In Political Discourse, What’s in a Name?
We cannot judge others’ opinions based on their use of ambiguous political terminology.
A Facebook friend posted a meme on a black background. It said: “Liberals can’t be anti-racist.” The message puzzled me for a couple of reasons.
First, because the word “liberal” is frequently used in different contexts. Some people believe it applies to everyone on the left side of the political spectrum. Others believe that it only applies to the center-left crowd.
Second, I wasn’t sure how complicit they were implying liberals were in systems that they considered racist. I was somewhat familiar with the term “anti-racist” after it gained popularity following the George Floyd protests but I hadn’t read Ibram X. Kendi’s book about anti-racism.
So I asked them: “I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying here. Can you explain it a little more?”
When they responded, I was a bit confused by what they were trying to say. Instead of explaining what their interpretations of those terms were, they talked about why they believed this statement was true in the context of their own experience. That they had been let down by many systems that they believed were inherently racist, even though they are supported by the Democratic Party…
