What was worse AOC’s Accent of color or her codeswitch excuse? (op-ed)

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-D) came onto the national scene by winning a Democratic primary in 2018, upsetting a 20-year incumbent.  Politically, that’s impressive, but what intrigued the media about AOC were 3 visibility factors and 1 factor of origin.

AOC is a young, Latin, woman from the Bronx.

AOC stated, women like her aren’t supposed to be elected to Congress because she doesn’t belong to a New York political dynasty and comes from a borough where nearly half of the neighborhoods are considered high poverty areas.  But AOC’s mother told the New York Times AOC was five years old when the family moved from the Bronx to Yorktown, New York.  AOC’s mother said the move was made so AOC could attend better schools.  

AOC didn’t return to the Bronx until after she graduated college.

When the newly elected Congresswoman arrived in Washington, she gave an interview.  She was asked why she was perceived as a threat by the right-wing. 

AOC said, “Because I fight back … I don’t think they see that they’re losing the war … Because they’re playing old school politics.”  Then AOC said, “[Republicans are like] ‘We’re going to take her down.’ Dude, you’re out of bullets, you’re out of bombs … I’m six days into the term, and you already used all your ammo.  So, enjoy being exhausted for the next two years while we run train on the progressive agenda.”
  

As expected, AOC was ridiculed for “talking tough” and her odd use of slang.

        

Recently, AOC, was ridiculed again by her detractors, but, this time, it wasn’t for her word choice, it was for how she chose to speak to a predominately black audience.  AOC was a featured speaker at Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network conference.  AOC told an audience of affluent black people that she was proud to be a bartender. 

Then added, “Aint nothing wrong with that.”

AOC continued, “There’s nothing wrong with working retail, folding clothes for other people to buy.  There’s nothing wrong with preparing the food that your neighbors will eat. There’s nothing wrong with driving the buses that take your family to work. There’s nothing wrong with being a working-class person in the United States of America.” 

AOC made these statements mimicking a black southern drawl.  Critics compared AOC’s “accent of color” to Hillary Clinton’s infamous 2007 “black voice” performance at a black church in Selma, Alabama, Clinton mimicked, “I don’t feel no ways tired.  I come to far from where I started from.  Nobody told me that the road would be easy. I don’t believe he brought me this far to leave me.” 

But there’s a slight difference between the two. 

Clinton was sermonizing in a stereotypical fashion.   Her fake religiosity was blasphemous but not belittling.  AOC told an affluent black audience (many of them are more accomplished than the 29-year-old congresswoman) there’s nothing wrong with folding clothes, making food, and being working class.

AOC defended herself and said, “Folks talking about my voice can step right off … Any kid who grew up in a distinct linguistic culture and had to learn to navigate class enviros at school and work knows what’s up.”  

So, AOC’s “accent of color” was a code switch to navigate a different class environment? 

But the problem is this progressive promoter of upward mobility navigated down not up, because in progressive identity politics “black” is categorized as double blue, democratic and blue collar, and to add insult to her double down AOC said, “As much as the right wants to distort and deflect, I am from the Bronx. I act and talk like it.”

In politics the coverup is always worse than the scandal, here the excuse was worse than the accent.

First published in the New Pittsburgh Courier 4/17/19