there is something that bothers me about the way the left idolizes representative AOC.

it’s not that i’m threatened because she’s loud and proud about being a progressive brown woman. i’m a loud and proud progressive brown woman, too.

it’s the stanning. a thread.

to be clear, this isn’t specific to AOC. there’s a problematic trend in general of stanning politicians or refusing to acknowledge their flaws and faults without bringing up how someone else is worse. this isn’t a thread attacking her at all. it’s about white leftists. thanks.

to clarify again: i will call out this kind of behavior from any political faction. if it seems like i have a special radar on for progressives, it’s because i hold my allies to higher standards. i love the people of this movement enough to call them to be better. as should you.

i bring AOC up specifically because 1) the incident leading me to making this thread involved discussion of her, 2) i’ve noticed this pattern for quite a while and it came to a bit of a head today so it’s just an example, and 3) her being a progressive brown woman is relevant.

to start, it’s inherently dangerous to stan a politician. these people are civic servants. they are human and not perfect, so they will inevitably make mistakes. it’s near impossible to agree with a politician on every policy, rhetoric choice, and method. i mean that.

if you do universally agree, your personal view has likely been colored by admiration for a politician and swayed accordingly. this is a problem everywhere. you can see it most prominently right now in trump supporters and other cults of personality in the political sphere.

i don’t remember where i saw this quote, but it went something like this: if your stance can be swayed by a person’s simple endorsement of one side, rather than by critically viewing and analyzing their argument, you don’t have principles. you have opinions. and a strong bias.

there are politicians i talk a lot about, more than others. i know i have biases, too, and who i’ve supported makes me a neoliberal corporate centrist shill to many on the left — at least On Here.

but i’m not a stan. there is no politician i know who is undeserving of criticism.

keep in mind that i don’t generalize this behavior to the entire progressive movement. we can address issues within in ways that don’t discredit the whole, promise. don’t be like the centrist who says you’re a trump supporter because biden isn’t your fave.

(vote for biden, btw.)

let me go into a brief story of what i saw today. the original tweet shows a screenshot of a post made today by @ soyouwanttotalkabout, an infographic style page for progressive discussion, on instagram. i’ve followed them for a while and enjoy their work—imperfect, but good.

it’s not problematic to uplift a powerful voice. it’s not problematic to make a post about amazing women, highlighting their achievements.

the post itself is not necessarily an embodiment of the bigger problem (although i find “incomparable” in the caption to be a bit much).

the discussion moderation that goes on in the comments is. swaths and swaths of people who love AOC like i do, but in a different way.

“not a flaw to her!” i read. “STANNN”, “i have to stan”, “the ONLY politician i trust” (never trust any politician. ever.), so on and so forth.

there are some dissenters, yes, who dunk on her for not passing policy, for being polarizing, too radical. (don’t shoot the messenger—i didn’t say i agreed with these people). they’re quickly replied to by the account, and ratio’d. their comments stay up for public humiliation.

i have some thoughts that i comment, about the stanning, for anyone who happens to see it. i clearly preface it with the fact that i greatly admire, respect, and support AOC, and i’m concerned by the idolizing. the glorification. the celebrity worship. (i’ll go into this later.)

OP replies to this effect: “When you see someone in an AOC-themes pick up truck, let us know and we’ll talk to them.”

i am bombarded with comments that i should be worried about the MAGAts, who are more demonstrative in their stanning. AOC stanning is inspiration, not worship.

i reply that the snark is unnecessary. i come into discussion with a respectful tone expressing my concerns for how *some* leftists — usually white — use her as a talking point. use her image to fight for economic policies while disrespecting Black and brown communities.

how they fervently repeat and amplify everything she says without question, hounding anyone who dares to ask well-meaning questions, or who simply needs a better explanation because we’re not all policy wonks who read theory. accessibility is a good thing, you know.

it’s the tokenizing for me. the unfettered adoration of someone we should respect and can support, but must always remain analytical of, because that’s what civic duty is. the way this happens most with women of color, because white leftists call any criticism racist and sexist.

the way white leftists use women of color as the vessel for their policy goals, then use our identities as shields from having to discuss any shortcomings. use us like objects, weapons.

i am sensitive to this concern because it happens to me—on the microlevel. i’m no celebrity.

my second reply noted that my concern stems from my perception of this tokenization. that as a brown woman, i want to have discussions about it. we don’t need to hate AOC or be permanently on the offense at her, no — all i wanted to see was mindfulness in the way we uplift.

my original comment was deleted in seconds (why i don’t have more screenshots). discussion over.

it sends a very clear message to me: that weariness of my identity being weaponized by whites, as if it’s their body armor, is not allowed to be heard.

i am not allowed to be heard.

i shouldn’t need to be a democratic socialist to voice my concerns without immediately being seen as a threat to progressivism. my concerns do not please the narrative.

so time and time again, white leftists tell me i don’t truly belong in their movement, even as a demsoc.

people who can be dragged and ratio’d quickly or accused of racism and sexism are allowed to comment as they please, because it’s easy to disregard and shame them.

it’s harder to tell me i am racist and sexist when i am also a brown woman. so it’s easier to delete me instead.

just log off! someone will undoubtedly say. it’s the internet! people can moderate comments how they want! get a life!

if you think the internet is inconsequential to real life politics, just take a look at the digital mobilization involved in the massachusetts senate race.

anyone with experience of the intersection of politics and the online plane understands that these two spheres are not that far removed.

winning twitter alone does not win elections, no. but it can help coalesce people to initiate real-world action — which wins elections.

so yes.

the virtual suppression of intramovement concern is a big deal to me.

the dismissal of the very voices you claim to stand for and uplift and care about is a big deal to me.

it’s not a movement if criticism isn’t allowed. it’s a cult. we need to call out toxicity.

/fin