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Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Gender Racism On Display

It is particularly striking in the aftermath of AOC's take down of a fellow Congressman for his overt disregard for a co-worker, where he was so confident in his superiority that doing it in front of witnesses did not faze him in the least until he was blisteringly humiliated by her on the floor of the House.  She skewered him artfully, pointing out that the mere existence of his wife and daughters did not a decent man make.  Indeed it does not, and while her response was not absolutely flawless, it resonated for me and I am sure for many other women. 
So now we have the beginning of the misogyny and racism lens being focused on Kamala Harris.  Having just finished Ibram Kendi's book How To Be An Anti-Racist I am struck by what would he say about this?  If I read him right, he would say we need to focus on the woman herself, not on the "race" she is.  Race doesn't exist.  It is irrelevant to the conversation.  She is the daughter of a Tamil Indian and the descendant of Jamaican slaves.  Those are the cultures that she springs from.  That is how we push back against the ugliness.  Give them no power.  Give her power.

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