"Stop talking about racism because some people are racist and you'll upset them" is the very essence of short-termism, though. We need to be talking about how racism is bad specifically BECAUSE some people are racist. nymag.com/intelligencer/…
You can't eliminate the effects of race in politics by unilaterally refusing to acknowledge race. The other side will still push those buttons as hard as it can. All an avoidance strategy does, long-term, is create space for racists to spread their politics unchallenged.
Empirical, poll-based political science really has nothing to contribute here, either. Polls cannot predict future ideological changes in the body politic. No pollster or political scientist could have reliably predicted the civil rights movement or its effects on the country.
Yes! That's the other thing! We've been here before! And since the 1990s, the case for race-blind politics has gotten worse: the country is far more diverse, and the public has become much more progressive on race issues overall.
https://twitter.com/jbouie/status/1387472486829367298
People forget that, within living memory, you had white mobs attacking school buses. Huge majorities opposed interracial marriage. Whites-only country clubs were common. Etc., etc. Progress on these issues is a result of proactive effort by progressives and minority groups.
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