Ashleigh

Let’s dig into “gravitas,” bc it’s an ambiguous word, selectively applied. Ever wonder how expression that’s feminine, working-class, queer, or poc isn’t deemed as having “gravitas,” but talking like an Aaron Sorkin character does? Men have “gravitas,” women get “likeable.”https://twitter.com/cmclymer/status/1087073586664407040 …

This has deeper consequences, bc as we’ve seen w/ narratives advanced by the right, they have trouble recognizing intelligence in people they disagree with. This is what bias looks like: for some ppl, small mistakes mean they’re not “serious,” yet others are forgiven for worse.

If you notice, on the right they’ll flatly call people blanket terms, and even make things up. And I don’t mean trolls - I mean their biggest commentators + TV figures. This is different from criticizing a specific take you disagree with, or pointing out discriminatory patterns.

Just look at the marginal tax rate discussion. The right’s biggest strategy against my marginal tax rate proposal isn’t to argue against it - it‘s to lie about it, and imply that it’s a tax on all income, bc that helps their characterization of me as a “crazy/dumb“ Latina woman.

This stuff infects some Democrats, too. Because in our overall discourse, nonviolent protest somehow gets deemed as not “civil,” yet stripping women’s rights or incarcerating children on the border doesn’t receive the same characterization. What’s up with that?