From the movie Young Adult, not a paparazzi photo.

It’s like the whole thing about women having to work twice as hard to be accepted even applies to other women and it drives me nuts.

Engaging in the democratic process is a civic duty. Instead of expecting it to be some fun, fulfilling experience, and then feeling let down, let it simply be doing what good you can for your community with the tools you have.

I mean, this was the message from former partner website Splinter around the 2016 election; that it was okay to stay home if you weren’t inspired by your choices.

WELP. That was a longish thinkpiece to circle around trying to rationalize not being thrilled by Harris, simply because she does not meet your Blackness and wokeness purity test. This does not surprise me at all, but I am vastly disappointed nonetheless. I am NOT sorry she is not as melanated as you want her to be.

Exactly. Politics is a job. It’s great when an inspiring candidate comes along that grabs the public’s imagination. But even they get stuck doing the job.

There is a damn good reason people are concerned by the response.

Or, every human being ever. It’s like people want to be disappointed. “Oh, hey, here’s this amazing person but they’re not perfect. How dare you disappoint me!” Jesus. How exhausting.

Exactly this. I am tired of Democrats holding themselves up to an extremely high standard when Republicans literally never cease to keep lowering the bar. This is not the time for infighting. She’s the Veep. Biden is the nom. He’s sure as hell not my choice but I’m going to put my ballot in the mail the day I get it.…

I think one piece of the problem is hoping to feel excited or inspired by politics on an ongoing basis. It’s fantastic that as a first time voter you felt so inspired, but maybe that was more about the first time than the vote, know what I mean? Do you feel inspired by upholding your other civic responsibilities? Get…

No good reason to think that’s Ashley’s goal tho. She seems to be out here doing her best as she sees it. But the whole framing of political writing on Jez is off - they cover pols like any other celeb: do we love her? Hate her? (in this case neither, but still framed in those terms). Researching and reporting on…

Another thought: Ashley is so smart. But some of her political writing reminds me of all those Psychology Today articles about “how to know you’re a narcissist.” Especially the part about putting people on a pedestal until they reveal any flaw that conflicts with your own ideal, then trashing them as a traitor.…

Anything to depress the vote. Trump is a literal fucking fascist but eh...we’re not super excited about the Dem choice. So, you know, guess we’ll stay home and watch the downfall of America. 

I am not in a bad mood and this annoyed me as well. This is not the time to look for the absolutely perfect candidate. This is near-literal do or die time. 

I like this comment. Why does Kamala have to be perfect for this to be inspiring? She is far from perfect, which puts her in the company of exactly every politician ever. Still something to cheer. 

I feel like we’re going to be reading versions of this word salad regularly between now and election day.

The fact that both the American colonies and Jamaica were possessions of the same empire has nothing to do with the United States of America? The Middle Passage/Triangular trade of slaves/raw materials/manufactured goods that involved the British Empire and her colonies until 1809 had nothing to do with the United…

That you can get all that information so quickly and easily is really wonderful. That you are unable to usefully interpret any of it is frankly appalling. I hope high school goes better for you than middle school has.

I have stopped being amazed by the number of grown men and women who are surprised when I explain that as someone of Jamaican ethnicity, I am indeed descended from slaves. I suppose in their mind they think that all those black people in the Caribbean, South America and Latin America were just hanging out on beaches…

...but it has everything to do with that idiot saying that her ancestry does not go back through slavery