I really appreciate the back and forth here. Thank you to both of you for letting the rest of us read it. Garrett, in addition to everything Jana says here, I’d add that on my first read of the essay I interpreted your requests/wishes to be at least as much about emotional labor as they are about policy and messaging around that policy. …
I really appreciate the back and forth here. Thank you to both of you for letting the rest of us read it. Garrett, in addition to everything Jana says here, I’d add that on my first read of the essay I interpreted your requests/wishes to be at least as much about emotional labor as they are about policy and messaging around that policy. In other words, “challenge people who share my demo to be better, but do it in a way that makes us feel welcome and supported instead of mentioning our current and historic culpability.” I’ve read and enjoyed this stack for while and I am 100% sure that patriarchy-centric message is not what you intended to convey. (And as a fellow midwestern-raised person, please accept my apologies for how harsh that sounded.)
Didn’t sound harsh at all and it would have been ok if it did! Love the good faith feedback on how it read the first time. No pressure at all (speaking of extra labor) but if you wanted to expand on what about your first read gave that vibe I’m all ears. Again, no pressure though. Appreciate you!
Thank you! I should be clear I completely agree that pandering infantilizes in the ways you describe so well. I’m an ethnographer, and it drives me nuts when ppl wittingly or unwittingly assume that other people don’t know how to think for themselves - or better, that progressives are somehow immune to pandering but that it hooks everyone else. To go back to your question, I think the “I would love/like” repetitions are what left me with that interpretation. I would love if politicians did all those things more too, but since the essay is about how white men are centered in electoral politics, I was perhaps more likely to think “none of us get what we would like/love from the state, why should you?”
I really appreciate the back and forth here. Thank you to both of you for letting the rest of us read it. Garrett, in addition to everything Jana says here, I’d add that on my first read of the essay I interpreted your requests/wishes to be at least as much about emotional labor as they are about policy and messaging around that policy. In other words, “challenge people who share my demo to be better, but do it in a way that makes us feel welcome and supported instead of mentioning our current and historic culpability.” I’ve read and enjoyed this stack for while and I am 100% sure that patriarchy-centric message is not what you intended to convey. (And as a fellow midwestern-raised person, please accept my apologies for how harsh that sounded.)
Didn’t sound harsh at all and it would have been ok if it did! Love the good faith feedback on how it read the first time. No pressure at all (speaking of extra labor) but if you wanted to expand on what about your first read gave that vibe I’m all ears. Again, no pressure though. Appreciate you!
Thank you! I should be clear I completely agree that pandering infantilizes in the ways you describe so well. I’m an ethnographer, and it drives me nuts when ppl wittingly or unwittingly assume that other people don’t know how to think for themselves - or better, that progressives are somehow immune to pandering but that it hooks everyone else. To go back to your question, I think the “I would love/like” repetitions are what left me with that interpretation. I would love if politicians did all those things more too, but since the essay is about how white men are centered in electoral politics, I was perhaps more likely to think “none of us get what we would like/love from the state, why should you?”
Really good point!