O man i love Kosiacs (the proper term since it gives a nod to our Father Howard Dean)
But man did some people here piss me off this year.
I GOT ALOT OF PROBLEMS WITH THESE PEOPLE:
- all the Barack Obama supporters who dismissed the obvious sexism used by the media and Obama surrogates or supporters, or worse, who used sexism themselves.
- all the Hillary Clinton supporters who dismissed the obvious racism being used by Clinton surrogates or supporters, or engaged in it themselves.
- all the straight people who've told our incredible supportive and active gay, lesbian, bi, and trans Kosiacs to shut up and get to the back of the bus.
If we win short-term political gains, but do it at the expense of condoning and thus strengthening the already too-strong American traditions of racism, sexism, homphobia, or classism, we have done our movement more harm than good.
This was the best year of my life politically (i first started paying attention to politics as a 9 year-old in 1970). But it should have been even better. As an ultra-liberal, I cannot visit mainstream political sites, or for that matter participate in much of mainstream society, because it is just so depressingly anti-progressive. So I am basically a separatist, i choose to separate myself from bigots of all kinds. Don't like women, minorities, gays, poor people? Goodbye.
Or as Mic Jagger put it:
Get out of my life
Don't come back
For this reason, I only hang out with open-minded people and frequent web sites focused on social justice. Since Kosiacs are known to be some of the most of the most progressive politically-minded folks around, i came here. And it was an awesome place! Progressivism! Political Progressivism! Activist political progressivism! Activist political progressivism!?! What a spectacular place to enjoy the most diverse political primary in American history!
But a funny thing happened on the way to political nirvana. I was stunned, saddened and dismayed by the ease into which our male Obama supporters and our white Clinton supporters slipped back into open and obvious racism and sexism when their candidate seemed to be in trouble and tearing down the opposition - by any bigoted means necessary - seemed their only hope.
As a pro-feminist man who had moved from supporting Edwards to Obama i felt particularly betrayed by my fellow Obama supporters who lapsed into outrageous sexist fits and spasms in response to the Clinton campaigns' open use of race-baiting. I guess this shouldn't have shocked me, since no matter how progressive this is still a political site, not a social justice site (altho thanks to great writers like Meteor Blades it is easy to forget that sometimes). But the answer to racism is not sexism, nor is sexism the answer to racism, they are part of the same problem.
Another obvious part of the problem is homophobia, or more appropo to some on this this site, the bigoted idea that GLBT rights are not important enough to take a stand on during an election year, or that cruel slights to the gay community should be excused when they come from our side. As with the sexism from male Obama supporters and the racism from white Clinton supporters, the responses from far too many straight people here has been closer to those of the Republican National Committee than they were to the Progressive Caucus.
And exactly as with the racism and sexism, my main anger is raised because the people who are saying these things are calling themselves progressives, they are saying these things on a progressive site, and especially, because they damn well know better. Make no mistake, the Obama supporters using sexist language to bash Clinton knew damn well they were being sexist, but they thought the end justified the means; the Clinton supprters using racist memes to bash Obama knew damn well they were being racist, but they thought the end justified the means; and the straight people here excusing open homophobia know damn well they are excusing homophobia, but they think the end justifies the means.
You cannot honestly call yourself a progressive and bash Hillary Clinton using sexist jargon and sexist dog-whistles.
You cannot honestly call yourself a progressive and bash Barack Obama using racist language and race-baiting.
You cannot honestly call yourself a progressive and tell our GLBT sisters and brothers that their fight for justice is not important enough to stand up for.
But I don't want this diary to be only an airing of grievances, I want it to be a call for progressive change on a progressive site. Please, please, please, let's not ever fall back into "the ends justify the means thinking" when it somes to our core principles of fighting for social justice. If we win a short-term political gain, but do it at the expense of condoning and thus strengthening the already too-strong American traditions of racism, sexism, homphobia, or classism, we have done our movement more harm than good.
Here's to our inclusive future:
Viva la Kosiac revolution!