Policies are more important than optics
Like most people across the globe, I was glued to my screen last week anxiously awaiting the outcome of the US elections. My husband kept refreshing his news feed while we were doing our grocery shopping. When we got the “breaking news”, it felt like a weight being lifted off of my shoulders, despite me not living in or travelling to the US.
The polarization of American politics and the rise of populism in the States over the last four years have undoubtedly influenced European politics. It feels as if almost every European country now has their own “Trump” persona/political leadership style.
I cringe every time I think of the reality that 70-plus million people find Donald Trump’s leadership good enough to give him their vote despite him having sown so much division. I have to rationalise it by believing that perhaps people identify with certain aspects of him that they see in themselves or want for themselves, for example the macho man approach, or his presumed success. However, it is sad to think that good principles have been replaced with such shallow values.
While President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, aren’t necessarily the most ideal candidates most people find it easy to overlook their shortcomings and when positioned against the reality of Trump, the lesser of two evils plays out.
Nonetheless, I personally feel more like I can trust the Biden/ Harris duo because of the optics associated with them. I would be stifling my conscience if I didn’t say it was nice to see a woman who came from an Indian mother and a Black father in one of the highest offices in the world; one that commands so much influence.
It is hard to not think of your own experiences and feelings as a mixed person when you look at Kamala. I recall feelings of unworthiness and a sense of never belonging even as I feel proud of and for her. I ponder if her “Dougla girl” experience was similar to mine in any way. My emotions allow me to overlook her barbed complexity and her track record as a harsh prosecutor particularly towards black men for a minute.
Identity aside, there has always been a softening towards to Biden as well. Where many would like to believe his policies wouldn’t affect people of colour, how could anyone not relate to or find the bromance between Biden and former President Barack Obama weirdly adorable.
All these little relatability tactics used in politics aren’t anything new but in the digital age where everything gets amplified ten times over, you have to constantly remind yourself that there is danger in allowing them to sway you away from paying attention to policies that may very well affect people that look like you.