WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Flyover Features: What is White Dudes for Kamala?

Episode Date: October 29, 2024

In this show we explore the identity politics behind a group called "White Dudes for Kamala" as the election approaches.

You're listening to Flyover Features on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. I'm Sophia Mant, speaking with my co-host Emma Rini. And in this episode, we are going to talk about the movement, white dudes for Harris. So what is the gist of white dudes for Harris? It sounds pretty self-explanatory, but for those who don't know, what is this group? A bunch of fairly well-known or influential, prominent, wealthy, left-leaning white dudes who want to support Harris decided to have a Zoom meeting and campaign in which they announced their support of Harris over Trump. That's, it's pretty self-explanatory. Right. So there are a couple of articles that have come out about this movement.

and there have been a couple of jokes that have come out about it as well. So we're going to discuss all of that stuff. So it's interesting because I actually thought in my time spent in the interwebs that this was just a like meme or joke and that this was never a on-ironic movement that was like grassroots funded by Democrat people because it just sounds like something that would exist. for people to make fun of, but no, apparently this really was a thing. And it is interesting because I get the sense that a lot of even liberals and progressives

maybe find the movement a little bit cringe because I was reading before this episode various news articles about the movement, including from left-leaning sources. And they've definitely made sure to mention within the article, yeah, a lot of people have been criticizing this movement for being really like identity focused on the idea that they're a white dude instead of the ideology behind it. So that was that was interesting. Like you could tell that they were maybe writing about it because that can emboldened their side. But they maybe had reservations about the way the message was being communicated to a lot with with more than one of those sources I was reading. Yeah, I will say it is a little bit strange. And just for some more context,

White Dudes for Harris have a website called white dudes for Harris.com. And on the first page of their website, they have a slogan, make history this election, let's get to work. And then if you go down, they have a little blurb about what they stand for. And it says over 200,000 white men from all across the country, we're on hand to welcome vice president Harris to the presidential race and pledged to help her to help get her elected on our call. Together, we aren't going to sit around and let the MAGA crowd bully other white guys into voting for a hateful and divisive ideology because we understand that under MAGA, everyone loses.

We know that as white dudes, we have both a strong and positive role to play in America's shared future, and it begins with all of us cutting through the MAGA crap and reminding the folks who have co-opted American symbols what America actually means. We are excited to join together with you in this fight. Oh my goodness. I have to know what a white dude for Kamala guy would say if I asked him, okay, so what does America actually mean?

Yeah, who has co-opted American symbols and for what purpose. That is very interesting. Yeah. I mean, I totally, I get what they're saying. It's just a very strange way of wording it. It's just kind of funny that, like, the politics of identity have now gone even to groups like white dudes.

Yeah, it's a little bit awkward. Especially since they, there's an air of self-righteousness about it, Because they're saying, we aren't going to sit around and let the mega crowd bully other white guys. Like, as if they're championing, anti-bullying or something like that. It's like, dude, you are casting a vote in an election. Well, we all know that every single election is the most important election of our lives. That is very true. Yeah.

Like, guys, guys, like, every single election is just. automatically there for the most important of our lives. Although in all fairness, they aren't quite saying that. They're encouraging people to vote, but they aren't quite going that extreme. All right. So there's actually a merch page on the website. And so if you click on merch, one of the first things that comes up is a beer sleeve for your beer, for your IPA, white dudes for Harris. And it's got their little logo on it and everything.

For $10, you can get a white dude for Harris. beer sleeve. We are not endorsing this product, just pointing out the fact that it exists and that people are selling it. Yeah, this is not a subtle... This is not, there is no pressure here. Yeah. Just pointing out that it exists and that you can in fact find this sort of merchandise on their website. So you can have something to put your IPA in when it's, when you want to bust open a cold one with the We all know that only men clearly drink beer and like their IPA or something like that. Clearly, clearly. Yeah.

They're sort of playing into the white men stereotype. Yeah, they really, they're really playing into the white men stereotypes more than any other group. Like, I don't know. They don't. It's really funny though, because this is the only stereotype they will play into. And it's just something. a vapid understanding of what most white American men actually are going to. I mean, seriously,

compare the white dudes for Harris beer sleeve to J.D. Vance Hillbilly Ellogy or something like that. Yeah. It's just magnitudes of difference between these two things. Well, in all fairness, I think they know that they're not representing necessarily the mainstream voter block view. But yeah, it is it is funny. they're playing into stereotypes. Yeah, you don't see like, and maybe this is

a good thing, actually, that it's only the white dudes I see this. You aren't seeing, I'm not seeing mass amounts of black woman for Kamala. Like, I mean, there's people supporting her because of her race or vice versa, that she's a minority, but I'm not seeing like an organized voter block that's

like Hispanic woman for Kamala or black women. But it's a little bit more evident that that group is going to vote for Kabbalah. Yeah. So, I mean, it makes sense that that doesn't exist. It's the same sort of way you've got like Latinos for Trump. Yeah. Or women for Trump because you would not expect as many women to vote for Trump.

Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, I think that this group in particular really plays up. up the stereotype in a way that's just incredibly vapid and unconvincing. Yeah. I mean, I think it's kind of humorous and funny, but you can definitely tell it does not represent

like the typical white guys' political views. But I would push back and say, I think, that they know that. But it is, it just is interesting. The appeals to identity, Yeah, that they're trying to do to get some of them votes for the Kamala. Yeah. You've been listening to Fly Over Features on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. Kamala Harris in one article called Harris makes final push to close gap with male voters from CNN.

also talks about how Kamala Harris is trying to reach out to the male population. She is doing many important things for the men of this country, including airing campaign videos during Monday Night Football. The ads are tailored to each of the three cities, and each leans heavily into its respective cities' culture. What do you think about this? I'm sure that Trump has done similar things in terms of airing campaign ads, but this is one of the first things that the article mentions

that Harris is doing to try to reach out to young men. How does this seem to you? I mean, it just seems like an attempt at strategic political influence. Yeah, it's, I see why she's doing it. Now I'm curious to see the ads. And if they try to be really masculine while also pushing for progressive ideas, because that'd be an interesting thing to observe. I don't know. All I know is I'm getting sick of political campaign ads because I'm getting a lot of left and right and then like libertarian ads because I think YouTube just does not know what my politics are because I don't know exactly what my politics are.

Fair? On certain issues, you know, I'm still figuring that out. But it's It's quite It's funny But yeah You don't see Trump ads on like

CNN Usually or whatever It's a stereotypical Left Leaning Network Is I don't Yeah I don't really watch TV or shows

So I'm like I'm like cut out from this world So I also don't know What I'm saying is I don't really know What I'm talking about When it comes to this specific issue Yeah I will say

This is a smart decision on Harris's part to try to get ads at a time when a lot of men are going to see them. But also I think it sort of underscores how superficial her understanding or these people's understanding of male voters in general is. And I think that, as I've been saying, this and the white dudes for Harris, group just don't really seem to care about anything beyond just the identity politics of it. Yeah, yeah. Well, I think they in a sense care, but it's a vague understanding of the other side.

Like, it's more we have to go against the stereotype of white men than and vote against Trump rather than even a clearly explained or defined vote for progressive. ideas. Yeah, I mean, it is, it is strange, this unclear expression of ideas. I mean, in general, on both sides is just, to me, these vague ideological claims without much meat behind them. I mean, as wise Harris once said, I don't know what's wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree, you exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you. That's a strange way to argue for educational equity because, you know, she was basically saying, she's arguing basically that there's cultural context that isolate students

from their communities, like, you know, because it's this societal constant. conditions that lead people into certain lives, which I actually don't entirely disagree with, but I obviously have some problems we can get into on another time with the equity aspect of it. Yeah, yeah. What I'm trying to say is I get what she's saying, actually, like I do, but it's like very poorly conveyed. Yeah. Yeah, it's just another instance of trying to appeal to certain political mantras or statements that are very poorly thought out and conveyed.

It's just these, like, broad hypothetical statements that don't have much meat or thought behind them. That makes sense, yeah. Yeah, it's definitely, at least I find it to be very unconvincing. So... Do you think you just fell out of a coconut tree? I don't know. what that means.

See, I just find it funny because there's actually two philosophers that would have very different opinions on this and now I'm morbidly curious to see Kamala attempt to debate them because Heidegger would say it's almost like we're thrown into being and then Alan Watts

who is this very strange Eastern thinker from the 50s would say no, you came into existence like a leaf falls from a tree. So interesting. So he would say you kind of did fall out of a coconut tree, as would Heidegger. So when is Kamala Harris debating Heidegger? Well, Heidegger's dead. I know.

I just think it'd be funny. Yeah. I mean, well, it just shows she believes kind of in the like, fully in the, uh, you are totally bound to like customs and outside forces rather than like shaping an individual character. But I mean, when we talk about identity, like I think she represents the peak of what can be achieved solely with kind of the right set of identity politics and beliefs. Yeah, she has. She has another quote that's kind of like that. And I think it goes like, what can be unburdened by what has been.

I don't know the exact context of it, but it's a little bit awkward. But you know she's probably like, she came up with that one time while she was like, I don't know, in the shower or on the toilet or something. And then she's just like, yeah, I'm going to put that in a speech or two. And she's just been hanging on to that one for a while. Yeah. I mean, my personal belief right now is I think we are definitely like influenced by cultural forces. And in fact, I think they have a huge influence over them. but I also don't believe that like we are absolutely 100% bound to our situation.

But I don't know if campaign organizers put this much thought into it. Although in all fairness, it's not meant to. It's just meant to emboldened voters. You've been listening to Flyover Features on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. There's an article on Slate called My Rousing Night at White Dudes for Harris by Luke Wink. And the subheading is, we are cringe, but we are free. So there's a little bit, there's at least some degree of self-awareness among the people who support this group.

Yeah. They aren't entirely closed off to the fact that they might actually look a little bit stupid. But this article goes on to talk about a lot of things. things that are kind of interesting. For one, it says throughout human history, a lot of time white men organized. It was with pointy hats on. But the reason we're doing this is that the left has been seating white men to the MAGA right for far too long. They're basically saying that they've been neglecting this demographic, or at least just not paying enough attention to it, or acknowledging the fact that this demographic could, in fact, vote for Kamala.

The other thing that really stands out is the fact that they're talking about the KKK. And what's really funny is that they say throughout human history, and then they bring up the KKK, which is a relatively recent thing in human history. So that really just goes to show. I think a lot of people who tend to be on the political left think that human history starts about 200 years ago or something like that and they know like two big facts and those are slavery and the holocaust and oppression is bad and i mean the kKK is a evil horrible organization but that should not be downplayed but also like i'm not gonna i don't

think like most white men have been just organizing with you know for the kKK yeah there's It's the sort of idea that white men have a duty to sort of vindicate themselves from this racist stereotype by supporting Kamala Harris. And it's like supporting Kamala Harris is not going to vindicate you from that. But you don't really have any actual moral obligation to do that anyway, if that makes sense. I also love when he mentions that the Republican Party runs more and more on policy platforms that only appeal. to freaks, weirdos, and Christian nationalists. And he says, I've never felt more like a dorky, majority, mainstream liberal.

And he says, in friends, it feels great. And I got to say, like, wow, that statement made me feel cool because, like, I was a, and I still am, but now that I go to Hillsdale, my social life is a little different. I was a not very social kind of, I hate the mainstream type of gal in high school. And yeah, now I feel like I'm really subversive and counterculture and cool thanks to this article, even more than I did before. So that's pretty great.

That's the thing. These are the types of people who tend to glorify the idea of rebellion and being the outsider and being the underdog. But at the same time, they want to have their cake and eat it too and also be the mainstream. It's like we're so oppressed, but also we make up the majority of the people in this country. We have all these minority voters, all this stuff. Yeah, it's just, it's very unconvincing to me. Yeah, I will say, this guy is a little, is fairly self-aware, and he's funny. But it is, yeah, he's acknowledging that, yeah, this is the mainstream.

The subversive people is now starting to become those identified with the right. so and I'm predicting it that and this is already happening I think to an extent with broadly speaking ideas and just things identified more with the right are going to more strongly become the counterculture or what's cool with the youth these days right kind of like a reversal of the 60s like I actually think broadly speaking that that's starting to happen that's going to more strongly happen right you can't you can't glorify the idea of rebellion and then get mad when what rebellion looks like isn't what you want it to look like, if that makes sense. This also reminds me of when Kamala Harris and a couple of other people on the left started calling J.D. Vance weird? Yeah. Do you remember that? Yeah.

And there was an article, a student wrote for the Collegian that I actually really liked. That was a opinion article where she was like, that's such a weird insult. I mean, and it's like, like, like. That's not even like necessarily a bad thing. Yeah. When someone says someone's weird, I don't immediately come to negative connotations. And like, this is going to sound horribly pretentious. And obviously I'm also sarcastic and being joking a bit when I say this.

But like literally like the definition of weird is not like really necessarily a negative description. Like it's just such a weak argument against it. And as I might have said this in the early episode, but like in certain situations I'm actually more inclined to. be interested in someone if they're described as weird. Yeah. Or unconventional. Yeah, that makes sense. I think that's sort of what's happening.

It's just if you support Kamala, you are part of the mainstream. And I've always kind of thought that being a Democratic voter is sort of the default position to have. You've been listening to Flyover Features on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM.