Obama Web Site "People" Menu and Identity Politics

[gulliver]

Looking over the Obama and Clinton web sites for another post (to follow this one), I could not help but notice a "People" menu on the Obama web site. It caught my eye, because I have worked in software, both on and off the web. I know you can get into sticky "identity sensitivity" issues with the images, phrases, and other user-visible elements. For example, images with people in them are always a problem, because you have to be sure to balance race, age, sex, power position, etc., at least if you intend your site to have neutral appeal.

So seeing a "People" menu on Obama's web site made me curious to see what the designers would do with that potential design challenge. I clicked on the menu (see image below). I have to tell you, it looks to me (just my opinion naturally) like they did not meet the challenge.

The "People" menu on the Obama site is flawed for a number of reasons. The biggest reason, of course, is that it lists a bunch of minority groups. That already glaringly says "identity politics". Indeed, if you just re-title the menu "Identity Politics" it would more accurately represent the content of the menu.

Then notice why you don't have such menu items (or sub-sites, or whatever) on most web sites. You have to leave someone out of it. In Obama's site's case, they left out "White Americans" and "Seniors," for example. Given the current seas that Obama is now sailing in politically, that strikes me as a pretty serious flaw. A white or older Dem/Independent goes to the Obama site, hits the People menu and sees that they aren't included in the list.

What would you do with a "White American" link in the menu anyway? Heck of a problem. You could link outside the Obama site to "white interest group" content like White Aryan Resistance or Fox News, I suppose. But if that makes you uncomfortable, then I think you see my point. If you have a People menu, you have to get whites in it somehow, but there isn't any way to do it.

IMO, I think a People menu item is just a bad idea to begin with. It is asking for trouble. In the Obama web site case, I think it says "We do identity politics here, and we do it poorly." Perhaps the menu could be renamed "Organizations" or something, but I don't think that would do it either. The appeal to identity politics should be a lot more subtle.

Hillary's site has a couple of obvious female identity appeals, but they are not crudely bunched into a raw categorization such as a menu item of their own. They are salted throughout the site.

And, full disclosure, I remain a Hillary supporter at this time.

[anonymous171]

1. Have you seen McCain's website? It's so dull.

[NashVegas]

2. It Screams "Special Interests"

I suspect that part will go away if he goes into the GE. I would hope so, anyway.

[sandnsea]

3. Labor, Veterans, Faith, Women

None of them could possibly be white or seniors. You're just looking for stuff to bitch about.