Identity politics. It’s all the rage these days.
“Black Lives Matter”
“LGBTQ”
“Confederate Heritage”
These are just some of the divisive groups trending around the US.
The problem is that these groups don’t serve the intended interest of their select class, which we can infer is to promote a positive national outlook on that group and to gain support for a particular problem facing that group. Instead, such association serves to sift out their members from other Americans and to cast a spotlight on their differences.
Americans are an inherently diverse group, a country comprised of immigrants. Collectively, we have every conceivable background amongst us. Every color. Every race. Every gender. Every religion. Every culture. Every language. And so on. And, many of our children are mixes of such colors and religions and cultures. We are diverse, definitively.
If we were to parse out each individual difference between us, we would be undertaking an impossible task. And at what expense? To make it impossible for our neighbor to ignore that difference moving forward? How does that help?
Yet, many politicians soar using divisive rhetoric, trying to promote the interests of some over the interests of others. Currying favor with the victim du jour.
These politics divide us. Separate us. Make us see our neighbors as different from us. Identity politics break us apart.
But there are some political leaders rising up to unify us. John James being most noteworthy.
John James is black. But you’ll never hear him say that. James is not phased by the color of his skin any more than by the color of his hair. The only colors that John James cares about are Red, White, and Blue.
James is running for U.S. Senate in Michigan on a platform of unity. “We are all American,” he proclaims. His campaign is about bringing people together. People of all colors, all religions, all backgrounds - all Americans.
“We need to put red, white and blue first. Not black or white.”
James is one of the few politicians who is campaigning for unity and for inclusion of all. He talks about pulling people together instead of apart, “I want to bring people together. I can bring people together.” He is a superior candidate in many respects, widely supported, and rising with splendor.
The question is: do Americans wish to be unified as one? The rise of identity politics indicates a growing market for division. But how strong is the market for unity? We can test by watching John James in the election.
I hope John James wins. I believe in unity and American values. John James represents my beliefs. I can only hope that Michigan voters agree.