The left’s obsession with race is alienating minorities in America

The Democratic Party in the United States has done a remarkable job of trademarking itself as the party that cares about racial minorities. On Thursday, President Joe Biden confirmed he will be appointing the first Black female judge to the Supreme Court next month. Considering the Democrats’ nonstop insistence about advancing racial justice and “equity” – which has included multicultural messaging by way of the Squad and appointing Kamala Harris as the first female Black vice-president – the average onlooker could be forgiven for thinking the marginalized, in turn, appreciate these sentiments, resulting in a boost in the Democrats’ popularity.

But polling data beg to differ – a political preference for the Democrats at the start of 2021 was, by the end of the year, overtaken by Republicans. Mr. Biden’s approval rating has sunk to an eye-boggling 41 per cent.

Examining the political identity of non-white Americans offers an unspoken perspective. To begin, the blanket term “people of colour,” ubiquitous on the political left, is a glaring point of contention. It lumps together nonwhite people under the assumption that, by virtue of not being white, we are indistinguishable from each other.

Not only is this racist, but contradictions abound within this framework of thinking. For example, non-white people can have their POC status revoked and replaced with “white privilege” if they succeed in society or behave in a way that leftists don’t appreciate.

Consider the ways in which Asian Americans have been punished to fit the tune of this racial hierarchy. A lawsuit filed by Students for Fair Admissions alleges Harvard University has discriminated against Asian-American applicants for decades, ranking them harshly on subjective measures, including ratings pertaining to likability and courage, in order to fulfill affirmative-action quotas.

Not only do the Democrats wholeheartedly support policies penalizing Asians in the name of increasing “diversity,” but Asians are routinely stripped of their minority status in horrific instances of race-motivated violence. Supposed “allies” will generously bring awareness to anti-Asian attacks if the perpetrator is white, but will just as quickly ignore them as hate crimes if they are committed by someone of a different race.

The consequences of this hypocrisy will be felt in the years to come.

When assessing Mr. Biden as president, of non-white groups, Asian-Americans gave his performance the lowest rating. They are abandoning the party, voting instead for Republicans.

Asian Americans aren’t the only racial minority group detaching from the left. When asked about their political views, most Black and Hispanic Americans identify as moderates. In either of these groups, only about one in four identifies as liberal.

Perhaps white people aren’t the only ones put off by opportunists taking the helm of race activism to facilitate lunacy. Legitimate concerns about police brutality, criminal justice reform and prejudice have been bandaged over with naive interventions such as decriminalizing petty theft and abolishing the police. To no one’s surprise, this has resulted in more crime and violence and the worsening of racial tensions.

These negative sentiments extend to the classroom as well. Regardless of race, parents don’t appreciate K-12 educators using children as tokens, embedding in white and biracial kids “anti-racist” ideas about being inherently racist, or teaching minority children that skin colour foretells inescapable oppression and victimization.

Racial minorities are no different from other human beings, in that we do not appreciate being spoken for or told how to think. The fetishization of identity politics is a superficial solution that rewards its believers with selfrighteousness but won’t actually eradicate racism. I hear frequently from non-white individuals in my audience who do not believe their race is the most important thing about them, who are tired of being lectured by woke white people.

Activists won’t heed this backlash, however, because their mission is driven not by concern about bettering minorities’ lives, but a desire to dismantle society and reconstruct it in their own image. As a liberal, I cringe at the thought of white people thinking we approve of any of this. By doubling down on these policies, the left will continue losing not only minorities, but also any clear-minded, rational person.