I hate the “education” argument. You know, the one that says people would act right if they only knew better. I hate that shit. It’s just so arrogant. And ignorant. You wanna know why? Because what is “better” anyway? “Better” than what? Than whom? Our culture is based on identity not facts, and so is our education. This is true not only of the content of that education, but also who gets to receive one.
But what if we sidestep all those institutional conversations just for a moment and consider education purely as information? That doesn’t function much differently. The ease with which people are willing to accept information directly aligns with how much it confirms their identity. Privilege means a whole lot of us just don’t have to accept things we don’t like.
Here’s what I mean:
More Black people voted for 45 the second time than the first. When people talk about that fact, they find it impossible to believe. After all those years of “very fine people” and “shithole countries” and on and on, how could more Black people have voted for him the second time? It just can’t be! Unless, of course, you consider the full context.
First of all, it was only a 2 percentage-point gain, so, not a lot. Secondly, the choice was not 45 or stay home. The choice was 45 or Biden. Perhaps to you that seems like an obvious choice, but Biden proudly created policies that put a whole lot of Black people in jail and/or the ground. It shouldn’t be too difficult to understand that some members of those affected families wouldn’t want Biden to be president. It shouldn’t be unreasonable to distrust the man who condemned so many Black families for drug offenses only to demand compassion and empathy for his own drug-offending, rich, white son. Of course, 45 is a shameful, terrible pustule who has no business being anything other than institutionalized. But in a decision between that and the man who proudly destroyed your family, it is not outrageous to imagine ticking the pustule box.
Unfortunately, many people are still so consumed by the offensive nature of 45 it is unimaginable to them that others could’ve experienced worse at Biden’s hand. And now Biden behaves uncriticized even as he acts against popular desires and the interests of his own constituents.
His promise of $45 billion to minority serving institutions (MSIs) including $30 billion to HBCUs was recently cut to $2 billion, which, you know, is a pretty expensive promise to break.
Despite a nationwide movement to defund police, Biden has given $33 million in grants to law enforcement agencies across the country. These grants are to be spent on a variety of programs including anti-bias training—which we know does not work—and the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, a cutely named but obviously disastrous relic of Biden’s 1994 crime bill.
One of the first things Biden did when he got into office was sign an executive order saying there would be no more “new oil and natural gas leases on public lands or in offshore waters, pending completion of a comprehensive review and reconsideration of Federal oil and gas permitting and leasing practices.” Then he cancelled the lease sale of 78 million acres of offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. But don’t put your wallet away just yet because last month those acres went back on sale!
In February Biden promised to pursue cannabis decriminalization, a gesture attempting to make up for his past transgressions. In March the news broke that White House staffers were being asked to resign over pot smoking. Also, if you were planning on applying for a job at the FBI, if you’ve smoked weed 25 times since you were 18, I regret to inform you that as of last month you are disqualified from FBI employment. It’s unclear why the very specific number of 25, but RIP your dream job.
And then there’s the resignations of his US envoy to Haiti and those top FDA officials. And, and, and.
Last week’s Quinnipiac poll found Biden’s approval rating the same as 45’s nine months into their respective presidencies. I wonder if the level of protests will have to match before Biden accepts the education he’s being given.
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And of course, there is the case of Anita Hill, Esq. What a gracious lady. And she showed the dignity and an ability to reverse Biden’s attack on her!