Binary thinking: the red and blue version

And in other thoughts that no one asked me for…

I’m going to try to stop referring to states as red or blue. It’s too reductive, and erases important groups of people and powerful justice work that happens in states dominated by conservative politicians.

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It also ignores the irrefutable fact that supposedly progressive states (like my own Massachusetts) have a whole host of issues with extremism, book banning, hate, all the things you see in more conservative states.

If we are to make real change, we’ve got to engage in a more nuanced conversation that acknowledges the abortion rights wins in states like Ohio, Kentucky, and Kansas. That celebrates Missouri expunging over one hundred thousand cannabis charges from people’s criminal records. AND…

That acknowledges the regressive policing policies adopted by New York Governor Hochul, (because let’s face it, deploying police to randomly search bags on subways is just the 2024 version of stop and frisk). That faces the uncomfortable truth that Massachusetts is one of only 2(!) states that hasn’t outlawed revenge porn.

Binary thinking doesn’t help us. It doesn’t help policy making, political strategy, or nuanced conversation. No state - or its population - is fully red or blue, conservative or progressive. Reductive views of a state’s political landscape stifle real conversations about change and about what is possible. And erase hard truths about the real harm that happens in places historically known for being progressive.

Like my home state of Massachusetts.

Massachusetts has long prided itself on being a leader in progressive policy and causes. The bluest of the blue states, really. But this Massachusetts exceptionalism doesn’t leave much room for a different narrative. I was alarmed to read reporting from Phillip Martin of GBH news about the growth of white supremacist activity in Massachusetts. We have the fifth highest level of white supremacist propaganda in the country. An uncomfortable fact that in no way matches the image we have of ourselves. How can the first state to legalize gay marriage also be the home of so much hateful activity?

There’s a lot to unpack from this report, including some questions about how much of this activity is originating in state vs from national extremist groups that have decided to target Massachusetts. But one thing remains clear. Well, at least clear to me.

We cannot fully address problems if we are unwilling to name them. If we rest on our blue tinged laurels while throwing proverbial stones at so called red states we will never engage in the difficult work that creates real change. And there are activists in the most conservative states doing that difficult work, and we would be well served to learn from them.

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