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A review by kevin_shepherd
Black Skinhead: Reflections on Blackness and Our Political Future by Brandi Collins-Dexter
4.0
“…the instinct to dismiss 2016 as a fluke and embrace 2020 as an unmitigated success—particularly when it comes to Black voters—obscures the crisis at hand within the Democratic Party …the Democratic Party has taken black voters for granted …that fragile alliance is beginning to fracture…”
Political parties, like most relationships, are rarely a perfect fit. Any engaged voter in a two party system is sooner or later handed a ballot upon which all of the available options are objectionable. So what do we do?
“Of two evils, the lesser is always to be chosen.” ~Thomas à Kempis, 1418
For some time now, the assumption has been that the Black American electorate will, when faced with unpalatable choices, always err on the side of the Democratic Party. In the past, Black voter support for capital “D” candidates has been crucial to their success but, as laid out by author Brandi Collins-Dexter, there are signs that POC party loyalty is slowly slipping away.
“For decades, Black voters have walked in the steps of those who chose the Democratic Party, but… I am trying a new direction because what’s been done before no longer serves me or us as Black voters.”
The author’s arguments are compelling. In statistical analysis and personal interviews she shows that an increasing percentage of Black Democrats are becoming disenchanted with what they see as detrimental party rhetoric. While there are still many who are working for real changes in party policy, there are others, whom Collins-Dexter refers to as “Black Skinheads,” who are jumping ship. Some are supporting third party candidates. Others are opting out of political discourse, disconnecting from a perceived “lose-lose” two party debacle. And still others are aligning themselves with the Republican Party—deciding they are better off with overt GOP white superiority rather than covert Democratic racism.
“Every time someone in power tries to say everything is fine, there will always be a group of people that feels [sic] like it’s not. That will see that it’s not. This is the inherent byproduct of capitalism, which intrinsically relies on an economic caste system that will always produce a disempowered group at the bottom.”
Personally speaking, I get it. The DNC is sailing under a flag of self-deception. I myself left the party in 2016, deciding I would rather be an Independent voter than one aligned with an organization who couldn’t muster enough electoral college votes to defeat the most vile windbag that ever stood behind a podium. But… I’m not so far off my rocker that I would shift my allegiance to the political party that birthed that said windbag. As much as I disagree with the likes of Thomas Sowell and Ben Carson and the late Herman Cain, they are all bellwethers of a political shift that needs to be acknowledged and addressed sooner rather than later.
“…despite outward appearances, Republicans do actually recognize that to stay relevant, they have to court Black voters on some level. When you listen to the Republican’s rhetoric, it’s not a secret they have run all the numbers, and they understand that if they can get 20 to 25 percent of the Black vote, then it’s over. They will win every time. And so, they know they have to find ways to convince Black people to their side—ideally without losing the base of Republican voters drawn in by racist talking points.”
Political parties, like most relationships, are rarely a perfect fit. Any engaged voter in a two party system is sooner or later handed a ballot upon which all of the available options are objectionable. So what do we do?
“Of two evils, the lesser is always to be chosen.” ~Thomas à Kempis, 1418
For some time now, the assumption has been that the Black American electorate will, when faced with unpalatable choices, always err on the side of the Democratic Party. In the past, Black voter support for capital “D” candidates has been crucial to their success but, as laid out by author Brandi Collins-Dexter, there are signs that POC party loyalty is slowly slipping away.
“For decades, Black voters have walked in the steps of those who chose the Democratic Party, but… I am trying a new direction because what’s been done before no longer serves me or us as Black voters.”
The author’s arguments are compelling. In statistical analysis and personal interviews she shows that an increasing percentage of Black Democrats are becoming disenchanted with what they see as detrimental party rhetoric. While there are still many who are working for real changes in party policy, there are others, whom Collins-Dexter refers to as “Black Skinheads,” who are jumping ship. Some are supporting third party candidates. Others are opting out of political discourse, disconnecting from a perceived “lose-lose” two party debacle. And still others are aligning themselves with the Republican Party—deciding they are better off with overt GOP white superiority rather than covert Democratic racism.
“Every time someone in power tries to say everything is fine, there will always be a group of people that feels [sic] like it’s not. That will see that it’s not. This is the inherent byproduct of capitalism, which intrinsically relies on an economic caste system that will always produce a disempowered group at the bottom.”
Personally speaking, I get it. The DNC is sailing under a flag of self-deception. I myself left the party in 2016, deciding I would rather be an Independent voter than one aligned with an organization who couldn’t muster enough electoral college votes to defeat the most vile windbag that ever stood behind a podium. But… I’m not so far off my rocker that I would shift my allegiance to the political party that birthed that said windbag. As much as I disagree with the likes of Thomas Sowell and Ben Carson and the late Herman Cain, they are all bellwethers of a political shift that needs to be acknowledged and addressed sooner rather than later.
“…despite outward appearances, Republicans do actually recognize that to stay relevant, they have to court Black voters on some level. When you listen to the Republican’s rhetoric, it’s not a secret they have run all the numbers, and they understand that if they can get 20 to 25 percent of the Black vote, then it’s over. They will win every time. And so, they know they have to find ways to convince Black people to their side—ideally without losing the base of Republican voters drawn in by racist talking points.”