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| Madison, Wisconsin Alder Juliana Bennett says public use of word, plantation, harms her as she is a "direct descendant of enslaved people." Identity politics must die. |
Madison, Wisconsin — How does one evaluate propositions in Madison, Wisconsin? By determining how statements of fact make you feel.
Does a voiced conclusion make you feel offended? Proceed no further. Do not read. Do not think, evaluate evidence or employ logic. All that is relevant is you have become offended.
It's that bad in Madison; black Common Council members are the worst offenders. I would argue these howling primates are anti-intellectual, and just plain dumb offenders.
Latest illustration of how much Democratic Party politics and politically correct nonsense have dumbed-down political discourse follows a shit show, reported by Lucas Robinson in the Wisconsin State Journal.
Reports Robinson:
Former three-time Mayor Paul Soglin called the treatment of a group of Black Madison City Council members unaligned with Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway an example of 'plantation politics,' though he [Soglin] later apologized for the comment after it triggered backlash from some Black elected officials in the city.
What's the beef?
Soglin blasted in Facebook what he contends are racist, discriminatory "plantation politics" employed by Mayor Rhodes-Conway because of mayoral Council Committee assignments that resemble work of past urban political machines.
Do you not the problem? That's likely because you are not an idiot.
One hundred and sixty-five years ago, America embraced slavery. Therefore, every black person has a right not be reminded, ever, that this phenomenon was a central social-economic-moral institution of America by publicly uttered words such as "plantation" that evoke slavery.
Reaction of black Council members is swift and sure.
Sabrina Madison, (district 17), said using the word "plantation" during Black History Month is an "attack" on black leadership.
I wish Alder Madison had not used the word, attack, as this violent metaphor triggers me, in the vernacular, flashing me back to my past modest work opposing death squads and third-world fascism.
Then, there's Juliana Bennett (district 2), who cries in Facebook as follows:
As a direct descendant of enslaved people, I find it deeply offensive that a privileged white man like former Mayor Soglin would equate the Mayor's committee assignments, and by extension, my service and that of several Black alders, to plantation politics. This comparison is both ignorant and appalling. It trivialized the brutal history of slavery and disrespects the agency and intellect of Black leaders who serve this city.You get the picture.
Plantation politics refers to a system where white people maintain power by manipulating and using Black people to oppress other Black people. It is a tool of coercion, meant to divide and control. The implication that Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway's committee assignments are an example of plantation politics is absurd. Canit not simply be the case that the Mayor appointed us because we share similar visions for the city? Or the we, as Black alders, were chosen for these positions based on our qualifications, experience, and leadership —rather than some cynical racial calculation?
The real insult here is the suggestion that Black leaders cannot think or act independently and instead must take our marching orders from another white person. Maybe that was true of Soglin’s own relationships with Black leaders in his political circles, but it is certainly not true for me or my colleagues. We are leaders in our own right, not proxies for anyone else’s agenda.
By his own misguided definition of plantation politics, one could argue that it is Soglin himself engaging in it. He is using Black leadership as a tool to sow division and manipulate public perception to serve his own political agenda. His words do not uplift Black alders; they exploit us.
It is clear that the former mayor's goal is not to advocate for Black alders, but to advance his own political grievances. If he truly wanted to support Black leadership, then he would pick up the phone and talk to us—not insult us and spread offensive, misleading narratives.
It is important to note that former Mayor Soglin's claims are simply false. Black alders from various ideological perspectives hold key committee assignments. Ald. Harrington-McKinney serves on the Transportation Commission. Alds. Knox and Myadze, along with former Ald. Carter, serve on the Alcohol License Review Committee (ALRC). These facts directly contradict his inflammatory claims.
Soglin’s comments are offensive, divisive, and completely disconnected from reality. In fact, it is comments like these reduce Black leadership to the color of our skin, ignoring the intelligence, independence, and diversity of thought within the Black diaspora. We are here because we fought for and earned our positions—not because we serve anyone’s agenda but the people of Madison.
Let me be clear, we do not need a privileged old white man who represents an outdated political worldview exemplary of the gerontocracy of today's politics to fight our battles for us. ESPECIALLY DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH. So please. Keep my name out of your mouth.
