Exclusionary Politics Are Literally Dangerous

Earlier this summer, I listened to the NYT’s podcast The Protocol and was absolutely riveted. The protocol references The Dutch Protocol, the Netherland’s step-by-step, research-based process, outlining best-practice methods for providing medical care to trans-minors. The podcast was UNBELIEVABLE. Infuriatingly perfect. I cannot recommend listening enough.

As a follow up to this podcast, my friend sent me this episode of The Ezra Klein Show, in which Klein interviews trans congresswoman Sarah McBride. McBride is an absolute goddess and legend. I teared up multiple times listening to her speak with such authenticity and grace. She’s a pragmatist and just unbelievable communicator.

There is so much I want to highlight from this interview. Ultimately, I wish I could vote for her. Sadly that is not possible, yet.

During this episode, Klein asks McBride’s opinion when it comes to the political left’s obsession with language. It’s obsession with perception and wanting to appear politically-correct at all costs, which polls—in addition to lived history and experience—have repeatedly shown is NOT a winning strategy or issue for the democratic party. McBride states:

“There is no question in my mind that the vote is much more important than the rhetoric [politicians and voters] use. We have discoursed our way into, if you talk about this issue in a way that is sub-optimal from my perspective, you’re actually laying the foundation for oppression and persecution. And I just think that maybe—academically—that’s true, but welcome to the real world! [Democrats] are prioritizing the wrong thing, and it’s an element of virtue signaling. I’m showing that I am the most radical and most progressive on this issue, because I’m going to take this [voter] that does everything right substantively and crucify this person for not being perfect in language.”

It reminds me of the age old adage, actions speak louder than words. Who you vote for matters more than what you say about them online. Yet in the current social-media-posting-frenzied-reality, we as a society have fundamentally confused words and actions. Keyboard warriors, take note.

I’ve seen it here in Evanston. Using the “correct language and phrasing” matters so much that people are quite literally afraid to speak. Because what if they say the wrong thing, and then they get canceled? This is NOT how we should be conducting ourselves.

And look what happened to the democrats? The left was so busy scolding people for the way they were talking to one another, that an authoritarian regime came through and steamrolled us all.

The left just sat there, doing their classic left-like things, infighting, policing each other over not being woke enough, and guess who didn’t like the tone of the party? THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS.

The democrats, obsessed with perfection and performative shenanigans, obsessed with language choices and appearances, were promptly flattened by the right, because nobody wanted to be a part of our nonsense. Nobody felt they belonged. Which is ironic, because aren’t we supposed to be the party of belonging, inclusivity, and diversity?

Nope, not anymore. The left turned into the party of one-upping. I saw it happen live on my community Facebook groups. The shaming.

For me it’s tricky. I know language matters. I’ve written whole essays on how much language matters. But I think we can pinpoint something that matters even more. Basic civil and human rights, which are now being jeopardized.

While we were fighting amongst ourselves, participating in the woke olympics, somebody moved back into town that doesn’t think trans people have a right to exist, which is NOT the public opinion of the majority of Americans, by the way. This new regime also believes that women don’t deserve bodily autonomy and immigrants deserve to be hunted in the street like animals.

Say what you will about Mad King Donald (thanks John Stewart for the nickname), but he is uncensored, bold, and does pretty much what he wants, when he wants, including accepting bribes. He is nobody’s puppet, except maybe Qatar’s.

And as much as I despise him, he’s pretty much the Democratic party’s perfect foil. The Trumpian legacy will be seen as an unhinged rejection of the left’s tip-toeing around. He’s laughing as we sit and debate over correctness and propriety, petrified to offend anyone. Laughing at our obsession with “being careful to use the right words so you don’t get canceled.” Trust and believe, I WISH Trump COULD get canceled. But he can’t and he won’t. Because canceling people is stupid, at the heart of it. Cancel culture is the worst.

Human beings are deeply imperfect. We make mistakes. We say the wrong things. This is not a new problem. The only new problem here is the internet.

Now the mistakes we make, all of things we say and write, are memorialized; screen-shots are taken and passed on.

Nobody wants to live under a microscope. And when perfection is the only path to acceptance - we all lose.