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Let’s talk about the “Pocahontas” slur for a moment.
The “joke” was rooted in seeming absurdity that a clearly “white” woman claimed she was Native American. Warren doesn’t look like Sharice Davids. White men declaring how “authentically” ethnic you are is annoying & racist, yes
The “joke” was rooted in seeming absurdity that a clearly “white” woman claimed she was Native American. Warren doesn’t look like Sharice Davids. White men declaring how “authentically” ethnic you are is annoying & racist, yes
But it felt like the Warren camp ignored the root of the dig. Imagine a 1980s sitcom where the “Indian” character is played by Shelley Long. Hilarious, right? This is obnoxious but that’s what Trump was doing.
Yet Warren chose to defuse Trump’s “joke” through literalism. It’s like Jeb Bush challenging the “low energy” jabs with a doctor’s note.
Who was laughing at Trump’s “Pocahontas” digs? Any Dem primary voters? Probably not. Mostly Fox News viewers. Not sure what engaging him on this achieved. He’s a bigot who makes insulting references to sitting Senators. It’s offensive. Period. No matter “merit” of his claims.
I concede this is hindsight bc I liked at the time that she went after Trump, but I now think she fell into a lot of traps that were best avoided.
Race as a cultural concept is complex and worthy of a larger debate.
For instance, I think in many ways Paris Jackson is culturally “black.” She was raised by black people and likely shares an intimacy with our culture. Should that connection be dismissed bc of her appearance?
For instance, I think in many ways Paris Jackson is culturally “black.” She was raised by black people and likely shares an intimacy with our culture. Should that connection be dismissed bc of her appearance?
Yet, is she “black” from a political standpoint? Should she declare blackness on college applications? This is a difficult conversation. We wish it could be a personal choice but it has greater implications.
