Emma Jameson
Mr. Dave Leaton
TRU110 Self and Society: Story
25 October 2019
Impact of Identity Politics
Talk of identity politics has recently dominated the American political agenda. Many ask themselves why this seemingly new interpretation of politics has become such a large topic of conversation, but in reality, identity politics is nothing new. Identity politics have become a large, pressing movement as of recent, and the notion of selecting an identity is being pushed upon voters. With the recent increase in usage of identity politics, it is vital for all voters to fully understand this demanding and significant topic. Identity politics are used to highlight aspects of one’s identity that will later influence the political decisions they make. To fully grasp identity politics, one must first interpret the definition of identity. Defining identity proves to be extremely difficult because each individual has a different idea of identity unique to their beliefs and diverse backgrounds. The word identity quite possibly may even have a different definition depending on the person that you ask. The way that one chooses to identify themselves is an extremely personal matter. Most can agree that there is not simply one defining characteristic that determines a person’s identity. The question that should then be asked is “How does one determine their identity?”, or one may ask themselves, “Who am I?”. Many people often struggle to identify themselves in a general sense and have no way of constricting themselves to only one method of identification. Another issue with the idea of identification is what happens when your identities conflict with one another in the political sense, how does one choose to prioritize one identity over another. As it has been presented, there are quite a few errors and problems that arise when political parties begin to divide in the name of identity.
Initially, identity politics are often viewed in a positive light. Embracing identity as a means to find commonality between traditionally different people is seen as a positive thing, but when analyzed on a deeper level, identity politics can potentially be the cause of downfall for campaigns and political parties. The Democratic party is often blamed for using identity politics as the basis for their campaigns, and many even believe that they fell short at winning the 2016 presidential election because they could not come together to find common ground within their party, causing votes to be split due to single-issue voting. Andrew Yang, 2020 presidential hopeful, claims that “identity politics are a great way to lose elections” saying that they put walls up between people, rather than bringing them together (Dorman). Another democratic frontrunner, Pete Buttigieg reinforces Yang’s claim saying that “every person has a story that can be used to either separate —or connect— them to others” and that we must strive to build bridges between one another rather than walls (Groppe). Identity politics were initially intended as a means of bringing people together by encouraging those with different backgrounds to find a common belief or cultural similarity that could unite them, but instead, as of recent, identity politics have started to move away from inclusion and towards exclusion and division (Chua). Identities are becoming exclusive rather than inclusive because we are focusing on our differences, but instead, we should try to recognize our common humanity (Maguire). Often, many people are excluded from groups because their identity doesn’t match that of the groups. While their beliefs may align perfectly with the group, we are seeing groups turn away individuals because they are ‘out-of-group’, therefore, they would not be “capable” of understanding or possessing the knowledge that in-group members have (Chua). This creates an ‘us-versus-them’ mentality that deepens the divide that exists between different groups in society. This can be extremely destructive and is damaging to the end goal, that is, bringing people together to help make our country a united, safe place for all.
While identity politics are traditionally seen to only be an issue within the Democratic party, it seems that identity politics influence mostly all voters no matter their party affiliation. With the current Trump administration, there has been quite an increase in popularity of white identity politics amongst some Republicans. Many Americans blame President Trump for the recent resurgence of this traditionally toxic form of white identity and Buttigieg even calls it “the most divisive form of identity politics” (Groppe). Trump’s campaign slogan is widely known as “Make America Great Again”. This presumes that America was once great and it now no longer is. This is his way of urging Americans to bring back the greatness of the white man that once dominated and held the majority. Duke political scientist Ashley Jardina says that it is projected that whites will cease to be the majority in America by the end of the century (Illing). Many white people are afraid to lose their numbers because in losing the racial majority comes losing status, control, power, and privilege that comes along with being white. This brings up the question as to are we as a country fearful of change, or fearful of the ‘other’. As a country, we must come together to find comfort in the uncomfortable. It is no secret that change can be scary at times, but change is necessary and important for growth. As a country, we must all unite to recognize our common humanity and see beyond the color of our skin. Although voters who strongly identified as white were most likely to support President Trump to help preserve their race (Lopez), not all white Americans feel comfortable adopting their racial identity. It was even found that whites who felt uneasy with Trump’s ideas and claims were very likely to abandon their racial identity, driving many away from the racial solidarity the administration was hoping for (Illing).
Another less critical, but important way that identity politics are poorly serving voters is the intense spotlight that is shining on this method of interpreting politics. One of the major reasons that voters tend to shy away from identity politics or candidates that focus too heavily on the theories of identity is because there is typically more focus on identity and not nearly enough attention on pressing political issues that affect many people’s daily lives such as climate change and income inequality for example. Shortly after Hillary Clinton’s failed candidacy in 2016, a professor at Georgetown University noted that her students disliked identity politics, and they felt that Clinton spent too much time trying to appeal to voters based on their identity rather than ‘real’ political issues that they were worried about (Harrop). Ultimately, there is no one right answer, but we must educate voters and encourage individuals to step away from identity politics and try to unite to see the bigger picture. Once the dangers of identity politics are fully understood, it is critical to do something about it and try to merge our progressive minds to come up with another way that works.
Bibliography
Chua, Amy. “How America’s Identity Politics Went from Inclusion to Division” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 1 Mar. 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/mar/01/how-americas-identity-politics-went-from-inclusion-to-division
Dorman, Sam. “2020 Dem Rips Party’s Focus on Identity Politics: ‘Great Way to Lose Elections’.” Fox News, FOX News Network, 9 June 2019, www.foxnews.com/politics/2020-dem-rips-identity-politics-great-way-to-lose-elections.
Groppe, Maureen. “Pete Buttigieg Says Donald Trump’s White ‘Identity Politics’ Contributing to a ‘Crisis of Belonging’.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 13 May 2019, www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2019/05/12/pete-buttigieg-says-donald-trump-divides-white-identity-politics/1151265001/.
Harrop, Froma. “Identity Politics Are a Dead End.” RealClearPolitics, Creators.com, 22 Oct. 2019, https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2019/10/22/identity_politics_are_a_dead_end_141552.html.
Illing, Sean. “White Identity Politics Is about More than Racism.” Vox, Vox, 27 Apr. 2019, https://www.vox.com/2019/4/26/18306125/white-identity-politics-trump-racism-ashley-jardina.
Lopez, German. “The Battle over Identity Politics, Explained.” Vox, Vox, 17 Aug. 2017, https://www.vox.com/identities/2016/12/2/13718770/identity-politics.
Maguire, Laura. “Identity Politics.” Philosophy Talk, 14 July 2016, https://www.philosophytalk.org/blog/identity-politics.