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| "I can't see you peons through my Armani shades." A black gay Tea Party member; photo courtesy of Rod McCullom. |
The exception is not always exceptional.
Meet a man who gives the phrase "all about the Benjamins" new meaning. Rod 2.0 is reporting on what must be a first: a black, gay Tea Party member.
At first glance, it may seem strange that a black, openly gay man would actively participate in organizations that subscribe to coded and not-so-coded homophobic and racist notions like those embraced publicly and privately by the Republican Party and the Tea Party (also strange are the racist things the union supporters in the video say to him: How quickly whites of all stripes resort to racist rhetoric when they encounter a Negro who does not align himself with their personal agenda). But if you think about it in the context of the American economic ideal (as articulated in the Declaration of Independence as “the pursuit of happiness”), his motives become a little clearer.
His allegiance to organizations that ostensibly wish he did not exist can be explained by a common interest in economic wealth and all of its accompanying myths. I can only assume he has been seduced into believing that his affluence provides a buffer against any issues relating to his race and sexuality; that is to say, in his circles, his class status renders his blackness and gayness irrelevant.
For his sake, I hope that is true (and that he does not, in fact, wish to be married to a man and that his status is known to every police officer in the country). History has shown us that the elite are not always kind to interlopers, regardless of their credentials. And the revelation may come slowly, but it always comes. And often, brutally.
One thing is for certain: Acting as the exception, this man gives the Tea Party and the Republican Party what they need to defend their positions. Because, as you know, they regard sociopolitical situations in the same way they do math problems: Any exception breaks the rule. All it takes is one black or gay person in their ranks to deny their racism and homophobia, no matter how flawed the set-up.
If you still do not understand why this man is a participant, you never will. At least, not until you are so consumed by economic pursuits that no other right matters to you; not until you believe whatever wealth you gather will afford you the luxury of ignoring all other slights; not until you convince yourself that brown and pink are burdensome and green is the color of uplift.
And more power to you.
Read the full story at Rod 2.0.