact that all Black Americans do not think or vote the same and to imply the opposite gives great insight into the democratic party and their dependency on the black vote. When the black man decides not to buy into the race game that has been played by the left for decades, he is then an enemy to his own people. Though, one could find great humor in this, seeing that since one is not a white republican who can easily be cast off as a racist, one is now subject to the labeling of traitor ( and much uglier names) who is being manipulated by the right to coheres those who are in the same "identity" group. It is unfair and idiotic to believe that those who have in common an identity that falls out of bounds of the larger society should share the same values and ideas, just as it is unfair for any political party to use such notions to aid them in their success.
The second way in which the unfairness of identity politics reveals itself is in the fact that it is a juvenile tactic that find wings with one side only. If there is to be a party who is for the people of one identity group, this automatically gives false validity to the assumption that the others are against the people of said identity group. If one party is for black people, the other must be racist. If one is for gay people, the other must be homophobic, if one is for abortion, the other must share a disdain of liberties for women's bodies and healthcare. For our friends on the right who wish to stay clear of the identity politics battlefield they are sometimes left with no other choice. This we see in President Donald Trump's campaign which offers merchandise for specific identity groups such as Black Americans, Hispanic Americans etc. However, It is foolish to see this for nothing else than a seemingly necessary and justified rebuttal to the left who has attempted to wield the sword of identity politics at his peril. It can be said that a black man wearing the classic Make America Great Again hat is obviously a Black American who supports trump, making it senseless to create extra slogans for specific identity groups. Which is true, however, when a baseless and harmful rhetoric of Mr. Trump being a racist finds its way into the public sphere, a "Black Americans For Trump" hat is in fact not playing into race politics but rather fighting back against the unfair utilization of identity politics by the left.
Since 1964, the democratic party has retained highly favorable numbers amongst black voters. Though, unfortunately throughout the decades it is mostly due to the fact that the democratic party has painted itself to be the great savior and defender of Black Americans. This is a dangerous effect of playing into identity politics. To require a defender, there must be a threat, in this case the threat has been painted out to be the “racist republicans” and their “anti”-[identity] polices. This is the case with any marginalized community. Once a defender is put into place, anyone on the other side of said defender is the enemy. In todays culture, especially in youth, there is a glorification of enemies. 44% of college students agreed that they couldn't affiliate with someone who shared different political views than them. An extreme, idiotic worldview such as this leads to nothing but contempt and violence. When dialogue between those on opposing ends cease, terrible things come as a result. When we give in to identity politics it is not longer Democrats Vs. Republicans; instead it becomes us vs. them. It becomes Good Vs. Evil. It becomes war.
It is important to note that the argument is not against helping any group of Americans who may be facing hardship due to reasons beyond their control. However, the focus should always be on helping each and every American without their being an overt catering to one group of people vs. the other. It is unwise to use the identities of different groups as a weapon against ones opponents. It is dangerous to conceive and nurture an environment contempt for one identity group vs. another.
The future is unknown yet in it, there is a light. A light of hope that offers an antidote to todays madness. However, the light can dim and turn into a grim darkness if we are not careful in our approach. The question we must ask ourselves as Americans must be this; What do we want the future to look like? one of light or of darkness? One of love or of hate? One of cooperation or one of contempt? it is wise for those of us who have sense enough to, to keep our eyes on that light and lead the way for our fellow brethren as a way to save our great nation from ripping itself apart from the inside out. For those who consider themselves conservative, to you I ask this; If everyone is focused on fighting on the left and right, who is focused on love? Though it can be tempting and fun to poke back at those who who swing their fists at us, I urge you to take the high road when it comes to the personal jabs or the funny nicknames. When it comes to divisive nature, allow our hearts to be touched by Jesus and love our neighbor as ourself. In this holds a helping hand for our current situation. Though, it may take some hard work and compromise, it can be done. Identity politics contributes significant hinderances to such a task yet there is hope. The light of the future is ours. We simply must work together, as fellow Americans to get there.
