Identity politics can be a very divisive topic, but what exactly is it? Identity politics consists of sociopolitical movements that focus on the interests of a specific group of people. While some claim that it estranges people from one another, identity politics focused on raising awareness of the prejudicial and discriminatory reality of how some people are treated actually unifies people and should remain a significant part of American politics. However, identity politics that split people up along partisan lines is damaging to the stability of American democracy.
Oftentimes, opposers to identity politics will invoke what is called Universalist rhetoric. Universalist rhetoric is language that doesn’t tap into any specific group or ethnicity and attempts to hide the discrimination that exists in our society. It pretends that everyone is actually treated equally, or at least discriminated against in equal measure, hiding the endemic racism that exists in our society. Despite the best efforts of social justice movements, many groups of people are still marginalized and discriminated against, and Universalist rhetoric only serves to mask it.
Although some allege that Universalist rhetoric has the power to unite and therefore strengthen groups, this isn’t true. Amy Chua, a lawyer and writer, describes in her book "Political Tribes," that critics of identity politics often claim that focusing on the differences between people causes division. These critiques allege that universalist language, such as “All Lives Matter,” is better suited to be the rhetoric of social justice movements because it unites people under a shared human identity. However, this race-neutral language makes race and racism superficially invisible while simultaneously allowing white people to dominate our economic and political systems.
Other critiques of identity politics occur when it splits people up along partisan lines. According to the Springtide Research Institute, many younger Americans do not identify strongly with the Democratic or the Republican Party because they feel alienated by both. In addition, some believe that adopting a party identity can close one off from other viewpoints. In today’s political climate, this is all too true. The “us vs. them” mentality of both American political parties has caused extreme polarization hampering political dialogue. This critique points out the potential for identity politics anchored around party lines to become an unstable factor in our democracy.
While the identity politics that allows marginalized populations to take pride in their identities is incredibly vital, not all forms of identity politics are equally as helpful.
Identity politics that divide people around political parties can cause them to develop biases against anyone who is different from them. That kind of identity politics leads to political divisiveness and is a threat to our democracy. In contrast, using identity politics to cultivate diversity, unity, and compassion will both mitigate partisan conflict and foster inclusivity and respect.