Blue state / Red state misleading oversimplification

Ok, we need to stop all this Blue state/Red state crap. It’s divisive but even worse it is a dangerous lie that we are telling ourselves and a misrepresentation of reality.

Language has pervasive effects. It not only affects those listening to you but over time it affects the way you think as well. Pat phrases like Blue state/Red state are manipulative, oversimplifications that crowd out truth and true understanding. The more you rely on them in your own thinking and daily discourse, the less you think about truth and the further away you are from any real understanding of a situation. The devil is in the details and ignoring the details or forgetting them will only lead to difficultly and defeat.

This is why labeling is such an effective propaganda tool. “Partial Birth Abortion,” “Taxachusetts,” “Flip-flopper,” and 100’s of other phrases reduce discourse to simple, easily digested, misleading sound bites.

The sad part is, it’s not the Republicans pushing this sound bite, it’s ourselves. It started with the media’s Blue/Red electoral map (which is a correct representation) and we latched onto it and started using it to describe the state of play as if it were that black and white (no pun intended).

Blue state/Red state talk frames the argument as if there are two peoples and two different countries with defined borders. It allows Democrats to waste time and energy (and credibility) talking about “Blue States seceding.” Yes, I understand these people are not serious, but it’s fucking mental masturbation. Fine right after the election, but keep doing it and you’ll go blind.

Blue state/Red state talk allows us to discredit Democrats across the country; 2,659,664 in Ohio (49%), 944,052 in Colorado (47%), 3,534,609 in Florida (47%), 464,157 in Arkansas (45%), 732,764 in Iowa (49%)…should I go on? I could, it feels good. To be honest, it’s goddamn empowering.

(Note: If you are looking for a real good representational map by state, check this: http://eparch.blogspot.com/2004/11/blue-statered-state-correct.html.)

Blue state/Red state is the language of defeatism. It is not East and West Coasts vs. the Midwest and the South; it has nothing to do with location! We are talking ideals, beliefs, and values. There are millions upon millions of people who share our values living in states we just toss away when we label them “Red.”

If we want to win future Presidential elections and take back the House and Senate, it is the Democrats living in the so-called “Red States” that will win it for us. They are the people we need to support, the people who will go out and work important campaigns, the people who need to be empowered to vote, the people who will argue against the Republicans who dominate the discourse in their area, and the people who will tell the party how to win back their neighbors.

Why do we choose to put on mental blinders that stop us from seeing our true potential?

How does this make our party stronger?