San Francisco teacher writes in op-ed: Bernie Sanders’ mittens a ‘lesson in white privilege’
A San Francisco high school teacher wrote an Op-ed claiming Sen. Bernie Sanders “manifests privilege” for wearing his meme-evoking inauguration outfit.
Ingrid Seyer-Ochi, a former UC Berkeley professor, wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle that the Vermont senator’s choice of recycled wool mittens mittens was integrated into her class discussion on US diversity and discrimination.
Initially, on Inauguration Day, Seyer-Ochi said her class talked about the deeper meanings of the historic day — including “the vulnerability of democracy” and “the power of ritual” and gender.
Sanders, the teacher said, was not even on their radar until he became an instant internet sensation over his mittens and brown parka.
“I puzzled and fumed as an individual as I strove to be my best possible teacher. What did I see? What did I think my students should see?” Seyer-Ochi wrote.
“A wealthy, incredibly well-educated and -privileged white man, showing up for perhaps the most important ritual of the decade, in a puffy jacket and huge mittens.”
The senator, she said, “manifests privilege, white privilege, male privilege and class privilege, in ways that my students could see and feel.”
Seyer-Ochi said in the op-ed that many people without privilege would not be able to dress like Sanders did on such an occasion.
“I don’t know many poor, or working class, or female, or struggling-to-be-taken-seriously folk who would show up at the inauguration of our 46th president dressed like Bernie,” she said.
The op-ed left many people on social media scratching their heads.
“So Bernie represents the terrible privilege of the white & rich because he *reads article* didn’t wear expensive clothes,” one commenter on Twitter wrote.
“Apparently it is privilege to dress comfortably and NOT privilege to wear expensive designer clothing while the media talks about ensembles like it’s a red carpet event,” another Twitter user commented.
A third person on Twitter wrote: “The only ‘privilege’ I see right now is being able to publish a bad faith opinion piece in a newspaper with a paywall,” one commenter on Twitter wrote. [Reply]
Originally Posted by lawrenceRaider:
You drastically under estimate some of your fellow LWNJs. Loonguano and a couple of his buddies are all over this.
Good Lord, stop lying/projecting. Literally nobody believes you. [Reply]
Originally Posted by loochy:
I don't get it. It was cold. :-)
You'd have to dissect her twisted logic, which is unexplained, for good reasons.
Bernie in an expensive suit: Not white privilege.
Bernie in a parka wearing mittens a school teacher knitted for him: white privilege.
Trying to figure out exactly how the criticism goes. I guess she thinks it's privileged to be able to dress casually at an inauguration, even if you're not on the platform, and it's fucking freezing out.
I'm wondering what she would say if he was invited to a black tie dinner at the White House. If he wore a tux: that would look like privilege. If he dressed casually: once again, privilege.
Bernie's in a no win situation. That ultra left, socialist Senator is just a fucking racist. You can tell by the mittens. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Loneiguana: On day, you and the other mouth breathers, will figure out the so called liberals that live in your head aren't real. Maybe.
Originally Posted by lawrenceRaider:
You drastically under estimate some of your fellow LWNJs. Loonguano and a couple of his buddies are all over this.
Did any of them show up yet to defend this yet?
I see stuff like this and I roll my eyes and cringe because it makes Ds look stupid. Really stupid.
But this unknown lady just has a really stupid opinion and reasoning. But it's another level of crazy detached-from-reality insanity to get to the whackjob Qanon stuff from actual elected Rs like Marjorie Taylor Greene. And a whole lot of that batshit crazy Qanon stuff is really not that far from the mainstream of CPs RWers. [Reply]
