Listen Liberals, We Messed up too

Image by Sammi Cardoso

By Leana Pardo 

Before November 9, 2016, I had no patience for conservative ideology. Zero. The day Donald Trump won the presidency I had a very public social media meltdown. I was pointing fingers. I was calling out his supporters. I was defriending anyone that mentioned “building a wall.” I was not in a good place. I called my father fired up. 

Me: “Pop! Can you believe this? These uneducated white men! That’s why we lost!”

Pop: “We lost because of EDUCATED WHITE WOMEN, Leana! They were too embarrassed to say they were voting for a misogynist.”

BOOM! 

Instantly I became ashamed of my identity. Being half Latina didn’t translate in my looks. I was an educated white woman on a census form. 

Me: “Well, it’s these uneducated racist white men that wanted “their” country back! And that’s a demographic not even an insult.”

Pop: “And here’s the problem. How dare you call these people uneducated white men? That is an insult as a demographic! And since when are people with a high school diploma and a degree from trade school uneducated? THIS IS WHY LIBERALS DON’T WIN. YOU THINK YOU’RE SMARTER THAN EVERYONE!” 

*** MIC DROP***

I tell this story, because it was an eye-opener for me. I live in a liberal elite bubble. I can sit here and rattle off social policies for the hell of it. I surround myself with people that have similar beliefs as I do, and I tend to forget that not everyone reads Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crowe” about mass incarceration for fun. 

I watch my father talk to Republicans with such eloquence and grace. He doesn’t point a finger and scream “STUPID! RACIST!” He has a real discussion with them. He listens. He educates. And then he leaves the topic alone and continues with whatever else is on the table of conversations. I’m trying. Don’t get me wrong it’s frustrating. It’s disconcerting when someone says all lives matter and racism doesn’t exist anymore. It’s mind-boggling when people say climate change isn’t real. It hurts when I hear victim-blaming after violent acts against women, but screaming “racist” is just pushing people away. Saying “read a book dummy” is ensuring the person won’t read up on climate change. Shouting “misogynistic pig” is creating a deeper divide. I am not saying you shouldn’t debate all of these issues. You absolutely should, but personally I have to start doing it in a better way. I’m trying not to use insults as hard as it may be. Sometimes people just don’t know. Some may be stubborn and racist, but many may be misinformed and less equipped with knowledge on American politics. 

I wonder if majority of the women marching at the Women’s March knew that the feminist movement only protected white women and excluded minority women. In addition, many may not have realized that the March was “peaceful” not because the women were well-mannered but because white women (people) receive protection from police that a BLM or Standing Rock protest wouldn’t have received. Facts like these help educate those who are unaware, and it’s our job to educate. If a person is asking what pronoun to call a transgendered person out of curiosity, please try not to shame them and exclaim “I can’t believe you didn’t know that!” Explain to them gender-neutral pronouns so they know for the future. Are they really the ones you should be picking the fight with? Or is it the Mike Pences of the world that hate the LGBTQ community we should be worrying about? Liberal on liberal arguments are so counter-productive. 

Since November 9th, I’ve really tried to change how I discuss politics. It’s my passion, and I believe I’m very educated in the topic but who can take me serious if I’m calling half the country dumb? Hopefully this Resistance Movement will open the eyes of many to a dark world of American oppression. But for those of us who are already there, lets try to do this respectfully. When I debate with a Republican I talk to myself and think, “Leana, use words; use your words” like what I tell my 6-year-old when she’s having a temper tantrum, I feel her pain. I want to cry out, “sea levels are rising, morons! We don’t have four years to convince you about a fact!” But that’s not constructive. Trust me. I’ve been doing it this way for years, and it isn’t working. Before I engage in a political debate I ask myself, “what would Obama do?” The man had a full eight years of insults, and he handled them professionally well. He was stern in his decisions but eloquent in his explanations. He was aggressive but never insulting. I believe the Democratic Party needs a strong leader. All of us can’t be Anthony Weiner screaming on the House floor, or no one will take us seriously. Half of my high school friends on Facebook have blocked me due to my berating words. I didn’t exactly enjoy their social media presence, but is this really progress if we just defriend who we choose to silence? Should we listen and ask questions? Barack Obama won places that Hillary Clinton didn’t even campaign in. He included everyone in his plans for the country. And I was the first to applaud Hill on the “deplorables” comment, which ultimately only hurt The Democrats. I am sucking up my pride and learning from Hilary’s mistake and mine. As challenging as it has been, they’ve gone low, but we’ve gone even lower. Let’s stick to the motto and go higher or find the balance where neither tips over the other.