After reading the article “Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and the Limits of Representation” by Keeanga-Yamahatta Taylor, I was able to deeply I was able to deeply feel the divide that exists between people. In a society where different people represent different things, the “limits of representation” are found in the race and status of people, not just as individuals, but as a group. The article mentions that “In the 2016 Presidential election, Black voter turnout declined for the first time in twenty years, dropping from sixty-seven to sixty percent. Black women are, in general, one of the most oppressed and marginalized groups in the United States.” which reflects how Black women are not valued, at least At the political level, there is so little they can say and so little they can do to change the outcome. It’s unrealistic to expect the government to go all in on helping poor people, and they have no way of understanding the social pressures on people in struggle, so there is little expectation that people at the top will naturally understand the plight of poor women, which has led to long-standing complaints about the influence of money on politics. Although Obama has done his best to contribute to this group in the past, it still hasn’t improved very much in the back, so there have been criticisms in society that he hasn’t done enough, and at least for now, what politicians are doing in this area does still fall short.
It is interesting how black people are being represented in political positions but for changes to be made, there has to be an understanding of how they are living. The government most likely would not help all poor people and the people in the political positions should take into account how black people are living so that they could make changes. Black politicians should incorporate that way of thinking so that they can do their best.
I really like your statement that says “It’s unrealistic to expect the government to go all in on helping poor people, and they have no way of understanding the social pressures on people in struggle”. I think you nailed it because it is so true that they will never know how those in need truly feel. It seems as if they want to look good in front of the media but not do actual work.
I agree with you that “the ‘limits of representation’ are found in the race and status of people, not just as individuals, but as a group.” Since the stress experienced by people in difficult life situations is immense, it is hard for the government to understand how they really feel. If the government wants to make a difference for those people, it needs to understand what the people need.