Political Intersectionality

Political Intersectionality

Matthew Scarpetti

December 2, 2020

In our modern and problematic world, we are surrounded by issues. If we look on the news, we see constant bigotry and accusations of bigotry, racism and accusations of racism, and all this results in a constant onslaught of mental abuse. This mental abuse, tied together and fueled by the frustration it causes, pushes people away from one another and causes cracks in the unified justice of America as we once knew it.

These issues all add up into what Kimberlé Crenshaw called “intersectionality” in 1989. This intersectionality is the combination of all these discriminations into one, easily blanketed term that can just as easily be split up into whatever section you need. For example, political intersectionality deals with political discrimination towards others with opposing political views. This could describe anything from a traffic stop of becoming a mushroomed ordeal to someone at the DMV having to sign more unnecessary paperwork to get their license renewed. Any form of discrimination due to political beliefs falls under this term.

There is no easy fix for an issue this deep. The current, widely believed solution is protest and raise awareness, and it clearly is causing more damage than good. I propose a different type of solution- work behind the backs of the people, do it yourself instead of lobbying others to do it for you. Those who are passionate about it, go run for office as a senator, as a congresswoman, as governor, as mayor. If your beliefs line up with the peoples, they’ll vote you in, and you can make the changes yourself. Organizing protests often only results in looting, pillaging, and worsening the name of the cause it wishes to promote. Modern protesters are viewed as a nuisance, a destructive and unstoppable force causing fear and havoc. The lobbying of the protest doesn’t accomplish anything. The alternative, albeit much harder and more expensive on the individual, is to go do it yourself, don’t trust the establishment to change because you stood outside and waved a sign, run for office or vote those in office out.

In conclusion, Political Intersectionality is a nice group term covering a broad range of issues, related in their root cause of discrimination. This can only be fixed by you and me, the individuals, placing our votes for the right candidates of office, or running for office ourselves.