Invisible Privilege

I’m a married, white, middle-class Republican male. I am the stereotype people point to when they describe privilege, a concept dismissed by conservative America. Yet I am here to tell other Republicans and conservatives: Privilege is real.

When conservatives hear the term “privilege” in reference to white Americans, some lash out with disbelief and mockery. “If anyone happens to find my white privilege anywhere, let me know – I sure as hell haven’t ever seen it”, a notable conservative meme proclaimed as it was shared through social media.

Privilege isn’t necessarily undeserved superior treatment; it’s the ability to enjoy trust within the community without having to earn it. The benefit of the doubt is a powerful form of privilege that can only be noticed once it’s gone.

Privilege Exchange Rate

I recently traveled to China on business, joined by a colleague on his first visit. We are both white males, yet my travel companion stands out in the crowd. Local citizens flocked to capture a glimpse and snap pictures of his towering 6’ 5” frame, blonde hair and blue eyes. While I expected a reaction from the local crowd, I wasn’t prepared for a very new experience: the benefit of the doubt I have always enjoyed vanished.

As we traversed rural areas, suspicious eyes followed our movements. What did they think we were doing? The simple task of checking our bags at the airport became more complex than others experienced. We had to go to a manager’s station when everyone else was allowed to breeze by. The added difficulty wasn’t insurmountable, but it was noticeable. My colleague faced even more obstacles. When our flight was cancelled, we waited in a long line with all the passengers. Several people attempted to cut in front of my colleague, no one else. Each passenger received a refund except for my friend; he alone was denied.

Throughout our time in China, he was never injured, but he was mistreated.

I returned to the U.S. with a newfound empathy for people who are treated differently because of their appearance. I could recognize my privilege now that I had gone without. Before, the subtle double standard was invisible. Now, the numerous slights I didn’t have to endure were glaringly obvious. This was the moment I realized that privilege wasn’t about a specific race or class; it was about which group enjoyed prominent standing in the culture.

Privilege of Prominence

Back in the U.S., my privilege is restored, but I’m not taking it for granted. I can shop without watchful eyes following my every move. I can feel secure the police won’t pull me over for no reason. I can go about my day relatively carefree. For many Americans this would seem like normal treatment. Why would anyone be suspected of wrongdoing if they were innocent?

Being automatically suspected of wrongdoing is the very issue that members of the black community have raised. White people are typically afforded the benefit of the doubt (or at least the benefit of restraint). The black community, in large part, is not. African-American boys receive two-thirds of reported school suspensions nationwide, and black youth account for 26% of juvenile arrests, 44% of detentions, and 58% of state prison incarcerations. “Every single child 13 or 14 years old sentenced to life without parole for a non-homicide has been a person of color,” according to Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative. Do black youths strike the community with criminal activity more frequently, or does the justice system strike black youths with greater might?

#PrivilegeMatters

The black community is attempting to make their voices heard. Following the separate police-involved deaths of unarmed citizens, Michael Brown (Ferguson, MO) and Eric Garner (Staten Island, NY), matters of race and privilege have surfaced. In both incidences where the deceased was black, separate grand juries refused to indict the white police officers involved.

Immediately, the public began to take sides along ideological lines. Many conservatives backed the police officers involved, attacking the character of the dead men and blaming them for provoking the incident. Brown and Garner supporters responded with protests of their own, denouncing the deaths as an example of excessive use of force by the police. The protesters argued that shoplifting and selling untaxed cigarettes, respectively, should never escalate to a lethal response (and wouldn’t if the suspects were afforded the benefit of restraint).

Riots ensued in Ferguson, fanning the narrative voiced by conservatives that police acted accordingly in crime-ridden, out of control areas. In the community protests dating back to the 2012 acquittal of George Zimmerman in the death of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin, a slogan was born: #BlackLivesMatter, which was subsequently ridiculed by the ideological right who called the movement “racist” for elevating the lives of perceived criminals above others.

Within days of the Ferguson riots, opposition to the now two year old #BlackLivesMatter movement was created when the slogan #AllLivesMatter was launched by conservative activists as a way to support police officers who put their lives on the line to protect the public. Rather than join together to listen and help raise awareness, these conservatives countered. This only escalated the grievance within the black community, which in turn added to the perception that all opposition to the #BlackLivesMatter movement was proof of white privilege or further racial ignorance.

Privilege of Visibility

All lives DO matter. The black community is trying to bring public attention to their struggle of getting by without privilege. They are not trying to advocate for more restraint than anyone else receives, they do not feel they receive the minimum reasonable amount of respect. They are seeking to have their concerns heard, not refuted by people who cannot see the privilege that prominence affords.

Political parties have privilege blindness as well. The Republican National Committee (RNC) recently released their 2015 calendar titled “Your America”, which features scenes depicting their vision of what matters to Republicans. Embarrassingly, not a single non-white person was pictured. Does the RNC envision America without people of color? Sometimes it’s a privilege just to be visible.

Having privilege is not shameful; however we cannot assume everyone else enjoys the same treatment. Some people are mistreated, mistrusted, or worse. But these issues will never be resolved when many Americans cannot see a problem exists. Equal treatment of others is only achievable when we can see what privilege looks like; then afford others the same privilege.

(Also published at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Purple Wisconsin)

RNC Calendar: "Your" America...

The Republican National Committee (RNC) just launched a new 2015 calendar titled "Your America". This RNC dedication to their vision of our party features photos of "what the American Dream means to supporters across the country — whether that’s a serene view of our lands’ natural beauty or your grandchildren waving the American flag for their very first time." Unfortunately, yet unsurprisingly, not a single person featured was non-white...

The RNC seeks to broaden their tent, but it appears their vision may be too limited to achieve any meaningful growth. At this rate, they deserve to lose your vote. Unless your family is about trucks, puppies, and being Caucasian, this calendar is a daily reminder that the RNC has failed.

Workers of Wisconsin, Unite!

Another labor clash is developing in Wisconsin, pitting the same cast of characters against each other in a battle over labor rights. Pro-union activists are holding their ground against the encroachment by conservatives who seek right-to-work legislation. The goal of right-to-work is to allow the choice of joining a union (closed shop workplaces compel union membership). Both sides are entrenched, but these opponents aren’t fighting for workers, they’re fighting for their own self-interest.

If the focus of the organized labor debate is the worker, both sides have failed. Parties on both sides of the issue aren’t representing ALL workers; each side unifies to protect their interests and crush their opponents’.

United Against Closed Shop Unions

As the wounds from Act 10 begin to scar over, conservative activist group Wisconsin Right to Work is rekindling the idea that Wisconsin should become a right-to-work, open shop state. “Wisconsin's public employees have already demonstrated their strong desire for their right to choose as evidenced by the sharp decline in enrollment in the teacher's unions since the passage of Gov. Walker's [Act 10],” said Lorri Pickens, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Work (Journal Sentinel).

While Governor Scott Walker has little appetite to duke it out with pro-union supporters, calling it “not part of his agenda” and a “distraction”, he may be drafted by the far-right conservatives he heavily relied on during his reelection campaign. His voter base may flaunt the $2 billion savings or the ability to replace ineffective teachers that resulted from the Act 10 reforms as justification for taking the anti-union movement further. Walker may not have any choice but to go along.

Anti-union conservatives view the labor movement as economic saboteurs headed by corrupt union bosses who stuff their over-sized pockets with workers’ hard-earned money, all while hindering profitability along the way. Dues are compelled by force in exchange for biased representation. Closed shop environments are said to stifle initiative, inhibit modernization, and reward sloth, a deadly combination for profitability. “They're trying to sneak in any way they can," said South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley of unions trying to establish in her state. “My job is to make sure I keep kicking them out.”

A lighter tone with similar result is set in the Wisconsin State Legislature. “The benefits to Wisconsin are pretty simple, and the statistics are very clear: If we pass legislation like right to work, we’re going to see an increase in the number of jobs available, and I fully expect to see an increase in incomes,” said Republican State Rep. Chris Kapenga, who announced he will introduce a right-to-work bill.

Workers of Wisconsin, unite against the closed shop union!

United for Strong Unions

It wasn’t always this way. In 1952, Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower said: “Today in America unions have a secure place in our industrial life. Only a handful of unreconstructed reactionaries harbor the ugly thought of breaking unions. Only a fool would try to deprive working men and women of the right to join the union of their choice.”

Wisconsin has a noble legacy as the first state to grant collective bargaining rights to public-sector unions (NY Times). Walker began his history of fighting unions when he proposed right-to-work legislation in 1993 as a freshman in the State Legislature (Journal Sentinel). Prior to this year’s election, Walker’s campaign quipped on social media: “Big Government Union Bosses said they have "a score to settle" with Scott”, which was followed by a call to donate. Opposition to unions results in a big payday for conservative candidates. As conservatives contend that the labor movement is diametrically opposed to Republican ideas, unions are used as the Boogeyman to incite fear in a right-leaning electorate--fear used to funnel money into campaign coffers.

Union-bashing is red meat for a conservative voting base. The Republican National Committee (RNC) glaringly declined to recognize Labor Day 2014, a slap in the face to people who work hard for a living. Republican candidates, in an effort to appease these anti-union conservatives, have played to the fool and ignored the union worker and the labor movement’s contributions to the workplace.

Union leaders, members, and supporters can see that conservatives aim to remove the labor movement from business. “Wisconsin is powered by our middle class — by the nurses, steel workers, teachers and construction workers who help shape our future, keep us safe and drive our economy. Right-to-work would roll back the clock on workers' rights and take Wisconsin in the wrong direction,” Wisconsin AFL-CIO president Phil Neuenfeldt said (Journal Sentinel). In an effort to protect collective bargaining rights, union advocates are threatening to protest to keep unionized workplaces closed and insulated from the crumbling affects of reduced membership.

United for Workers’ Choice

Anti-union conservatives want to promote the choice of workers to become union members, but would prefer they do not unionize. And pro-union advocates want to promote the choice of workers to unionize, and encourage them to do so. It seems odd that two groups arguing for workers’ rights are so bent on limiting the laborer’s choice, relying on coercion to either prevent or compel union membership. Compulsion is no choice at all.

The decision to join a union belongs to workers. If the pro & anti-union groups really want to advocate for the workers’ rights, they’ll support the right of a worker to join a union or abstain. Workers of Wisconsin, unite for choice!

(Also published at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Purple Wisconsin)

World AIDS Day

More than 1.2 million Americans are infected with HIV.
1 in 6 HIV-positive people are unaware of their infection.
1 in 4 of new HIV infections impact youth ages 13-24.
The black/African American community has been hit by the highest rate of HIV infection.
(source: aids.gov)

Focus. Partner. Achieve.

To find out how to move towards an AIDS-free generation, visit aids.gov.

Happy Thanksgiving

Leaves on the same tree can present in a variety of colors. We are thankful for the beauty that diversity can bring. Happy Thanksgiving!

Ferguson

There were no winners in Ferguson, MO today. Instead of continuing the conflict, let's align to address concerns about public safety, police militarization, and the disproportionate arrest and incarceration of black males.

"O, let America be America again —
The land that never has been yet —
And yet must be — the land where every man is free."


From the poem Let America be America Again by Langston Hughes

Walker’s Sinking of the SS Common Core

It’s no secret: Governor Scott Walker (R-WI) does not support Common Core State Standards (CCSS). When Walker asked the state legislature to repeal CCSS in July, conservatives rejoiced. But in their jubilation, is the ideological right selling out Wisconsin children’s education in favor of state’s rights ideology? Yes, though many don’t know it.

You might have heard someone argue the terrible nature of Common Core. Many right-wing groups and notable political leaders predict the downfall of education, pointing to the “flawed” teaching methods and content, particularly Common Core Math. Grown adults seem to find Common Core Math inscrutable. Is it? Well, any person who’s made change without the use of a cash register has successfully performed Common Core Math. People with misconceptions of bundled arithmetic say that it is a “new math”, rather than a technique learned along with the stacked method of addition and subtraction. The frame placed around Common Core Math is either a tragic misunderstanding of the standards’ intent or blatant misinformation. Either way, it’s a red herring.

So if the issue isn’t math, yet conservatives insist Common Core needs to be repealed, other aspects of the standards must be terrible, right? Could the issue be because CCSS is a federal mandate that restricts the ability of states to create curriculum at the local level? Well, no. 1) Standards are not curriculum, they are goals. 2) Curriculum is developed at the local level based on standards. 3) Common Core is a set of voluntarily adopted state-led standards.

Interestingly, the federal government had no role in the development of CCSS. Common Core’s true origin of implementation dates back to 2009 when the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) initiated a state-led effort to improve educational rigor and reignite the U.S. global competitive advantage, which had grown stagnant. The CCSS were constructed as best practices in consultation with educators and standards experts from across the nation. In essence, Common Core is the ultimate exercise of a state’s right to build educational standards in partnership with other states, not a federal mandate imposed on them.

Walker seeks to steer control of educational standards back to the state and local level. “I call on the members of the state Legislature to pass a bill in early January to repeal Common Core and replace it with standards set by people in Wisconsin,” said Walker in July.

That’s fine, but educators in the state view Common Core favorably. Why scrap a program that works? In the interest of saving money, it is fiscally irresponsible to lay waste to good standards because of politics. The governor’s work on Act 10 was sadly necessary to stabilize state finances. The efforts to balance our budget will be squandered through more government waste. This time, Walker will have no one to blame but himself. Either Governor Walker has been duped into believing that Common Core is bad for kids or he is pandering to his voter base.

Not everyone has been fooled. The biggest advocates for CCSS have been the group that knows about educating youth: Education Professionals.

"We know that Wisconsin's current academic standards (Common Core) are more rigorous and are having a real positive impact in classrooms across Wisconsin. By and large, parents, teachers and employers understand that. But, of utmost importance to us, the current standards are good for kids," Department of Instruction (DPI) Communications Officer Tom McCarthy said.

Similar to the difficulty businesses face when government regulations become a constantly moving target, teachers face issues when lawmakers seek to change the educational standards landscape. Appleton Supt. Lee Allinger said, “We can't keep putting our teachers through the adoption of new standards, with all the work that goes into curriculum development ... To keep changing those standards would not be what's best for our students and it would deflate the momentum our teachers have built in implementing these standards (Appleton Post-Crescent).”

While it may be romantic for each school district to create unique standards tailored to their community, in practice it will mean massive redundancy as all districts independently reinvent the wheel, abundant inconsistencies between grades and schools, and patchwork content requirements. Students moving into neighboring districts might be expected to follow a different track, delaying their graduation timing.

With all this repeal-with-no-alternative-plan nonsense, Wisconsin children are being used by ideologues focused on principles unrelated to the quality of education. Conservatives hate being told what is good for them, even if it is a good thing. They have been told that Washington D.C. bureaucrats are pushing a “federally-sponsored ‘consortia’ ” of standards on their state, which infuriates conservatives with fears of encroachment on state sovereignty.

Political opportunists have fooled conservatives by preying on their normally healthy skepticism of government. A murky sea of false information, distorted context, and politicians willing to deceive has made it possible to drown shared standards that work. If Walker stays the course on repealing Common Core, Wisconsin educational standards may be sunk.

(Also published at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Purple Wisconsin)

WI Position on OWI should be Criminal

Blurred vision. Impaired judgment. Reckless disregard for public safety. When it comes to state Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) laws, Wisconsin is drunk at the wheel.

Wisconsin is the only state in the nation that does NOT consider first time OWI offenses a criminal act. Behaving like a drunken missile careening down the road will dock the operator of the vehicle the same 6 points as running a stop sign. That’s disgraceful.

Would we accept our neighbors shooting off a few rounds into the air every Friday night? Never! Yet we watch them drive home loaded every weekend. Outside the Wisconsin sphere, OWIs are socially unacceptable. In any other state, a drunk driving offender would be met with a criminal charge, not a ticket. Does Wisconsin have a higher alcohol tolerance, or is this state simply more tolerant of alcohol-related problems?

Wisconsin has a culture of drunkenness. “Drink Wisconsinbly”, a popular slogan coined by the company of the same name, is worn as a badge of honor. Alcohol is the de facto liquid mascot of the Dairy State instead of, say, milk.

In a 2009 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study, more than 26% of Wisconsin adults admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol within the previous year. “Conservative estimates show that a first-time convicted OWI offender has driven drunk at least 80 times prior to being arrested,” Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) notes.

MADD gave Wisconsin only two out of five stars on its efforts to stop drunk driving.  Simple measures like sobriety checkpoints are banned by the state, though the U.S. Supreme Court ruled them constitutional in 1990.  On the first offense, driving privileges are suspended for six months, however this may not be effective. “Research shows that 50 to 75 percent of convicted drunk drivers will continue to drive even with a suspended driver’s license” (MADD).

In response to repeat offenders, Brown County Judge Donald Zuidmulder, a former prosecutor, reflected, “The bottom line is, how are we not figuring out after a sixth, seventh, eighth OWI how to keep these people off the road? ... We’ve tried and failed. And for godsakes, we need to do something.”

Real deterrents implemented by other states, such as sobriety checkpoints and ignition locks, are effective. Wisconsin can’t keep up the tailgate mentality. It’s time to mature; call a cab.

By being the only state that doesn’t consider a first time OWI offense a misdemeanor, Wisconsin is not leading; it’s falling behind the entire nation. When the state stops allowing bad behavior and treats driving under the influence with the seriousness it deserves, Wisconsin can begin to make progress. But the first step to recovery is to admit we have a problem.

Contact your legislator at the Wisconsin Legislative Hotline: 1-800-362-9472.


(Also published at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Purple Wisconsin)

Veterans Day

We recognize and honor all of those who have served. Happy Veterans Day!

Seeing the Whole Picture

For the first time in eight years, Republicans will have control of both chambers of Congress. A November storm of red swept across the nation, pushing out many Democrats. President Obama can expect oppositional party bills to flood his desk as soon as the 114^th Congress convenes session in January. Conservatives have the long-awaited ability to drive an agenda and pass any legislation they like. Thank goodness for Democrats.

Republicans in Wisconsin built on their majority in statewide elections, outlasting the competition to earn another term. Governor Scott Walker (R-WI) led the charge, solidifying his standing as a conservative superstar and presumptive 2016 presidential contender. Thank goodness for Democrats.

Even with all the recent success, Republicans need Democrats, if only to temper partisan ambition that can get carried away. Absolute power of one side creates dysfunction and blindness towards the other. Respecting and understanding differences of opinions builds strength of ideals and a completeness of vision. Our nation cannot set an optimal path with one eye shut.

With all parties in perpetual attack mode, hostility and suspicion reign. When Gov. Walker toured five state technical colleges following his re-election, Scot Ross, Executive Director of progressive non-profit One Wisconsin Now, questioned the motives.

 “[Walker’s] political photo-op tour of technical college campuses doesn’t answer the question of whether will Walker actually reverse course to help hard working students get their education and job training,” said Ross. Walker later committed to investing in jobs training, saying of the next two-year budget that technical colleges are going to “play a big role.”

In the partisan bickering, conservatives are hardly innocent, accusing progressive groups of compromising the integrity of elections. Reporting on parking violations by volunteer shuttle staff, the MacIver Institute highlighted an ongoing suspicion among conservatives that Democrats + Shuttles = Voter Fraud. There would be no other reason to dedicate over 700 words to a story about illegal parking.

The distrust continues and neither side can stand to look at each other. Toxic partisanship has tainted the well.

Each eye isn’t the other’s enemy. Only when both lenses are focused on an issue does the entire picture come into view. Thank goodness we have two perspectives. Republicans and Democrats are not political enemies; we are civic partners. Our duty should not be to serve our own ideologies, but to create solutions for everyone. When we work together with respect, we might be able to finally see the whole picture.

(Also published at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Purple Wisconsin)