Last night was the second night of the Democratic debates, and as per any live-streamed event, there was a fair amount of drama.
It’s expected that people have varying opinions regarding arguments made by candidates throughout the evening, but oddly, one aspect of last night seemed to unite us all: Joe Biden’s weird as heck greeting with Kamala Harris.
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Biden’s got his fair share of supporters and critics everywhere on the political spectrum.
His policy, ties to the Obama administration, philanthropist work, unique persona, and recent bad press are all factors as to whether or not any given person would root for him in the Presidential race.
Last night’s events also managed to show us another side of Biden, one that he shares not only with most of his party, but most other politicians: A level of privilege that excuses him to treat certain candidates with a subversive level of sexism.
It is naive to think that Harris and Biden are debating on an equal playing field.
If, for example, they were writing essays to debate against one another, their ability to connect to the nation and articulate their policy in an accessible way would be the only thing that mattered.
However, they aren’t writing essays—they’re debating in person. Women in politics, in any corporate or professional environment really, are told that they are infiltrating a man’s world, and therefore, there isn’t room for them to speak. There’s a reason why women who run for political positions are often dismissed as people with a “hobby” or “passion” for politics rather than legitimate professionals.
For the bulk of the debate, this dynamic isn’t important.
But if you watch the very beginning of the debate, when Biden first greets Harris, he is very obviously acting with that dynamic of imbalance in mind.
Before the two of them debate, it is customary for the candidates to share a handshake on stage.
Though Trump opted out of said common courtesy in his own 2016 debate against Hilary Clinton, this part normally goes off without a hitch.
After they shake hands, Harris leans in and says ‘How are you? You good?’
Normal, right? Until you re-watch the clip and notice that Biden actually says something first , very quickly.
“Go easy on me, kid.”
Let’s dissect this for a second:
It’s true that ‘Kid’ is a pretty frequently used Biden-ism (something he says quite a bit to a lot of people).
However , calling 54-old- Senator and presidential candidate Kamala Harris “Kid” came across to a lot of people as an intentional tactic, as off-handed and conversational as it may seem at first.
Numerous people are calling Biden out for his diminishing of Harris.
Would Biden have called a male candidate of that age and political position ‘kid’? I can’t answer that definitively, but a lot of people seem to think that the answer is no.
Regardless of its intent, it’s a weird thing to say to a 54-year-old woman.
The interesting thing is that most people aren’t accusing him of doing it on purpose. It’s just how we’re socialized to treat women in politics.
Watch the awkward interaction for yourself.
Are people overreacting, or are we in a social era in which this kind of thing is unacceptable? Let us know what you think.
h/t: Twitter
