As I stated in a previous diary about my Netroots Nation experience this year, I gave myself a mandate: as much as possible, try to be the minority in a room.
Last year, I had a mission of connecting with the international bloggers who were there. They weren't present this year, so I wasn't sure what the goal of going was - other than the general warm experiencing of being with friends. I'm not even completely sure why this is what emerged for me. But, it did. And I got something out of it. It has to do with solidarity.
More below the fleur de Kos.
"Being the minority" in the room wasn't really possible. Let's face it: the demographics of both DailyKos and Netroots Nation is very predominantly white. It's not as though I was ever in a room which was not populated with a majority of white people.
What the mandate was really about was engaging issues which I don't necessarily personally relate to. Listening to what the people who are very much affected by the issues have to say. Hearing what their challenges are and what they are currently trying to do.
Other people have reported on the details of what transpired in the American Indian Caucus, the panel on promoting people of color in the blogosphere, the trans-blogger panel, etc. What I want to share is a personal shift of political tactic based on my experiences there.
I have felt deeply betrayed by Obama. But, it's not really just Obama. It's our system. Everything is rigged to support the elite class. Money buys campaigns. It buys legislators. Our justice system is not independent and our justices are appointed for political reasons, with an expectation of a political bias. We are an aggressively destructive capitalist society which justifies everything it does to people and the planet with the mandate of profits as the highest priority of our existence. Did I really think Obama could change that? I betrayed myself for believing he might.
Thus, I have been holding a pretty strong sentiment against participating in our electoral system. I mean, why bother? I know some still believe there is a difference between Democrats and Republicans, but at the foundational level, they are the same. They support the pursuit of profits and they support the supremacy of an elite class at the expense of everyone else. Neither party is actually representing a push toward anything truly just and sustainable.
I don't tell other people whether to vote. That's a personal decision. And I don't believe in motivating people to do what I want or what I see is best. I believe people need to be self-motivated if anything is to be real. Without self-motivation you relinquish accountability and you lack deep commitment. So, this decision to opt out of the electoral process was my own & I didn't care what others were doing. I don't see our electoral system bringing the deep, systemic change we need and I look forward to enough people opting out that there is a popular perception of illegitimacy and a willingness to make the profound changes needed.
However....
If I am to be a part of creating something different, I must acknowledge some of the things which enable this destructive system we have. And I must acknowledge my part in the enabling. Ours is a society with huge power inequities. There are layers of oppression. The first layer is classist: those who control vast amounts of resources have great power over those who don't. One tool to keep people distracted from fighting against that inequity - and the resultant suffering - is to maintain oppressive systems within the non-elite class. If we don't fight against those oppressions; if we don't reject the benefits of those oppressions; if we are silent about them; we are enabling them.
As a white person, I receive benefits from our society simply for the color of my skin. When I walk in a store with friends whose skin color is different, my friends are tracked by staff as though they are suspect, whereas I can do things like open a candy bar and eat it while I'm browsing. The assumption of the middle-class-looking white woman is that I will pay for that candy bar. For people whose skin is different from mine, every action is treated with suspicion. This has no small impact on the way we walk through the world, our expectations of what life will bring, our sense of ourselves, etc. I mean, hey, white men steal an entire economy & they can go in front of Congress and tell us all how they are basically good guys. We won't do a thing to make them accountable for the massive suffering they have caused. But, if a black man takes a candy bar, he'll be in jail in a minute.
I need to stay aware of this when I make tactical decisions about my political activism. Mainly, what do I need to do to feed into solidarity and against the divisions that the elite class has fostered to keep us disempowered?
Going to all the sessions which were focused on issues which weren't directly mine reminded me of this. While it may not make a difference to me whether Democrats or Republicans are in power - because I am concerned with the deeper system issues - what does it mean for people in other demographic groups?
What I was reminded of over and over is that for people in marginalized communities there are direct and dire consequences. While I may want to see the system break badly enough for us to really fix it, I am not going to pay the biggest price along the way of the breaking.
As much as Obama had to be pushed and prodded; as lame as his announcement about supporting same-sex marriage was - given that he waited until after an important vote was taken - that announcement would likely never be made by a Republican in the current political climate. I may think marriage is a farce - a tax benefit which supports a religious agenda - it is a very important benchmark for many of those who have been told they are less than equal because they are denied the right to this.
Are trans-rights going to be affirmed in Republican-led governments?
Are people of color going to have anyone listening to them about immigration rights or the prison industrial complex? Well, I'm not sure about the latter, but there is more of a chance with Democrats, I suppose.
More importantly, though, is not how I evaluate it, but how those I want to ally with evaluate it. I can't motivate people to be a bit more radical. I wouldn't want to. I want people to come to any conclusion like that on their own. And what's most radical to me, is prioritizing relations with one another over personal pursuits & comforts. What I find most destructive about "The American Way" is that we prioritize the individual pretty much regardless of the impact on others or society, as a whole. Capitalist Darwinism lacks compassion and is not sustainable. To reverse it is to stop caring about ourselves independently and to care about how we all move forward together. That is, thinking of planetary solidarity. Or in our national system, country-wide solidarity. That is, what is best for all, not just a few.
What's the point of me not voting if there isn't a critical mass of people ready and resolved to taking that step? And how will a critical mass be generated if people feel betrayed by those who don't vote?
If there isn't going to be a critical mass, perhaps it's rather self-important to think that my non-vote even matters. Why does the symbolism of my choice even matter? Perhaps it's more important to stand in solidarity with the very people who are hurt most by the system. Perhaps, I should follow their lead and support them where they are now. Perhaps, their belief in the electoral system will pan out if enough of us act in solidarity. Or, perhaps, if they lose faith in that system, they will see me as an ally and we will make the next choice together, too.
Together. That's solidarity. You can't demand solidarity of others. You can't just keep doing what serves you & being annoyed that others don't come along for the ride. Solidarity is something you offer. Its a step you take towards those who are the most oppressed or offended. You infantilize them to suggest that you know better. You validate them by reaching out and saying, "tell me what you need right now." Standing together means taking steps together. If I leap forward without my allies or to a different place altogether, I have abandoned solidarity.
So, I walked away from Netroots Nation with a different position on my choice about voting. I am not voting to support a political party. I am not voting because I believe in our electoral system. I am voting because I believe in my fellow citizens. I believe in building solidarity. I will vote to stand with those I want to be in solidarity with.
Thank you, Netroots, for reminding me about solidarity. And thank you to all the individuals who took the time to talk with me. I cherish that you gave me some of your time. I recognize how valuable that is in a setting where there are so many wonderful people to spend it with.