rant · moment 6 of 19
Michelle Obama, Identity Politics, and 'Firsts' That Aren't Really First
from A Job Is A Job | The Tim Dillon Show #381 · #381
3 min
Tim argues Michelle Obama is the Democrats' only real shot due to name recognition, then riffs on how award-show speeches claiming to be 'the first' of some identity are almost always factually wrong.
- Michelle Obama is the only shot Democrats have because of her name recognition.
- Identity politics has visceral appeal even though it's destructive; Tim catches himself getting emotional about racial firsts.
- People claim to be the first in their race to do something while erasing predecessors who actually did it before.
- Acceptance speeches thanking everyone who tried and failed rely on America's racism to make the accomplishment seem extraordinary.
- Claims of being 'the first queer person' or 'the first' anything are never actually true.
- You don't have to look hard to find predecessors—Ray points out a transwoman composer who scored Stanley Kubrick films.