How you can tell if Sanders speaks to the concerns of people of color

[BainsBane]

184. I don't know how your subject position relates to this discussion

in the OP. This isn't a case with you talking to an African American. You came to me. You aren't having a conversation with the members of the AA group. You were accusing me of speaking for them. There was no discussion between the two "minorities" to hash out. Then you note that some of those posters have an ugly history with LGBT members. That's the first I've ever heard that one. But again, that has nothing to do with the subject of the OP. You have decided it's about LGBT v. AA. No. It isn't.

The discussion hasn't nothing to do with LGBT rights, as important as a subject is. You're very keen on this notion of being a "minority." In that 20th century term, I am also a minority, a woman. So here we are. All with different subject positions. Now, if there is some post you think I am trying to speak for LGBT people, you should let me know. However, I don't believe your being gay gives you greater authority over the subject of black voters. So no, I'm not understanding your point at all.

Of course the members of that group are not the only AA members on this board, but it is a group where people self-identify as black and discuss of interest to them. We don't ordinarily know the race of posters since we can't see them. We only know by how they self-identify, if they choose to disclose that, and the groups are one place they do that. However, we do know this site is overwhelmingly white, and there is a reason for it.

You claim I speak for "minorities." Can you quote the relevant portions of my OP where I do that? And no where does the OP mention anything having to do with LGBT, so you have no cause to accuse me of speaking for you. However, I have been criticized for not including LGBT in some of my posts and a result have tried to do so. Now I gather from your response you think I should not do that, yet even when I don't you accuse me of trying to speak for "minorities."

The OP is not about "minorities." That was your interjection into the conversation. On one hand you observe that minorities are not a monolith. Quite true. Yet then you go claim that you have some sort of standing that gives you authority over the subject of the OP, when it isn't even about LGBT, because you are also a minority. Well so am I. But neither of us are African American, are we?


Now, is the problem I don't stick to talking about my own kind? Do you think I should not post about racism or issues concerning people of color? I know I'm not supposed to post about feminism because good liberal men don't like to be reminded of that, as I have repeatedly been told. And when I talk about my own perspective as a woman I'm accused of speaking for all women, something I have never done. This strikes me as a lot like that. In fact, I know that most people in this thread are simply reacting because they don't see it as adequately favorable of Sanders, even though the critique isn't about Sanders but some of his supporters on DU. If I interjected Clinton above for Sanders, 90 percent of the opposition to the thread would disappear. I don't know if that's your issue or not, but I don't see how your status as a gay man gives you any greater authority over the subject of the OP than any other white person.

Now, there are currently about half a dozen threads in GD with white people arguing that x or y candidate is better for them. You don't accuse them of speaking for minorities. Yet when I point out that people of color will determine who best speaks to their interests through their votes, that you call speaking for minorities. That doesn't add up to me.