Op-Ed: Performative Activism and Joe Biden
By Oriana Riley
Performative activism is a phrase that’s been thrown around a lot in recent months, often referring to this new wave of “social media activism” surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement.
These criticisms are often thrown upon teenage liberal girls, but are the real culprits of “performative activism” our nation’s politicians?
Joe Biden’s empty appeals to the progressive vote say yes. Biden promises to make strong climate action a number one priority, but refuses to align himself with the Green New Deal. He plans to reverse Trump’s attacks on the LGBTQ community, but will not answer the HRC’s push for his administration to take an explicit stand against the cruelty of conversion therapy. His administration claims to support racial law enforcement equity, but plans to pump more money into the police, rather than considering the ideas of reallocation of funds.
We cannot fault Joe Biden for playing politics and trying to appeal to three bases at once (progressive, moderate, and independent.) This, however, does not mean that we cannot criticize him. Many claim that Biden will be the most progressive president of all time, and while that’s yet to be seen, his progressivism may only run election-deep.
However, I would say it’s unfair of me to say this without acknowledging the doable progressive promises the Biden administration has made. The Equality Act, which would include gender identity and sexual orientation as sex discrimination under Title 14 and has remained in the Senate for over a year, is a top priority for the Biden administration to pass. Similarly, his platform promotes racial equity training in the workplace and hopes to rejoin the Paris agreement.
While I agree that reversing Trump’s wrongdoings remains a number one priority, I hope to see progress during this administration, rather than just a return to the politics of pre-2016.
This, also, does not mean that we cannot critique the performative action of teenagers on social media, but holding the Biden-Harris administration on a pedestal for the simple fact that they are not the Trump-Pence one is a dangerous game for progressives to play.
Oriana Riley is a high school senior and nationally awarded creative writer from Berwyn, PA. She hopes to study Political Science and English at university next year.
