Yang’s disqualifying insensitivity
Denouncing derogatory language and jokes that trivialize violence against women is a tall order for mayoral candidate Andrew Yang. The task is so difficult, in fact, that he simply cannot do it.
On Thursday, a video surfaced of Yang laughing hysterically when asked if he “chokes b——-s.” He later justified his response to the question by stating that he was simply “trying to be friendly.”
It was only three years ago that state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman was forced to step down for choking his sexual partners, among other claims of abuse. It was only six years ago that two aides credibly accused a powerful assemblyman of disgusting sexual harassment — harassment the then-Assembly speaker effectively enabled — eventually costing taxpayers a half-million dollars.
Has Yang been paying any attention at all? Rather than trying to “end the interaction as quickly as possible,” as he later described it, he should have been straight-faced and unequivocal in his reproach. Failing that, even a simple “that’s not funny” would have sufficed.
He shouldn’t need someone else to write his talking points for this. As a survivor of intimate partner violence, I can say with certainty: The “joke” was far from funny, and Yang’s response left me disturbed.
More troubling is the fact that Yang has a history of failing the women he is charged with protecting as a leader and employer. His White House campaign was accused of creating a toxic “bro culture that drove women to therapy,” a former employee accused him of firing her for getting married, and he has been accused of firing a woman in retaliation for raising an equal pay complaint. During the 2020 presidential campaign, Yang called it “a tragedy” that women make reproductive choices he doesn’t agree with.
The mayor of New York City is charged with protecting all its citizens, including the women who are exploited by their employers and who are forced out of their homes by abusive partners. Among the various agencies Yang would be in charge of, should he win: the NYC Commission on Gender Equity, the Commission on Human Rights and the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence.
With his failure to address the inappropriate nature of these comments, Yang is already failing the citizens who rely on these agencies to protect their interests. He is sending a message to these employees that their work doesn’t matter.
New York City should not be led by a person who laughs at jokes that degrade and threaten women, or a man who puts his own momentary comfort and that of a man he’s talking to above the safety and respect of half of his constituents. New York City should certainly avoid a man whose cowardice and misogyny shine so brightly.
Aside from the obvious — the mayor’s office should be reserved for individuals who are capable of swiftly denouncing sexism — Yang has communicated a larger message to New York: When it’s inconvenient to send a clear message of safety and respect for women, we don’t need to do it.
I can only imagine how Yang might behave privately after several years in office, emboldened by his power and comfortable in his privilege. In this far-off scenario, I can’t imagine female staffers and constituents feeling empowered, let alone safe. I recently experienced my own version of this nightmare in Albany from Gov. Cuomo, and can tell you roughly how it ends.
What we know is that it never stops at jokes. The kinds of powerful men who laugh at jokes about abuse and sexual violence also befriend, hire, enable and protect the type of man who pries into the sex lives of his youngest staffers and gropes his assistant behind closed doors. It’s more comfortable for them that way. After all, men like this are safer when in partnership with one another.
Given all we know, and all we’ve learned, perhaps it should be no surprise that Yang has said recently that he’d still welcome an endorsement from Cuomo.
New York City has the opportunity to elect a strong, powerful leader to guide us towards equity, safety and progress. Electing Andrew Yang would be betting on more of what we witnessed this week — toxic masculinity, cowardice and privilege for those who already enjoy it.
We’ve just been given an accidental but vivid glimpse of who Yang really is, and we have an opportunity to avoid the mess he will bring. Let’s not spend future taxpayer dollars investigating whatever disgusting culture would inevitably ooze out of the Yang administration. Let’s learn our lesson: Put someone else atop our primary ballots.