A Reason NOT to Vote Green (in Germany, at least…)

Campaign Poster Slogan for The Green Party in Kaarst, Germany: "The Only Reason To vote Black"

(This is an English version of an entry originally published in German earlier today.)

RACISM and SEXISM as a campaign gag to loosen-up a white, male majority?

Unfortunately, the equality, tolerance and cooperation propagated by Germany’s Green Party in Kaarst seem only really relevant when it pertains to the target group of white men who can get their rocks off on the blatant public sexualization of black women. Or: Those people who fail to realize that a visual such as the one used by the Green Party in Kaarst in their current political campaign further minimalizes a group that already has a difficult enough time with open discrimination in German society as it is.

Even if apologies in American politics for such racist/sexist blunders are often late and mostly half-hearted, they DO come. And – thank God – more and more often this type of political blunder is countered by real-world consequences.

Unfortunately, the “progressive” Green Party has not yet come even that far. You can read an unapologetic justification of their choice of poster motifs on their website; for example:

“…Especially The Green Party stand for political policies that are characterized by tolerance, cosmopolitanism and equality. Subjects like integration and women’s issues are main topics of Green Party involvement. The accusations that this poster motif is racist or sexist is therefore groundless…”

Tolerance, cosmopolitanism and equality can only be effective aspects of social-political work if they are an integral part of both thought and action. The tired version of the old “I can’t be a racist, because many of my friends are black”-meme touted above is nothing but a weak excuse for a contemporary brand of covert racism that – below the surface – has remained intact and active .

I would like to strongly recommend that the members of the German Green Party (in Kaarst and elsewhere in the nation) quickly take a long, hard look at the video of American anti-racist activist Tim Wise on the subject of “white privilege”.

And – I hope many eligible, non-white (and hopefully a lot of female) voters in Germany take this patronizing disregard for the humanity and dignity of black women as expressed in this campaign poster (and defended by The Green Party in Kaarst on the website) as a motivation to use their valuable vote to send a unmistakable message on election day.

Not only in Kaarst.

Color me: Disappointed, but (unfortunately) not really surprised…