Facts.

When someone uses the words of identity politics to criticize anyone talking about race, then that person really wants to ignore racial issues in trying to eliminate the need to end structural racism. That is why I don't take folks seriously when they use the coded phrase identity politics in criticizing real social activists. The term of identity politics is used by many to dismiss legitimate concerns about racism and misogyny and to minimize the concerns of marginalized, oppressed communities. The irony is the identity politics was originally coined by a heroic black woman named Barbara Smith as a means to stand up for justice. Decades later, the real meaning of identity politics has been co-opted by racists, reactionaries, and leftist class reductionalists (Krystal Ball, WSWS, etc. Krystal Ball criticized centrism which ought to be done, but she believes ironically in the centrist ideology of opposing identity politics) in order for them to minimize the concerns of black people. Black people collectively have every right to tell our stories and to stand up for real democracy without whitewashing and without compromise. Krystal Ball wants people to not follow identity politics, because a conservative African American man was elected Attorney General in the state of Kentucky. That's silly, because institutionalized racism should be exposed. Also, many of these class reductionists wants us to obsess to gain the support of white working class people while omitting the needs of black human beings including other people. The false argument of Ball is that anyone who believes in identity politics wants far right people or neoliberal centrists of any color to be praised by virtue of their color alone. That is certainly not the case. Identity politics is about acknowledging specific forms of oppression and doing something about it involving structural, revolutionary change (not diminishing the oppression of other people). Her coded phrases of "suffering Olympics" and "leave identity at the door" are very typical of some liberals who hate anyone viciously opposing a class-only approach or supporting reparations (like the Reverend Dr. King did. She or Ball says content of character while omitting that Dr. King wanted redistribution of wealth and race-based compensation given to black Americans because of slavery including Jim Crow oppression). Krystal Ball praising the racist Joe Rogan is very interesting. See, I do know my tea. Her saying that I don't agree with extremists like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly on every issue, but they just mention something that I enjoy. I'm not surprised by her. The true reality is that many Republicans and reactionaries have convinced some progressives and some Democrats that identity politics is bad, while these same Republicans spent millions of dollars in specific media and other instruments to advance far right wing views based upon far right white politics. Certainly, we know that Trump is the worst President in our generation. He has been a failure in establishing a coherent policy in dealing with coronavirus, police brutality, and other issues. That is why we are clear that we desire better leadership than this. The disaster of the response has caused the lives of many people to be gone. Many businesses are gone. Millions of Americans struggle to get food and other resources. More than 20 million Americans are out of work. We have witnessed overt bigotry and xenophobia shown by this administration that Reagan could have dream of doing. Therefore, I'm an optimist by nature. Our response isn't to give up. Our response to this crisis is to continue our duty to help our communities via charities, outreach, investments, promoting real advice, and standing up for solutions.


Candace Owens is at it again spewing lies and deception against the black community. Before I refute her lies, I will outline what she has said recently. She believes in the view of respectability politics. Respectability politics is the view that many conservatives have that if black people want to develop into the next level of improvement, then we have to confirm to rigid clothing styles, embrace Western society unconditionally, use perfect diction, abhor progressive values, and make an emphasis of conforming to the status quo. Of course, I reject respectability politics. Candace Owens is the hypocrite that once sued people because of racial discrimination, but she downgrades racial oppression today. She wrote a book that compares black people voluntarily joining the Democratic Party as being in a plantation which trivializes plus disrespects the black suffering found in slavery.

Slavery involved genocide, abuse, manipulation, and terror. Slavery can't be equivalent to anyone joining any party voluntarily. On Twitter, she recently downplayed Ahmaud Arbery's murder. She listed the usual far right conservative talking points which is why a lot of far right white people like her. She said the stats on coronavrius deaths are nonsense when a disproportionate amount of deaths in America involve black Americans. She called black culture wrong when black culture gave the world inventors, scholars, political leaders, etc. She said that the black community doesn't speak out on "black on black " crime when black people via various programs always condemn violence and stand up against intraracial violence all of the time. There are conflict resolutions programs now fighting gang violence and other evils. The irony is that many of the same ones who lecture others in saying that we live in a colorblind society (which we don't) talk about "black on black" crime (which has racial connotations) as a way for them to prop up right wing talking points. The crime rates in the black community have declined massively since 1980. There are massive declines in crime rates overall. She omits that most crime in America is intraracial, and crime is not based on racial genetics but on diverse socioeconomic factors including close proximity. She ignores the existence of structural racism and discrimination which has been documented by sociological studies. She makes it her business to lecture black people about what we ought to do when black people have been doing the work before she was born. She said that black people aren't hunted.

There is the black slave trade in Libya today. Many black people are abused and raped plus hunted worldwide (via the modern slave trade, sex trafficking, and other sick forms of abuse). Black people are constantly harassed in the Internet and in the streets of America. Black people are victims of slurs and racism daily. So, this reality is what Owens ignores. Owens denied that Ahmaud was a jogger when he was. Her comparing black Democrats to slaves is the height of ignorance. She quoted a retweted a bigoted comment saying that Black Americans are the most confused and deceived people on Earth. Obviously, that is a lie. Owens talks about black children passing away, but her omission of black Americans organizing the fighting against the deaths of black children makes her disingenuous and hypocritical. She wants to worship the conservative ideology at the expense of her ignoring black people fighting international white racism. Downplaying white racism while maligning black people who are progressive is her M.O. She's a traitor just like Jesse Lee Peterson and the rest. Her claim that the left hates America is a lie.

Owens said that black Americans have a 'victim mentality.' No, we (who are black people) realize that we are victims of oppression, and we have a victor mentality of wanting justice and real freedom against injustice. There is a difference. Candace Owens doesn't want to be seen as monolithic, but she makes monolithic labels against black Americans when black Americans are very much diverse not monolithic. Owens dismissed the increase of hate crimes in America. She minimizes the terrorism done by white nationalists, because her views are similar to their views. Owens lied and said that the NRA was a civil rights organization. We know that the NRA was created by Union soldiers during the late 19th century originally to improve marksmanship. The NRA promoted gun control explicitly and wise gun ownership until the 1970's when they were taken over by extremists. Owens lied and said that the October 2018 mail bombings were done by leftists when a Trump supporting Republican did it. Her (when she talks down to black Americans in a disgraceful fashion) supporting Trump is typical of her. She will not talk the way she talks to white people as she does to black people. Trump made racist comments, made sexist comments, and who has cut the social safety net plus enriched big corporations (as capitalism grew to what it is today via slave labor and imperialism including colonialism) for years. She is just wrong.


By Timothy