Staff Reports
Once again, our favorite matador of misinformation, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has been spotted on the runway, ready for takeoff. “AOC,” as she’s commonly known, has proudly showcased her origins, proclaiming to be a proud kid from the Bronx. However, the reality appears more like she hailed from the polished streets of Yorktown Heights, a peaceful suburb far from the echoes of busy Bronx cheer. Her latest media moment, a 60 Minutes special, tries to meld these two worlds, yet spends only a fleeting moment on her suburban roots before diving back into the familiar narrative of Bronx-born-and-bred socialism.
In yet another theatrical twist, AOC, or should we say Sandy Cortez, recently took the stage in a move reminiscent of a celebrity’s reinvention tour. Onward with the “Fight the Oligarchy” tour, truly an average working-class endeavor. One might wonder if “AOC Air” offers in-flight entertainment featuring episodes of her most beloved anecdotes about her upbringing. Indeed, many of us can relate because as kids, our mothers also worked hard, but few of us get the luxury of recoloring our youth into a narrative that’s more politically convenient.
The journey from Yorktown Heights to Congress might lack the drama of subway grates and city smoke, but to hear AOC tell it, you’d think her childhood was spent fighting for social justice on every Bronx corner. According to the 60 Minutes segment, she’s donned the cloak of authenticity by blending past and present. The quaint suburban setting is allotted a mere 30 seconds, while the majority of the airtime is dedicated to her vision of the Bronx and its socialist aspirations.
Now, imagine anyone else doing the same. Say someone grew up surrounded by the cornfields of Iowa and later moved to Washington, D.C., in their twenties. Could they confidently claim to be from D.C.? Of course not. Geographical residency doesn’t get a rewrite to suit one’s adult identity quest. The narrative follows a simple rule: where you’re raised and where you’ve been since are two different chapters.
AOC’s narrative gymnastics might win gold medals in storytelling, but for those paying attention, they highlight the gap between perception and reality. In this theater of politics, it’s vital to wade through the synthetic backstories to glimpse the real tales of origin. Like any good fiction, AOC’s story is believable if you buy into it. And maybe, just maybe, that’s how she continues dancing through the halls of Congress with a somehow convincing blend of both Yorktown Heights and Bronx bravado.
