[lit-ideas] Re: How to Draw a Crowd

Simon: If you see these leaders as being in a position to ensure that such measurement remains, then I'm not sure you recognise the problem. When you can accuse such leaders of measuring what isn't there ...
I know this is taking Donal's joking quote, transforming it into a diatribe, and then arguing the merits of the diatribe ... but why not?
In my opinion, the activists and self-appointed spokespeople for subgroups have gone the way of the revolution in _Animal Farm_. What began as a noble demand for equality changed into an institutionalization of lobbyists seeking self-enrichment under the banner of social progress. There are plenty of laws on the books, plenty of lawyers ready to argue cases, and a general sensibility that racial discrimination is both wrong and, in many cases, illegal. Done deal.
Economic inequality is the most pervasive inequality right now and that's not something that can be legislated away. So racism is promoted instead.
As our recent election shows, Americans are quite ready to think in terms of "best candidate" rather than "candidate of my subgroup," but there's no way to milk that cow. 

So what do activists (i.e., lawyers and lobbyists) do?
*Maintain the integrity of the subgroup. If your subgroup of, say, Filipino-Americans is resisting their Filipino-American identity and they increasingly prefer to think of themselves as just plain Americans, it's important to identify (or manufacture) instances around which the Filipino-American "community" can unite.
*Resist the melting pot at all costs. The Mexican activist group called La Rasa ("The Race" ... hmm ... fancy that) has a name that says it all.
An alternative to _Animal Farm_ is for people to expect equal treatment as individuals right now. 


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