This is Not About Bernie Sanders: The Mantra

Inspired by: This is not about Bernie Sanders by Elizabeth CareySmith

This is madness, and I am mad. I am not specifically mad about Bernie Sanders or his supporters. This is not about Bernie Sanders! I am mad because there is indeed a shameful and continued attempt to undermine the strength of women, by setting them against one another, making us question ourselves, and hindering us from making progress. That attempt, while maddening, frankly, is no shocker.

Assume that there are always greater forces at work to place a man in charge. A white man over a white woman. A black man over a white woman. It doesn’t necessarily mean the greater forces will have ultimate success — but the system, and our society, is set up to make it happen. It hasn’t moved beyond this reality. To make it not happen, takes a revolution. Electing a white male to power, is less of a revolution than you think, no matter what his message is.

That is to be assumed without any kind of specific examination of this election. Know it. Accept it. And then examine your choices, whatever they may be, and what you see happening, through that lens. It will help you find the truth — help you see.

So what this is about, is helping women. It’s about recognizing when someone is trying to undermine the progress of women; trying to divide and weaken us as a whole, trying to anger us to watch us fight for the entertainment value, trying to use lies and superficial misdirections to dismantle that which we, and those before us, have worked so hard to build. As feminists, I believe in a healthy, multi-pointed discussion about who can serve our needs best in the White House, but we must unite against those looking to harm us all.

“This is not about Bernie Sanders” actually might be one of the most important mantras a Bernie Sanders supporter could tell themselves. If you start there, you can examine many issues, objectively. You can hear the words of wise, feminist icons, without thinking they are directed at you as a _____ supporter, but at you, as a woman. Use their messages to empower you, even if they don’t endorse the same candidate. You can truly make sure you’re about the progress of WOMEN and not the election of some guy. Or some gal, for that matter.

I direct this at Bernie Sanders’ supporters, because you are being used. Used to instigate fights. You didn’t choose this job —as fodder. It was chosen for you. The young, make fantastic kindling, and it’s known that you hold that demographic. Unfortunately, because you are doing it so well — unless you become aware of what is happening, it will certainly continue. All women stand to lose.

Just try it:

This is not about Bernie Sanders. When Gloria Steinem was cut off describing the way ‘the boys are with Bernie’ that wasn’t about Bernie. She has studied women and men of that age. She sees the social aspect that the Bernie camp has — a draw, a sparkle that Hillary’s lacks (and wishes it had!). She affectionately began to speak to it, having just described the major and substantive reasons women are getting involved in politics. Never did she say it was the only reason women care for Bernie. Never did she say they didn’t have brains.

This is not about Bernie Sanders. This is about analyzing something with perspective and knowledge — via research of humans and their behavior. Don’t let the grain of truth there, piss you off. It just hints at your humanity. Let it empower and educate you. It’s about seeing a bigger picture and using it to understand this election, and ourselves, with kindness. This isn’t about Bernie Sanders.

This is not about Bernie Sanders. Madeleine Albright didn’t write her line about women who don’t help other women going to hell for Bernie Sanders. Or Hillary Clinton. She wrote it, years ago, to rally women to help other women in a harsh, yet humorous way. If you feel you are helping women, with Bernie, why are you upset? Could you not have embraced it and said ‘Yeah! And my ticket outta hell, is Bernie!’? To have your ears tuned to think everything is about you, it appears you are feeling very sensitive or guilty about your choice.

This is not about Bernie Sanders. This IS about helping women. Madeleine had just said that Hillary will always help women. She was cheering her on. Ask yourself if you’re angry because there is a part of you that thinks you should be cheering her on. Maybe it’s about your feelings about being a woman. And hearing a story out of context. Not everything is about Bernie Sanders.

This is not about Bernie Sanders. The news that both of these women made, was not only reported out of context, but paraphrased in a way that was designed to say they very pointedly targeted you. If they didn’t say you were hell-bound and brainless, who did? Someone said it. This is about who said that. This is about who delivered you news that was specifically fabricated to anger you, knowing what would happen next. This is about the media using women to force a dramatic story.

This is not about Bernie Sanders. Whomever you are supporting, we have some of the same enemies. They are trying every day to weaken us. In just a few days, the media launched a campaign to undermine the forward movement of women in our respective camps, of the democratic party, of young feminists, of the pioneers of feminism, and of the message of feminism.

This is not about Bernie Sanders. But you feel like you have to say it is, and especially that it’s not about Hillary. But what actually happening — is now, here we all are fighting and scrambling to prove we have brains. Here we are pointing fingers and feeling it necessary to justify our ability to choose a candidate in spite of our gender. In this fight, neither women for Hillary or Bernie win.

This is not about Bernie Sanders. I have seen plenty of groups of young people interviewed, asking ‘what is it about him?’, though. They ask the boys what they like about him. They ask the girls why they are not voting for the woman. Have you ever heard a young man asked if he is voting for Bernie just because he is a man on live television? I haven’t. I think that would be pretty controversial. Asked if he has a brain — or just voting for the penis? Haven’t seen it. Question this. Question what you are, or are not buying into.

This is not about Bernie Sanders. Not really. Not for the things that you value about him. The media has been strongly pushing a Trump vs. Bernie narrative for months. The mistake is to think they are passively reporting on what is happening or what has already happened. No. Every moment, of every day, like reality show producers, the media attempts to force a narrative to play out. One that will attract viewers and ad money. The story and subplots are constantly crafted.

This is not about Bernie Sanders. It’s about the best entertainment — two men shouting to masses of people, chanting their names, about their very different utopian dreams — much of which are totally impossible if not completely improbable — but EXCITING. Captivating! And simple, old fashion radical stuff (Free stuff for everyone! Get all of the foreigners out of here!)— not ‘first female president of the United States.’ That doesn’t appeal to the young male viewership.

This is not about Bernie Sanders. Most likely, it is about Trump. They have already seen what kind of ratings he has gotten them in this election cycle. No one has gotten more ‘earned media’ coverage than he. He earns it because it earns for them. It’s what viewers want to see. People might actually, continue to watch this train wreck is Trump gets the presidency. A train that will run us down.

This is not about Bernie Sanders. For this; the media will have to first achieve their delicious ‘A WOMEN SCORNED… AGAIN! narrative.’ Then, having positioned the women voters of the democratic party to not only damage their own cause, but to be so sick of each other, and politics, that they cannot reconcile, many will disengage from the whole thing after the primary. Make plans to leave the country. Swear off the youth.

This is not about Bernie Sanders. He is just a character in the story. We are just a sacrifice for the story. I know you don’t want him, or you, to be seen that way — but someone does see you that way. For them, destroying the progress of women, and watching us relinquish our power, every time we stop and insist that we do have brains, becomes far more valuable currency, than our advancement. Our value is that of entertainment. Best Cat-Fight of 2016.

This can’t be about Bernie Sanders. It must be about preserving the progress women before us have made — women like Gloria Steinem, Madeleine Albright and Hillary Clinton — even if you are voting for Bernie Sanders. If you cannot settle that within yourself, you have some serious soul searching to do. Keep doing it. Be kind to yourself and others, while you do.

This IS about helping women. Tearing down women to get what you want, is not helping women. That is not what Steinem and Albright were doing. They know all about that. That’s what you are doing to them. Maybe you thought you were attacked, because the media unfairly led you into it. Maybe I felt women were attacked because I thought you should know enough, to know better. That doesn’t matter now. We have to come together, before we help with our own undoing.

This IS about helping women. Writing ‘reasons to hate Hillary’ lists are less helpful than a ‘reasons Bernie Sanders is the right vote for feminists’ lists. Can you make that list? One of those lists demeans the choice of other women, and one empowers and speaks to the value of the choice of women. Ask yourself how can you help other women without hurting women.

This IS about helping women. And you SHOULD be angry that someone is trying to get in the way. But you must use that anger to deny the media their story. Deny men the lion’s share of rights and power. Focus on the goals you want to see for women. Be sure you really know who is getting in the way. Be sure it isn’t you. Always ask yourself what you’re doing and why you’re doing it — but not because you have to prove it to anyone else. No one else has to fall asleep knowing about all of the choices you have made. Only you.

This IS about helping women. And it IS your choice. But I urge you to question anyone who tells you democratic women or feminists are ‘out to get you’. I urge you to remember the media is telling you the stories they want you to react to, not as they happened. I urge you to remember that there is no evidence that this country wouldn’t do almost anything to push a narrative that assures a woman does not lead our country. Who is your favorite female American president, so far?

This IS about making our own choices. Vote however you like, but vote, with awareness. I do believe, without debate, that we women, all have brains. Let’s use them, without wasting all of this time talking about having them. And take everything with a grain of ‘This isn’t about Bernie Sanders,’ even when casting your vote for Bernie Sanders.