When I first saw this title, I wasn’t sure what I was going to see. But as I read, I realized this is the EXACT dialogue I have in my head. When your house is on fire, you don’t have it in you to worry about anyone but you and yours. So, even though I’m a woman of color and there are undeniable problems that I could face (I live in a relatively diverse area, though), I’ve never been poor. The only time I didn’t eat is when I didn’t want to. And there’s always a job willing to pay me more than $10/hour. In comparison with people in the Midwest or the Deep South, I’ve lived a privileged existence DESPITE the color of my skin or my gender. We have to stop trying to one-up each other on the Struggle Scale. The reality is that the Right screws the average American in different ways. They keep us fighting amongst each other- comparing our problems- so that we can’t be unified. It’s only when we stop whining and recognized that f*cked is f*cked, and it doesn’t matter how it happened, that we’ll be able to begin a more productive, progressive conversation.

Example: The reality is that immigration IS an issue here in the U.S. As Tara Setmayer said on her podcast, “We are a sovereign nation, but we’re a sovereign nation with laws”. The current system isn’t sustainable for anyone, the immigrants nor the citizens.

However, while we’re debating over what’s more important- welcoming everyone or taking care of our own- we’re glazing over the fact that the issue is perpetuated by business owners; and our dearest POTUS is no exception. They offer jobs to immigrants under the table, supplying them with cheap labor as well as a scapegoat for why the job market is dry & their pockets are still lined. Again, keeping us squabbling amongst ourselves instead of focusing on the more significant issue. It’s not the ONLY factor to consider, but it’s definitely important.

In essence, until we stop trying to out-victim the person next to us, we can’t take back our power as the American people.