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something the Left often forgets nowadays
White men are part of the 99% also, part of the working class also, part of those who "confront corporate power when they fight for equality on the job and in their communities" also.
When you're aiming for inclusivity, don't forget to include white men.
Yeah, yeah, there's plenty of white men in positions of corporate and political power. But there's even more white men who are not in positions of power. Those are the people I don't want the Left to forget. Most white men are not in positions of power.
I was talking with a friend the other day, he's a white guy. He donates time and money to a local volunteer organization. He told me one of the leaders of the organization, a woman, asked him if he was interested in joining their board. At first he deferred, saying, "I'm a white guy, the last thing you want on your board is another white guy."
She disagreed, "No, we're having trouble finding white guys to join our board nowadays. They're all saying what you just said. I think you'd be a great addition to our board."
It seems we're training an entire generation of white men on the Left to shut up and sit down, when we need everybody on board if the Left is to start solving our problems. Diversity means white men also. Diversity means everybody is represented.
And so long as I'm preaching diversity here, don't forget to include Christians. Jesus said a lot of things that folks on the Left would agree with:
For I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.
So let's not rule out Christians when building our coalitions on the Left. Diversity means everybody is represented.
-----
And here's when I go all the way:
A lot of people who consider themselves to be conservatives or Republicans, they still share some of the goals of the Left. Some conservatives care deeply about immigration reform, others care deeply about the environment. Some conservatives think rich people should pay higher taxes, others think we should increase the minimum wage.
There are pro-choice conservatives. There are LGBT conservatives. There are POC conservatives. There are definitely women conservatives.
Instead of treating conservatives as an implacable bloc of opposing interests, the Left can work with individual conservatives on individual issues, to build shifting majorities in favor of Left issues, shifting majorities that include different sets of conservatives, depending on the issue.
Diversity means: including conservatives. Diversity means everybody is represented. Even the people you disagree with on one issue or another.
-----
Diversity means: including police officers, and border police. The last time I paid attention to a Democratic Socialists of America leadership election, the biggest drama was the discovery that one of the candidates for the board had, OMG, once been a police officer. People were irate, they called it a "cover up". The candidate stepped down over the furor. How dare a former police officer run for a leadership position with the DSA!?!?!
If we really believe in the 99%, we've got to include all 99%. That means including every family who earned less than $400,000 last year. Even if they're white, even if they're conservative, even if they're police officers, even if they're Christians. If you really believe in the 99% taking on the corporate interests that are destroying the planet while increasing inequality, you need to figure out how to make common cause with as many people in the 99% as you can.
When you're aiming for inclusivity, don't forget to include white men.
Yeah, yeah, there's plenty of white men in positions of corporate and political power. But there's even more white men who are not in positions of power. Those are the people I don't want the Left to forget. Most white men are not in positions of power.
I was talking with a friend the other day, he's a white guy. He donates time and money to a local volunteer organization. He told me one of the leaders of the organization, a woman, asked him if he was interested in joining their board. At first he deferred, saying, "I'm a white guy, the last thing you want on your board is another white guy."
She disagreed, "No, we're having trouble finding white guys to join our board nowadays. They're all saying what you just said. I think you'd be a great addition to our board."
It seems we're training an entire generation of white men on the Left to shut up and sit down, when we need everybody on board if the Left is to start solving our problems. Diversity means white men also. Diversity means everybody is represented.
And so long as I'm preaching diversity here, don't forget to include Christians. Jesus said a lot of things that folks on the Left would agree with:
For I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.
So let's not rule out Christians when building our coalitions on the Left. Diversity means everybody is represented.
-----
And here's when I go all the way:
A lot of people who consider themselves to be conservatives or Republicans, they still share some of the goals of the Left. Some conservatives care deeply about immigration reform, others care deeply about the environment. Some conservatives think rich people should pay higher taxes, others think we should increase the minimum wage.
There are pro-choice conservatives. There are LGBT conservatives. There are POC conservatives. There are definitely women conservatives.
Instead of treating conservatives as an implacable bloc of opposing interests, the Left can work with individual conservatives on individual issues, to build shifting majorities in favor of Left issues, shifting majorities that include different sets of conservatives, depending on the issue.
Diversity means: including conservatives. Diversity means everybody is represented. Even the people you disagree with on one issue or another.
-----
Diversity means: including police officers, and border police. The last time I paid attention to a Democratic Socialists of America leadership election, the biggest drama was the discovery that one of the candidates for the board had, OMG, once been a police officer. People were irate, they called it a "cover up". The candidate stepped down over the furor. How dare a former police officer run for a leadership position with the DSA!?!?!
If we really believe in the 99%, we've got to include all 99%. That means including every family who earned less than $400,000 last year. Even if they're white, even if they're conservative, even if they're police officers, even if they're Christians. If you really believe in the 99% taking on the corporate interests that are destroying the planet while increasing inequality, you need to figure out how to make common cause with as many people in the 99% as you can.