Culture Riot

Every election year, I get frustrated with the excitement of election politics. There are several reasons, but the two biggest ones are the opposites of one coin.

On the one side are the issues that get overlooked amidst the mudslinging and speechifying. The Democratic race presents a quite drastic example of where any minority voice, e.g. the Latina, Asian or black female vote is buried in news articles. Other examples include the lack of mainstream media attention to soldiers in Iraq, and the death count of the war that is not a war, and the alarming crime waves in bigger cities.

On the other side are the issues that get misrepresented amidst the overtalking. Issues such as immigration, healthcare and the effects of mountain-top removal in Appalachia are often cast in subtle racist, classist, or just plain stupid lights.

In conversations I’ve had with my fellow students this year, I find we easily forget that there are people who are deeply affected by these Issues-with-a-capital-I. It’s easy to make sweeping statements that seem to cover everyone and everything at first glance when you are not related to an AB540 student struggling to pay her bills. A closer look, a listening ear, or discerning critique reveals much more personal and complicated politics.

The end of Barack Obama’s brilliant speech reminded me of this. I don’t vote because of Barack Obama; I don’t work for campaigns because of their big names; and I certainly don’t do retention work because of the money (here, student organizers laugh). There are Tolus Nishas and Lauras and Kens out there who I am connected to and who do this work with me.