The faux outrage over Senator Sanders' answer, at the Flint debate, to the question regarding racial blind spots angrily reminded me of the All Lives Matter non-sense. It's Middle Class outrage over their Privilege being threatened by the mere mention of the poor. There is also the spectacle by people who haven't been alive half as long as Senator Sanders ignoring the fact that they haven't achieved even half his accomplishments. They act like a bunch of rabid right wingers taking revenge for being scolded by Senator Sanders 55 years ago. Incidentally, I don't think the question was fully answered by anybody.
In the process of answering the question, Senator Sanders expressed his commitment to the poor, yet Middle Class people went rabid with the most idiotic indignity at the implication that they were or were not poor or someone else was or was not poor. It stands to reason that justice for the poor is justice for all. It stands to reason that Human Rights for the poor is Human Rights for all, in the same way that Black Lives Matter implies that all lives matter. I shouldn’t have to explain even a third of that to Democrats. To watch a bunch of Middle Class people throwing a hissy fit because a reference to poor people makes them feel awkward is absolutely disgusting and to see them do it for political gain on top is even worse. What Clinton surrogates and supporters have done since Sunday is the equivalent of the All Lives Matter clowns belching forth every time someone says Black Lives Matter. It's intensely disgusting.
It's also intensely hypocritical. When Clinton answered the question, she also expressed her experiences witnessing the misfortunes of African Americans, yet, no one came out to scold Clinton for portraying all African Americans as beset by injustice. No one came out to remind Clinton that White people have been the victims of injustice too. No one came out to remind Clinton that the question asked about racial blind spots and that African Americans are not the only race in the world!!!! No one came out to minimize the injustice done to African Americans when Clinton spoke. No one has subjected team Clinton to the We're All Fucked Too mantra.
Yet, this hypocrisy is precisely what Clinton supporters and surrogates are employing for political gain and in privileged Middle Class outrage towards Senator Sanders.
I really hope that people will not be cowed by the bullying and hypocrisy of Clinton supporters and surrogates. I hope that people will speak out loudly in opposition to such horrible corruption and idiocy before it causes wide spread damage.
There is a lesson being illustrated by this incident. In a corrupt society, the status quo is corrupt, the paved path to liberation is corrupt and must first be repaved with justice, one step at a time, before it is safe to travel freely.
Human Rights is Revolutionary. Revolutions start from the bottom, not the middle, not the top from where the fish rots.
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EDIT: For reference, here is the Flint debate. The question gets asked at 1:12:12. Keep in mind that if you go before that, you can see the candidates answering related questions, and the answers to the Racial Blind Spots question are fairly lengthy in themselves. In other words, there is a ton of background offered in order to understand where each candidate is coming from. The outrage is centered on a few words willfully misunderstood.
And for an example of the silly outrage, see this: http://www.rawstory.com/2016/03/msnbcs-joy-reid-sets-bernie-straight-lots-of-americans-know-what-its-like-to-live-in-ghettos/
