Episode 8

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Published on:

11th Nov 2024

The Media's Blame Games

Suchitra, Bhakti, and Madhuri discuss narratives of blame in the aftermath of the loss of Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party in the 2024 US elections. Donald Trump’s win sent shockwaves through liberal media who have been uncritically championing a candidate who played to the center and styled herself as a conservative rather than connecting with her progressive base. Within hours of exit polls, the blame games began on social media and in mainstream outlets. The episode works through the main groups being falsely blamed: progressives, Latinos, Muslims, Black men, misogyny, third-party candidates such as Jill Stein, and President Biden. The conversation exposes the media’s racist and sexist biases and their deliberate sidelining of the genocide in Palestine. It emphasizes the importance of third-party candidates, and insists on the need for accountability within the Democratic Party and the media. The discussion highlights the disillusionment of voters and the consequences of shifting blame rather than addressing systemic issues.

Key Takeaways: 

  • The Democratic Party has always relied on the votes of minority and progressive communities to win elections, and despite the results, they are continuously thrown under the bus by the Democrats. The media often promotes this rhetoric and shifts blame to marginalized groups after election losses.
  • Misogyny and racism are frequently used as scapegoats and tools to escape accountability in political narratives.
  • Votes during elections are neither owed nor are they for granted, an attribute which is often weaponized by the Democratic Party to further their interests.
  • The Democratic Party's failure to connect with its base leads to disillusionment.
  • Third-party candidates like Jill Stein are unfairly vilified for election outcomes.
  • Voter disillusionment is a significant factor in recent election results.
  • The two-party system is increasingly seen as inadequate by the electorate.
  • Liberal media weaponizes identity politics to shape media narratives that can influence public perception and accountability.
  • The blame game distracts from the real issues at play in elections.
  • The consequences of ignoring voter needs can be dire for political parties as voters are capable of making sound and different decisions.

Keywords: media, blame games, election outcomes, Kamala Harris, misogyny, racism, third-party candidates, voter disillusionment, political narratives, accountability

References:

Suchitra Vijayan is a writer, photographer and activist. She is the founder and Executive Director of The Polis Project. For her first book, The Midnight's Border: A People's History of India, Suchitra traveled across the 9000-mile Indian border. She is the co-author of How Long Can the Moon Be Caged? Voices of Indian Political Prisoners (2023).

Bhakti Shringarpure is a writer and editor. She is the co-founder of Warscapes magazine which transitioned into the Radical Books Collective, Bhakti is the author of Cold War Assemblages: Decolonization to Digital (2019) and most recently, Insurgent Feminisms: Writing War (2023).

Madhuri Sastry is a former lawyer, specializing in international and human rights law. She was the publisher of Guernica Magazine. Her political writing, cultural criticism, interviews and essays have appeared in several publications including The Nation, Guernica, Slate, Bitch and New York Magazine. She is on the editorial board at the Polis Project.

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About the Podcast

It's Not You, It's The Media
Resist media gaslighting
It's Not You, It's The Media! unpacks the ways that the media manipulates narratives and makes you question your reality. You're being gaslighted. Suchitra Vijayan, Bhakti Shringarpure and Madhuri Sastry eviscerate the propaganda, set the record straight and offer moral clarity.

Suchitra Vijayan is a writer, photographer and activist. She is the founder and Executive Director of The Polis Project. For her first book, The Midnight's Border: A People's History of India, Suchitra traveled across the 9000-mile Indian border. A barrister by training, she previously worked for the United Nations war crimes tribunals in Yugoslavia and Rwanda before co-founding the Resettlement Legal Aid Project in Cairo, which gives legal aid to Iraqi refugees. She is the co-author of How Long Can the Moon Be Caged? Voices of Indian Political Prisoners (2023) which offers a lens into today's India through the lived experiences of political prisoners.

Bhakti Shringarpure is a writer and editor. She is the co-founder of Warscapes magazine which transitioned into the Radical Books Collective, a multi-faceted community building project that creates an alternative, inclusive and non-commercial approach to books and reading. Bhakti is the author of Cold War Assemblages: Decolonization to Digital (2019) and editor of Literary Sudans: An Anthology of Literature from Sudan and South Sudan (2017), Imagine Africa (2017) Mediterranean: Migrant Crossings (2018) and most recently, Insurgent Feminisms: Writing War (2023).

Madhuri Sastry is a former lawyer, specializing in international and human rights law. She was the publisher of Guernica Magazine. Her political writing, cultural criticism, interviews and essays have appeared in several publications including The Nation, Guernica, Slate, Bitch and New York Magazine. She is on the editorial board at the Polis Project.