Ms. Robinson is a candidate for Howard County’s Board of
Education.
Here is a screenshot I took of Ms. Robinson’s Facebook
page. A few days ago, she shared this roughly
six-minute video from “The Unsilent Majority,” which implies her endorsement of
the video producer’s message and his "#WalkAway campaign" at least in part, and perhaps entirely.
In this video, the messenger describes his disaffection with
“liberalism and the Democratic Party.” However,
in support of his “case,” he resorts to obfuscations, twisting historical
events, straw man arguments, disingenuous phrasings, and what sounds like
straight up un-truths.
Do I also suspect he is a paid shill? Yes. There is definitely something “off”
about this communication – as though it is meant to feel grassroots, but it
would not surprise me if it was being funded/supported by one or more
conservative groups. But I digress.
My point is that if Ms. Robinson believes the central theme
of Mr. #WalkAway’s narrative, it demonstrates a shocking disconnect from
reality. The underlying theory of Mr.
WalkAway’s case is that everyone in America has received equal treatment, that
we all grew up with equal opportunities, that racism, sexism, classism, and
other forms of discrimination (structural and otherwise) do not exist, and that
we all have equal prospects for success in life. Having worked as a Republican operative in my
ill-spent youth, I am well-acquainted with this line of argumentation and
corresponding worldview and it is 100% unicorn dust.
American history, including our present-day history, is
replete with examples of folks who were and are denied fair treatment because
of their race, gender, sexuality, and/or socioeconomic class. Social media has helped shed light on these
cases (note: this is where conservatives would say that “no one was talking
about race until Obama…”, which is also a false and race-baiting argument that
they frequently employ).
He rails against the Democratic Party for allegedly encouraging group-think
(this is an off-shoot of the “people in Group X can’t think for themselves”
philosophy shared in many conservative circles). He accuses the Left of
indulging in fascism (which, by definition, is impossible as fascism refers to
right-wing authoritarianism, of which there are many recent examples).
He seems to have a problem with those who are intolerant of
fascism. So, according to Mr. WalkAway,
despising hate itself is what makes the Democratic Party divisive. He would rather have “unity” (which basically
means shut up, protect the old power constructs, fuck justice, and let’s ignore
the actual, demonstrable problems that exist in society).
And Ms. Robinson agrees with this? Why, exactly, is she sharing this video?
Conservatives sure love talking about liberty but again, I
turn to former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party in the UK, Roy Hattersley, who
in his book, Choose Freedom,
distinguished between liberty and effective liberty. Liberty, far too often, has been used to
justify the promotion of political and economic actions that serve the
interests of elites (for example: providing more tax cuts for the wealthy, disenfranchising
the working poor by creating barriers to political participation, subsidizing
powerful corporate interests, etc…).
Effective liberty, or freedom, is as Hattersley put it, “not the absence
of restraint on the rich and powerful, but the ability of the generality of men
and women to exercise their inherent rights.”
In short, just give the people a fighting chance in a
society that supports their ability to utilize their talents. No one is claiming to be a “victim” (a common
refrain from some conservatives and Mr. WalkAway); people just want a fair shot
at the American Dream, free from the –isms and disproportionally-applied restraints
on their ability to exercise what our Declaration of Independence refers to as “certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of
Happiness.”
If Ms. Robinson agrees with Mr. WalkAway’s sentiments…and
his OK with how he justifies what he claims are his new-found beliefs…then that
is just a sad denial of the reality of America.
Bear this in mind when deciding for whom to vote for Howard
County’s Board of Education.
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