Before I start this essay, let me lay a bit of background: I’m a gay dude who lives somewhere in the Upstate NY area. I’ve been around the block. I’m in my late middle ages looking at retirement. And I’m socially ostracized for everything you’re about to read, because despite the fact that my locality, county and state are run entirely by the Democratic party, any complaints about issues I face sitting in this deep blue state are clearly and concisely the fault of the Right. And the Right only. There is to be no question in this: complaining about the Left is not an option.
When I complain about the health care system, two things are made very clear to me. Firstly, I am a White man, which means that I am privileged, that I do not face issues, and that the medical system has never failed me. Conversely, the medical system consistently fails non-White people, the most important issues to be addressed are the issues that non-White people raise, and because of my privilege, it’s not just important, but an imperative that I have my voice “decentered” so that no power is gained by me, because I am the problem, not a victim. Secondly, any denial of these basic, core fundamentals makes me an ignorant racist who is, once again, trying to make it all about me. The system is failing, but it’s not failing me enough to matter. Therefore, step aside and let the “correct people” take the lead. We promise, you’ll be included when it’s necessary. And you don’t get to decide when that is.
When I complain about the cost of housing, and more specifically, the zoning and code changes that have made Single-family housing the single-largest problem in our state, I’m told that I’m simply trying to hold on to the last vestiges of my privilege, that I’m denying “something needs to be done” for climate change, and that non-White people are the only folks who have any real claim to complain about housing availability or costs. Until they are elevated, I cannot complain about anything. Especially the fact that cities all over Upstate NY have paid hundreds of millions of dollars a year to their richest developer friends to build completely unaffordable housing at well over market rates for construction, creating an ever-increasing wealth bubble of developers and investors who are buying up large swaths of the remaining housing stock and renting for amounts well over affordable for anyone in the lower 50th percentile. I guess it’s easy to boost your income when people don’t wanna be homeless. It’s okay, though. We’ll talk about restricting “package sales” of these homes when the developers have had their fill, and what’s true anyway is that I should really be living in a postage stamp downtown, because if I’m not in Dense Housing(tm) I’m contributing to Global Warming, which is definitely not going to impact me and is a racial issue. I’m basically a racist for questioning where I fit in any of this.
Did I mention Global Warming? Because we really need to Ban All Cars. Yes, that’s right, let’s not have better cars, because All Cars Are Bad. When I discuss any of this with a liberal, I’m told criticizing their Chevy Tahoe is off the table, because All Cars Are Equally Bad. Drive an EV, make choices to drive as little as possible, charge the EV with solar panels on your house? You’re no better than the guy who just coal-rolled me. And to fix all of this, we’re not going to make YOUR neighborhood walkable – that’s ridiculous. Please see the aforementioned housing policy. Yes, you’ll be living downtown in a freshly-build, fully-subsidized tower, and you’ll live, work and play (because you’re a child, not an adult with life goals) in the same 15 minute walk. You’ll do that, or you’ll be labelled The Problem. To encourage you not to be The Problem, we’re going to traffic calm every road you drive on – yes, that’s right, no more than one lane for everything, ensuring you’re sat at every light. You see, every traffic backup is good, because you’ll use all the extra time in your car to think not about the extra fuel you’re burning driving between the lights (or idling at them), but instead to think about that 15 minute city we talked about. You’ll have plenty of extra time as a ten minute drive balloons into a thirty (or more) minute drive. Which is good for you, remember. Besides, what did you have to do with that time anyway? You should just calm down and be less angry.
And when you nestle into your couch and try to relax at home? Yes, you’ll be treated to the dulcet tones of 2-stroke engines screaming past your house, boom cars rattling the artwork off your walls, people screaming at each other over said boom cars. Endless sirens and alarms. You see, it’s true that inner-city noise causes endless harms to the people who live there, which is why non-White people are under so much more stress – you drove by their house, you terrible person! – but when my quality of life is impacted, I have to sit down and remember that I’m privileged and those studies weren’t meant to center my concerns.
I’m tempted to go on. I’m tempted to complain about the constant, endless restrictions on what I can do with my home – I installed a car charger?!? – aghast! – but that kid with the AR15 stealing cars can’t let his life be ruined by anything more than an appearance ticket. I’m could write for days about the unfairness of raising my taxes for more corporate welfare and direct cash payments to people who don’t want to work. But at this point in our society, I don’t see us really caring at all.
When Hillary Clinton stood at her podium during the 2016 elections and started calling the entire Right “deplorables”, despite their serious concerns and issues, I understood immediately that the Left has elevated themselves above these people. I’m one of those deplorables. I want to live in a quiet neighborhood, have access to actually good healthcare, pay what’s fair for city services and strike a good balance on laws and restrictions for me versus the general freedom and quality of life of everyone around me. Which is to say, of course, that I want to oppress Black people, that I want to center myself above the people who really need better healthcare, that I want to hoard my own wealth and keep other people from “rising up”, and that I am (undoubtedly due to not being ‘educated’ enough) against the progress those laws and regulations are going to force out of me.
You see, when you question the Left, you are questioning not just progress and fairness, but the very nature of humanity. You’re one of them, a deplorable anti-progressive who just can’t get with the program. They’ve elevated themselves over the needs of the working class, and the people who have slowly watched their own opportunity dry up over the last few decades are supposed to, by nature of their own race, sit down and shut up. They’ll be taken care of real soon now, we promise. For equality. Until then, we just need to you stop asking questions and submit – intellectually, sure – but don’t think your wallet isn’t on the line too.
Could I say a lot about how the Right isn’t exactly providing for everyone, too? Sure. I could say that openly, in good part because that’s what I’m expected to say. Interestingly, I could say that to Republicans who themselves are open to the notion that their party isn’t perfect. Objective conversations seem to only occur with Republicans. A major thrust of the Democratic effort is a fascist, cruel casting out of anyone who dares question them. If you do, you’re obviously a racist, misogynist anti-progressive, because who would disagree with all the beautiful, wonderful virtues that Democratic party upholds?
I believe very strongly that everything deserves criticism, in direct proportion to that thing’s power over other human beings. It’s the reason we have critical thought and cognitive dissonance. When’s the last time you could have a critical thought about the Left?
Best to just keep that to yourself. You wouldn’t want your employer to know just how racist and misogynist you are, right?