Staff Reports
When it comes to code-switching, the left seems to have mastered the art, with Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett taking center stage in this theatrical display. The idea? Speak differently depending on your audience. With donors, she flips into polished political speak, reminiscent of someone who might have grown up in the cushy suburbs of St. Louis. But with activists and on-the-ground folks? Well, out comes the “from the hood” persona, as if she were auditioning for a community theater rendition of a street drama. It’s a performance that rivals any of the sketches on TV comedy shows.
Jasmine Crockett is not alone in this escapade; she’s just one of the many Democrats who flip the switch on their dialects depending on who they’re wooing. But Crockett’s case is especially telling. Despite the unverified portrayal of her posh upbringing, where neighbors wave from well-manicured lawns, she attempts to embody a “just like you” character with her constituents. The problem? People are starting to see through the façade, and it’s not holding up to scrutiny. Rather than owning the privilege of a supposed upbringing, she chooses to play to the crowd, which comes across more as faux authenticity than the real deal.
The twist in Crockett’s tale hits just as hard as any season finale plot twist. Although there is no concrete evidence of her attending an elite high school like Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School, or indulging in the luxuries of lacrosse fields and aquatic centers, it seems to be part of a calculated attempt to appeal to what some perceive as the core of her voter base. The incongruity between her real life and her performative personas is as sharp as the divide between a Hollywood set and reality.
But, it’s not just individual voters who are being played for fools here; it’s also the white liberal demographic, often portrayed as eating up this kind of act. For them, Crockett’s overtures might be a contribution to their own narratives—ones where guilt and superiority complexes intersect, offering a tangible sense of ’empathy’ for the struggling, which is at best patronizing and at worst, hypocritical. Surely, the voters of America deserve more genuine representation than this stage play of dialectical wonder.
The luggage of authenticity should be light enough to carry it wherever you go, without the need for swapping cases. In an age where authenticity is king (or queen), it seems counterproductive to put on an accent or personality simply to gain votes. For Jasmine Crockett and her fellow code-switchers, the call to action might be: be you, because isn’t that what we truly want from our politicians? Honest, authentic discourse, rather than another performance of theatrics.
