Identity Politics Survives

One of the major criticisms of political correctness has been the fascination of the liberal media and the left with the race and gender of politicians and others in prominent positions in American society.

Alas, despite the recent election results – even some Democrats have conceded that a “woman” was not defeated; an unlikable, dishonest candidate named Hillary Clinton lost – most of the PC crowd has ignored the message. 

Thus, the reliably liberal Associated Press news service reported that the announced Trump cabinet selections were mostly white males with one black and a few females in the mix.  Obviously, for many, symbols (“diversity”) remain paramount over substance.  Not all Democratic leaders, however, were oblivious to the voters’ anti-pc verdict.  Tim Ryan, a Congressman from Ohio, announced shortly after the election that he would challenge Nancy Pelosi for the House Minority leadership post, noting that the time had come for his party to stop “slicing and dicing” the American electorate into categories of blacks, whites, Hispanics, gays, etc.

 

Although he lost the contest (the two to one margin emphasizes the extent to which the Democratic core is infected by the appeal of “diversity” politics), his point was well taken.

Why should differences on superficial matters among Americans be highlighted at the expense of our common interests and needs?

The right way for Americans to view their fellows is not as members of this or that group or category but, rather, as individuals with particular plusses and minuses, as is the case with all of us.

Of course, The Sensible Conservative recognizes that this is goal not fully shared by those on the Right as well as on the Left.  But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be.

 

Martin Luther King, Jr. said over fifty years ago – no less significant because of its “ancient” origin:  “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

That remains an aspiration worth pursuing for all Americans, Democrats and the Left included.