Hi, I'm Gabe
and I'm a [censored].
Sorry.
Since I work in media,
I can't talk about my identity or lived experience
because apparently that would be …
divisive?
Today we're taking a look at folks that have started using the phrase
"identity politics"
to stifle conversation that makes them uncomfortable.
Here's why they should step out of their bubble of alternative facts
and take a look at what's actually dividing our country.
On today's agenda,
we'll be discussing
The way we use the phrase "identity politics" today,
usually applies to an individual or group
focused on a narrow cause,
often to their benefit at the exclusion of others.
Which is funny, because it sounds like something
racist white people literally invented.
Like the time they tried to legally count a black person
as only a portion of a white person.
Or the time they spent taxpayer dollars
on two of everything instead of sharing with people of color.
Or even the time white nationalist Richard Spencer said this:
Historically, examples of "white excellence"
in America seem to necessitate the exclusion or subjugation
of anyone who isn't a white guy.
But the moment people of color or ethnic minorities
start to reclaim these differences
and own a culture they've developed
under government-sanctioned oppression …
suddenly we're the ones hung up on race?
Don't hate the player,
hate the game your racist ancestors invented.
Apparently, whenever people of color
talk about systemic inequality
and how it affects their lives day-to-day,
we're playing the race card.
But based on the way everyone from members of Congress
to Breitbart bloggers have been using the phrase,
identity politics has become a safety blanket
for alt-right snowflakes eager to lash out at their opponents
using phrases like the "woman card" or the "gay agenda"
when they find themselves unable to debate
using science, history or fact.
What the right gets wrong about their identity-politics claim
is that today's movements for equality are inclusive.
From the Black Lives Matter movement to the Women's March on Washington,
centering vulnerable communities in a name
has never meant the exclusion of allies —
because allies know that equality means
first lifting up those who don't share in it equally.
Can't say the same for the adorable deplorables at a Trump rally
who kicked out a black man, assuming the color of his skin
made him a protester.
Get him out of here!
Gotta love that alt-right inclusivity.
This is why Americans,
particularly the white majority in this country,
need to hear from people who aren't like them.
According to a 1996 study from USC's Annenberg School,
television programs can influence the way a viewer feels about
groups through a process known as "priming."
Exposure to stereotypes, or counter-stereotypes,
can alter that viewer's behavior
toward a stereotyped group in an unrelated media event.
So if the stories you consume on screens
can influence the way you treat people in the real world,
representation and authenticity take on an entirely new urgency.
When you call shows like Blackish
or Master of None
or even the One Day at a Time reboot
"reverse racist" because they center around
non-stereotypical people of color,
you're ignoring the fact that for centuries, our entertainment hasn't.
You don't lose an episode of Friends
for every episode of Blackish that comes out.
This isn't a zero-sum game.
Although apparently y'all can't even share a fictional character,
as evidenced by Megyn Kelly:
So when I talk about being a queer Latino
and needing representation for other people like me,
I'm not trying to erase straight, white Anglo narratives —
and I'm not trying to police your thought.
I'm simply trying to add my experience to the cultural record,
because I feel like an accurate understanding of it is still in the works.
I'm a resource, not an executive order.
We've got doughboys with knockoff Macklemore haircuts out here
saying, "America belongs to white men"
because they're too insecure to imagine a world
where they thrive without oppressing someone else.
In the face of alternative facts,
we need to hear unflinchingly honest truths.
Don't let racist, mediocre white guys
gaslight you into being ashamed of who you are
or what you bring to the table.
Because this country thrives when we listen to people of all shades,
backgrounds and lived experiences.
Whiteness is not America —
and no matter how hard they try to shut us up,
it never will be.