Eugene Robinson: Whose Identity Politics? (Whoa! Must Read)

[jefferson_dem]

Whose Identity Politics?
By Eugene Robinson
Tuesday, July 14, 2009

The only real suspense in the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is whether the Republican Party will persist in tying its fortunes to an anachronistic claim of white male exceptionalism and privilege.

Republicans' outrage, both real and feigned, at Sotomayor's musings about how her identity as a "wise Latina" might affect her judicial decisions is based on a flawed assumption: that whiteness and maleness are not themselves facets of a distinct identity. Being white and male is seen instead as a neutral condition, the natural order of things. Any "identity" -- black, brown, female, gay, whatever -- has to be judged against this supposedly "objective" standard.

Thus it is irrelevant if Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. talks about the impact of his background as the son of Italian immigrants on his rulings -- as he did at his confirmation hearings -- but unforgivable for Sotomayor to mention that her Puerto Rican family history might be relevant to her work. Thus it is possible for Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) to say with a straight face that heritage and experience can have no bearing on a judge's work, as he posited in his opening remarks yesterday, apparently believing that the white male justices he has voted to confirm were somehow devoid of heritage and bereft of experience.

The whole point of Sotomayor's much-maligned "wise Latina" speech was that everyone has a unique personal history -- and that this history has to be acknowledged before it can be overcome. Denying the fact of identity makes us vulnerable to its most pernicious effects. This seems self-evident. I don't see how a political party that refuses to accept this basic principle of diversity can hope to prosper, given that soon there will be no racial or ethnic majority in this country.

Yet the Republican Party line assumes a white male neutrality against which Sotomayor's "difference" will be judged. Sessions was accusatory in quoting Sotomayor as saying, in a speech years ago, that "I willingly accept that we who judge must not deny the differences resulting from experience and heritage, but attempt . . . continuously to judge when those opinions, sympathies and prejudices are appropriate."

<SNIP>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/13/AR2009071302605_pf.html

[DrDan]

1. good example of why this guy has a Pulitzer

[jeanmarc]

2. Really did not know who Eugene Robinson was before his MSNBC appearances

Now I find myself reading his columns constantly. He's probably one of the most convincing opinion writers today.

[Vinca]

3. White male is considered the norm and everyone else is judged

on that standard. Eugene is exactly right. (Makes you shudder to think Jeff Sessions is viewed as a "norm.")

[polichick]

4. "white male neutrality" - that's exactly what Republicans assume. nt

[rasputin1952]

5. Robinson is one of the best op/ed people out there...

his insight is often uncanny, and he's generally "dead on" when he writes a column.

In this piece, he shows the hypocrisy of the GOP members of the panel in an intelligent and timely manner. Indeed, his exposure of Alito is exceptionally telling.

Once again...the R's are digging a hole, not w/shovels but w/backhoes going at full bore...:hi:

[lunatica]

6. I've seen much more of the 'white male superiority' mindset but

Eugene Robinson does make an excellent post. The fact is that during the Sotomayor nomination process I've seen some people on DU argue that white men are more qualified and that they have to be pushed aside to make room for minorities. That it's the only way anyone who isn't a white man can get ahead. I've experienced this unquestioning assumption my entire life as a feminist. I vividly remember sincere discussions and serious debates about whether women are truly the equal of men in intelligence.

Obviously men like Sessions don't want women to worry their pretty little heads about complex things they can't ever hope to understand. What a useless piece of humanity and a good argument that evolution isn't an equal opportunity phenomenon.

[Spazito]

7. Mr. Robinson's columns are always impressive in their content...

He zeros in on the REAL issue with impressive succinctness.

Thank you for posting this, it is much appreciated!

Recommended.

[Cha]

8. Thank you, Eugene Robinson..

in the WaPo!

[Skinner]

9. That was a great read.

Thanks for posting it.

[Number23]

10. Kicked and rec'd

This sentence was priceless: "Women and minorities are also key Democratic Party constituencies, and if the Republican Party is going to be competitive, it can't be seen as the party of white male grievance"

Abso-fucking-lutely. Although it may already be about 40 years too late for this...

[kwolf68]

11. Impressive

Robinson is a sharp cookie

[PretzelWarrior]

12. kicked and recommended. He's a great writer.

[SeattleGirl]

13. Love Eugene Robinson!

And love this piece.

[Hekate]

14. He says so eloquently what I tried to express here during the wait for this nomination...

Even here at DU the argument over what kind of person should be nominated to the SCOTUS by President Obama was framed around the notion that the default candidate was by nature a white straight male, and that finding any other type of person (female, GLBT, of color) would be very difficult because of the presumed extreme rarity of such persons having the necessary qualifications.

Given that over half of all law students have been female for quite some years, you think it would have dawned on more DUers that the hiring/nominating pool for women, at the very least, would be quite deep by now.

Thus it is a great pleasure to read this article by Eugene Robinson, and I thank you for finding and posting it.

Hekate

[FrenchieCat]

15. Indeed!

"Unless you have a complete meltdown, you're going to get confirmed," Graham told the nominee. He was right -- Republicans probably can't damage her. They can only damage themselves."

They did just that, and I think they think cause they made nice at the end, that it erased their prior disgusting performances just a while before. :eyes: