The disrespect people of color have to put up with just for having the skin color we have would likely be unimaginable if I didn’t happen to be a Black woman. It is infuriating to learn that a U.S. congresswoman, specifically Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, had to put up with that disrespect. ”I posted about a deeply disgusting incident that happened today on the Capitol steps, but took it down bc it’s clearly someone seeking extremist fame,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Wednesday. “It’s just a bummer to work in an institution that openly allowed this, but talking about it only invites more. Just really sad.”
Video the Democrat tweeted showed Alex Stein, a far-right social media personality, filming while yelling from the steps of the Capitol that the congresswoman “wants to kill babies, but she’s still beautiful.” That unfortunately is the kind of backhanded compliment you might expect any congresswoman to encounter amid Democratic activism in light of the U.S. Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade abortion protections. But the troll didn’t stop there.
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As Ocasio-Cortez walked up the stairs, getting closer to the man, he added: ”You look very beautiful in that dress. You look very sexy. Look at that booty on AOC. That’s my favorite big booty Latina.”
Ocasio-Cortez walked over to the man and asked, throwing up a peace sign: “Why don’t you do a little selfie?”
She later said on Twitter she was actually walking over “to deck him” because “if no one will protect us then I’ll do it myself but I needed to catch a vote more than a case.”
In real time, the man continued hurling degradation with a smile. “Look how sexy she looks in that dress. Ooo, I love it, AOC,” he said, “hot hot hot like a tamale.”
That is a level of disrespect and prejudice reserved for people of color. I would love to write it off as ramblings from the far right, the racists, and white supremacists among us. But although Ocasio-Cortez’s recent troll was definitely sending a political message through white supremacist means, he was doing it through the use of a stereotype so prevalent in American society that a couple days ago, first lady Jill Biden relied on a similar one.
She called the Hispanic community as “unique” as “breakfast tacos” in addressing a crowd at a UnidosUS unity conference on Monday in San Antonio, Texas. The nonprofit, started in 1968, is the largest Latino advocacy and civil rights organization in the country.
“Using breakfast tacos to try to demonstrate the uniqueness of Latinos in San Antonio demonstrates a lack of cultural knowledge and sensitivity to the diversity of Latinos in the region,” the National Association of Hispanic Journalists said in a statement tweeted on Monday. “NAHJ encourages Dr. Biden and her speech writing team to take the time in the future to better understand the complexities of our people and communities.”
The association continued:
“We are not tacos. Our heritage as Latinos is shaped by a variety of diasporas, cultures and food traditions and should not be reduced to a stereotype.”
Now, Jill Biden offered the public more than Ocasio-Cortez's bully is probably even capable of, and that is an apology. But I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I’m exasperated with apologies. When will we get to the point as a country when Black and brown people are simply respected?
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