Post by BettyNewbie on Nov 7, 2019 15:52:31 GMT -5
With all of the "Ok Boomer" stuff going around recently, I feel like this article needs to be shared:
Read More: blackyouthproject.com/white-millennials-cant-use-generational-politics-to-negate-their-privilege-and-racism/
Remember that more white Millennials voted Republican than Democrat in 2016. And, the new wave of neo-Nazism in America is being led by white Millennials. Stats show over and over again that Boomers of color lean more leftward and are more likely to vote Democrat than white Millennials.
Can we please stop assuming that everyone is white and wealthy? Generational politics are little more than (yet) another way for middle class white liberals to avoid having to talk about race and class (and thus confronting their own privileges as middle class white people). When you say that "The Problem" is some ill-defined Baby Boomer monolith, you erase the continued existence of white supremacy and socio-economic inequality.
White Millennials can’t use generational politics to negate their privilege and racism
Eric Swalwell, the once presidential hopeful, became known for his stance on generational politics, most notably, his remarks towards Joe Biden, calling on him to “pass the torch.” During his short time on the debate stage he made it clear that his solution to the most pressing issues as president would be by giving the next generation power. Swalwell also made it a point to focus on his generation’s worries, which he blames on the previous generation’s inaction.
This led me to question how being part of a particular generation automatically qualifies one to help solve the most critical issues of our time. Simply having younger people in elected offices will never guarantee that the same power structures that harm marginalized people won’t be upheld and reproduced.
Swalwell’s comments indicate a much larger problem within liberal spaces, particularly white liberal ones. Generational politics has become a way for younger white liberals to negate their white privilege by diverting blame onto their parents and grandparents. Not that generational politics isn’t useful in some contexts, such as distinguishing certain challenges that younger people face as distinctively different from older generations. However, placing blame onto a monolithic “Baby Boomer Generation” for the current state of the world only diverts attention away from the prevalence of white supremacy in all political institutions and within white youth.
For one, the current narrative about Baby Boomers excludes the experience of Black Baby Boomers by assuming they had the same benefits and opportunities as their white counterparts. Secondly, it creates a delusion that white Millennials and younger play an insignificant part in white supremacy—not insignificantly, the growth of incel culture and real life violent consequences it has. Thirdly, it perpetuates the erasure of Black political thought and experience within liberal spaces.
The current narrative that Baby Boomers are all wealthy, Trump voters who ruined the economy, to the point that they’re likely the only generation to retire, completely ignores the history and oppression of our Black elders. The Boomer generation was born between the years of 1946- 1964. World War II had just ended in 1946 and 1964 was during the Civil Rights Movement. Black Boomers lived through harsh, legalized anti-Blackness and continue to face de facto inequalities to this day.
Eric Swalwell, the once presidential hopeful, became known for his stance on generational politics, most notably, his remarks towards Joe Biden, calling on him to “pass the torch.” During his short time on the debate stage he made it clear that his solution to the most pressing issues as president would be by giving the next generation power. Swalwell also made it a point to focus on his generation’s worries, which he blames on the previous generation’s inaction.
This led me to question how being part of a particular generation automatically qualifies one to help solve the most critical issues of our time. Simply having younger people in elected offices will never guarantee that the same power structures that harm marginalized people won’t be upheld and reproduced.
Swalwell’s comments indicate a much larger problem within liberal spaces, particularly white liberal ones. Generational politics has become a way for younger white liberals to negate their white privilege by diverting blame onto their parents and grandparents. Not that generational politics isn’t useful in some contexts, such as distinguishing certain challenges that younger people face as distinctively different from older generations. However, placing blame onto a monolithic “Baby Boomer Generation” for the current state of the world only diverts attention away from the prevalence of white supremacy in all political institutions and within white youth.
For one, the current narrative about Baby Boomers excludes the experience of Black Baby Boomers by assuming they had the same benefits and opportunities as their white counterparts. Secondly, it creates a delusion that white Millennials and younger play an insignificant part in white supremacy—not insignificantly, the growth of incel culture and real life violent consequences it has. Thirdly, it perpetuates the erasure of Black political thought and experience within liberal spaces.
The current narrative that Baby Boomers are all wealthy, Trump voters who ruined the economy, to the point that they’re likely the only generation to retire, completely ignores the history and oppression of our Black elders. The Boomer generation was born between the years of 1946- 1964. World War II had just ended in 1946 and 1964 was during the Civil Rights Movement. Black Boomers lived through harsh, legalized anti-Blackness and continue to face de facto inequalities to this day.
Read More: blackyouthproject.com/white-millennials-cant-use-generational-politics-to-negate-their-privilege-and-racism/
Remember that more white Millennials voted Republican than Democrat in 2016. And, the new wave of neo-Nazism in America is being led by white Millennials. Stats show over and over again that Boomers of color lean more leftward and are more likely to vote Democrat than white Millennials.
Can we please stop assuming that everyone is white and wealthy? Generational politics are little more than (yet) another way for middle class white liberals to avoid having to talk about race and class (and thus confronting their own privileges as middle class white people). When you say that "The Problem" is some ill-defined Baby Boomer monolith, you erase the continued existence of white supremacy and socio-economic inequality.