VP Kamala Harris presents a difficult challenge for most right-wing pundits. Harris currently stands as a nearly flawless opponent for Donald Trump in the race to the White House.
Harris is void of any prominent political scandal; she’s the VP of the overall successful Biden Administration; and she rarely stumbles during speeches or interviews.
As a result, she’s being attacked by some Republicans for silly things such as her ethnicity, her McDonald’s employment, and the accent she uses as speeches.
Earlier this week, Harris held two political rallies, one in Detroit and the other in Pittsburgh. In both speeches, Harris highlighted the importance of unions. Both speeches were concise and further allowed Harris to share her vision for America. Without much room for criticism of the actual policies she discussed, several MAGA supporters decided to take the sophomoric route by complaining about her accent.
Fox News’ Jesse Watters used his platform to attack two Black women by saying,”Kamala was raised by an Indian mother in Canada, but now she sounds like Fani Willis.”
During a press conference at the White House, Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about Harris’ “Southern accent.” Jean-Pierre immediately shut down the ridiculous question.
“Do you think Americans seriously think this is an important question,” Jean-Pierre scolded Doocy. “You know what they care about? They care about the economy, they care about lowering costs, they care about health care, that’s what Americans care about.”
Americans do care about the things that will impact their personal lives. But MAGA supporters know that by attacking Harris for silly things, it could possibly distract some voters.
When Harris gave an inspiring speech in Atlanta earlier this summer, J.D. Vance attempted a similar play.
“Earlier this week, look up the clip, she went down to Georgia and started talking with a fake Southern accent,” J.D. Vance said during a speech. “What the hell is that all about? Kamala Harris grew up in Canada. They don’t talk like that in Vancouver or Quebec or wherever she came from, doesn’t matter.”
Beyond the obvious attempt to distract, the attacks on Harris’ accent reveals a deep cultural divide in America.
The reality of being Black in America is that survival often depends on the ability to adjust to any environment at any moment.
Some call it code-switching, in 1903 W.E.B Du Bois defined it as double consciousness, the ability for Black Americans to stay connected to their culture while being forced to conform to the dominant society.
Every Black person that has earned success in majority white spaces have been forced to exercise their double consciousness at some point.
It’s a reality that most white Americans will never have to deal with, but it’s something that all Americans should understand.
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