April 10, 2019
Page 13
O PINION
MCS Still in
Business
Martin
Cleaning
Service
Carpet & Upholstery
Cleaning
Residential &
Commercial Services
Minimum Service CHG.
$50.00
A small distance/travel
charge may be applied
CARPET CLEANING
2 Cleaning Areas or more
$30.00 each Area
Pre-Spray Traffic Areas
(Includes: 1 small Hallway)
1 Cleaning Area (only)
$50.00
Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area
and Hallway
Charge of ‘Identity Politics’ Mostly Cynical
Divisive as
the division it
claims to combat
J oshua a daMs
As the 2020
campaign
lurches
to a start, get ready
to hear a lot about
“identity politics.”
If a candidate
mentions or draws
attention to her race, gender, or
sexuality, some people say, she’s
making our country “more divid-
ed.” We need to stop engaging in
identity politics and start appeal-
ing to the “average” American,
they say.
Which raises the question: Just
who is “average”?
To be blunt, I’m convinced
the charge of “identity politics”
is mostly cynical. It’s a rhetorical
whip used to guilt women, queer
folk, and minorities into not advo-
cating for their specific political
needs. It’s as divisive as the divi-
sion it claims to combat.
I was born in raised in Chicago
— a microcosm of our country’s
immense diversity as well as its
segregation. Being a black man
from the south side of Chicago, I
have experiences that are differ-
ent from someone who lives in a
by
majority-white town in southern
Illinois.
Why is mentioning this differ-
ence divisive? How does remain-
ing silent about the specific issues
that affect me help?
Politicians can’t talk to “av-
erage” voters. They have to
persuade real people — voters
with different backgrounds,
who share most of the same
concerns, but sometimes dif-
ferent ones. People accused of
better health care, and a public
health response to drug addiction,
politicians in both parties scram-
ble to promise all of those things
and more. When black Chicago-
ans ask for the same resources, the
response is often: “No, what you
need is more police.”
It would be hard to imagine
Donald Trump going to a small
town in Ohio and making only one
comprehensive appeal to white
voters there: “What do you have
When people blame “illegal
immigrants” for “taking their
jobs” but never critique the
businesses and corporations that
exploit workers of all races, that’s
identity politics, too.
practicing “identity politics” are
often just people fighting for the
particular issues that affect them.
People who are critical of this
are often blind to the ways that
ordinary politics center their own
(real or imagined) identity. Politi-
cians direct “identity politics” to
them all the time — they just can’t
see it.
For example, when white peo-
ple in Appalachia demand jobs,
to lose?” Obviously those voters
would feel they deserve a more
detailed pitch than a dice roll. So
why did we find it acceptable when
he offered exactly that — political
crumbs — to African-American
voters in 2016?
When Republicans come to
African -American communities
and historically black colleges,
often the very first thing they do
is “remind” the audience that the
GOP is “the party of Lincoln.”
These same conservatives often
blast identity politics as a distrac-
tion from policy issues, yet bring
up oversimplified history that has
no relevance to the present black
experience instead of policy.
Pundits on Fox News of-
ten suggest that residents of the
“heartland” are “more” American
than those who live in major cities
or on the coasts. What is that oth-
er than identity politics, appealing
to people’s sense of “we deserve
more” and “they deserve less”?
When people blame “illegal
immigrants” for “taking their
jobs” but never critique the busi-
nesses and corporations that ex-
ploit workers of all races, that’s
identity politics, too.
All communities have the right
to accurately, clearly, and genu-
inely state what they want — not
to be told what they need. When
we accept underlying ideas about
who “deserves” help and who
doesn’t, that’s based on two iden-
tities: who we think “we” are and
who we think “they” are.
That’s called “identity poli-
tics.” The trick is that we don’t see
it as “politics” when it appeals to
our own identities.
Joshua Adams is a writer, jour-
nalist and assistant professor at
Salem State University. Distribut-
ed by OtherWords.org.
Stairs (12-16 stairs - With
Other Services) : $30.00
Heavily Soiled Area:
$10.00 each area
(Requiring Pre-Spray)
Area/Oriental Rug Cleaning
Regular Area Rugs
$25.00 Minimum
Wool Oriental Rugs
$40.00 Minimum
UPHOLSTERY
CLEANING
Sofa: $70.00
Loveseat: $50.00
Sectional: $110 - $140
Chair or Recliner:
$25.00 - $50.00
Throw Pillows (With
Other Services) : $5.00
ADDITIONAL
SERVICES
• Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning
• Deodorizing & Pet
Odor Treatment
• Spot & Stain
Removal Service
• Scotchguard Protection
• Minor Water Damage
Services
Call for Appointment
(503) 281-3949