Things That Matter

A Conservative Parent Is Using Her Daughter To Mock AOC And Critics Say She Clearly Doesn’t Care About The Girl’s Future

By July 2, 2019 at 4:43 pm
BY  | July 2, 2019 AT 4:43 pm
You haven’t really made it until you have a few haters. Truly, when you have people mocking you for shallow reasons, it usually means they’re intimidated by your substance. Whether it’s Twitter trolls or a bonafide impersonation on SNL, it means you’ve gotten the public’s attention; for better or for worse.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has had a lot of this kind of focus directed at her ever since she ran to represent her home district in Congress. A lot of the hate she gets comes from those intimidated by her bold ideas and Latina-ness. Unlike her newest naysayer, most of her detractors have been people who are at least old enough to vote.

This newest AOC critic is a social media account using a young girl to mock and imitate the Representative.

                                                                        Twitter / @miniAOCofficial

Calling her Mini AOC, the account features Ava Martinez as the unflattering impersonator. The Twitter bio for the account claims that it is run by her mother. For her impersonations, Martinez uses familiar-looking glasses, red lipstick, and a ponytail to pull off the mimicry. In her posts, the 8-year-old girl reads from cue-cards as she mocks Ocasio-Cortez and her policies.

She additionally lampoons other Democrats and Independents like Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, and Bernie Sanders. For example, in a recent video, you will hear a horse neighing loudly in the background every time Martinez says the words “Nancy Pelosi.” The little social media celebrity also explains how she thinks a glass of prune juice would make a better House Speaker than Speaker Pelosi.

Martinez first experienced Social clout when her step-father, Salvatore Schachter, uploaded a video with her impressions back in April 2019. Since then, her performances have made her popular with Republican viewers. In fact, Martinez has appeared on both Fox News and Fox Business to share her right-wing takes.

While these videos may seem cute at first glance, the flippant way some devastating topics are being ridiculed is pretty sickening.

                                                                    Twitter / @miniAOCofficial

In a Twitter post made on July 1st, Martinez posted four pictures of herself looking distraught while clinging to a chain-link fence.

The tweet reads: “Every time I plan a visit to the park it’s closed! 🙄 Can everyone see how sad this makes me?! ☹️ #sad #MALA #MINIAOC”

The post is no doubt a swipe at the migrant detention facilities at our borders. Specifically, they are meant to mock images of the Representative’s trip to the Tornillo holding facility. These pictures were recently shared on Twitter by writer/photographer Ivan Pierre Aguirre. AOC and other Democratic politicians have made attempts to visit these spaces, only to be turned down by guards. The reported state of these facilities are inhuman and have been likened by Ocasio-Cortez as “concentration camp.”

In another post from May 2019, the Mini AOC account shares a photo of President Barack Obama riding a bicycle. In the post, the account misgenders the president and claims that he was the first female leader of our nation.

These tweets and videos could be dismissed as a joke but the use of little Ava Martinez as their presenter is dangerously irresponsible.

                                                                    Twitter / @miniAOCofficial

While a child taking an interest in politics is usually something to celebrate, using Martinez to deliver anti-migrant sentiment isn’t. Making her the face of this account may get views and followers, but the adults responsible are doing so by manipulating this girl’s thoughts and opinions. It isn’t satire if she is too young to understand and form her own judgment. Using her voice in this manner takes away her autonomy.

The same can be said for other social media child stars. Many times, these children are driven to perform by their guardians. It becomes a full-time job and makes them public figures while still navigating childhood. There is money to be made in this medium and — as long as it’s profitable — child stars will be in danger of being manipulated to pursue that cash.

Twitter has pointed out the potential harm this obviously imposed performing can have.

                                                                        Twitter / @jean_yoon

Canadian actress Jean Yoon tweeted her opposition to using Martinez to mock such a serious issue. As an actress, she no doubt understands the pressure that this girl is under to perform as Mini AOC.

This Twitter user expressed condolences for Martinez.

                                                                            Twitter / @_Anunnery

More focused on Martinez’s future, this Twitter user hoped for a future where she won’t be exploited by her guardians. What this child needs is privacy and safe spaces to speak her own truth, not the words fed to her.

Kids are products of their environments. We can only hope that Ava Martinez’s environment doesn’t include this Mini AOC act for much longer.

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Colombia Is On Alert After Six Candidates Running For Mayor Have Been Murdered In The Past Six Weeks

Things That Matter

Colombia Is On Alert After Six Candidates Running For Mayor Have Been Murdered In The Past Six Weeks

By September 12, 2019 at 2:07 pm
BY  | September 12, 2019 AT 2:07 pm
Stern / Instagram

Yesterday saw police in Colombia arrest two people in connection to the death of Orley García, the mayoral candidate for the municipality of Toledo. But the wildest thing is that García isn’t the first mayoral candidate to have been killed this election cycle in Colombia. In fact, he’s actually the sixth. 

The most heartbreaking death was that of Karina García.

Pinterest / The Guardian

The 32-year-old was running to be the first female mayor in the rural municipality of Toledo when she was attacked. Following a day of campaigning on September 1, García was returning to her hometown of Suarez when the car she was traveling in was shot at, before being set on fire. Six people died from the attack, including García’s mother, three local activists and a candidate for the municipal council, who were also in the car at the time. According to authorities, a grenade was used in the attack. Somehow, though, García’s bodyguard, who was driving the vehicle, survived.

Before she was killed, Karina reported receiving threats and asked for security.

Twitter / @JZulver

A reward of almost $44,000 has been offered for information leading to the capture of the dissidents who were responsible for the murder of Karina García, who is survived by her husband and three year old son. It seems like a case of too little, too late, though, as García had already reported to authorities that she was on the receiving end of death threats. It was only in August that four armed men confronted members of her campaign, ordering them to take down banners and posters supporting her candidacy. García took to social media, calling on authorities to protect her and her fellow candidates against harm. “Please, for God’s sake, don’t act so irresponsibly,” she said in a video posted to Facebook on August 24. “This can bring fatal consequences for me.”

Authorities are blaming the killings on FARC rebels.

Instagram / @stern

And just who are FARC? The Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, on the most fundamental level, are a guerilla movement that began in 1964. Motivated by Marxist-Leninist leanings, on paper they’re a peasant force that promotes anti-imperialism. However, what this means in practice is that they kidnap, ransom, drug run and extort their way into opposing Colombian authorities and consolidating power. By the time 2016 rolled around though, the group was running out of steam. This led to a ceasefire accord between FARC and the President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos. June 2017 saw FARC hand over its weapons to the United Nations.

Yes, FARC legitimized itself legally but several dissidents disagree with that decision.

Instagram / @leperejulot

Obviously, that’s not the end of the story. Despite the peace deal, and despite the fact that FARC had officially announced its transformation into a legal, political party, there are still plenty of dissidents out there who disagree with the change and still operate under the original FARC doctrine. What’s most likely sparked the recent mayoral candidate killings is FARC’s announcement, on Youtube no less, that it’s resorting to violence due to the Colombian government’s failure to comply with the peace agreements from 2016. Of course, Colombian officials heartily disagreed with this statement, and responded with offensive strikes against FARC.

This has basically turned into tic for tac killing.

Twitter / @Citytv

And the repercussions of the violence and killings are far-reaching. Beyond the devastated friends and family left behind, this also spells trouble for the democratic process in Colombia. Because who’s going to risk running for office, if they’re risking not only their own life, but the lives of their friends, family and coworkers? And who’s going to even consider turning up to vote, when the candidates themselves are being murdered, left, right, and center? It’s hard to conceive of cultural and legislative change in a country where part of what needs to be changed is what’s preventing change in the first place.

The other thing to keep in mind is that this is the exact kind of violence that people are fleeing when they arrive at the US border and make an appeal for asylum.

Instagram / @every_day_donald_trump

It’s a legitimate fear: the operation of gangs and cartels negatively impacts on the safety of the citizenry, as well as influencing the way that the entire country can be governed. However, because US legislation under the Trump administration states that asylum seekers cannot be granted refuge against gang violence, it means that these people have no choice but to go back to their country of origin and continue to risk theirs and their family’s lives. Something’s gotta give – otherwise, we’re going to see a lot more deaths at the hands of these gangs.

At this stage, we can only keep our eyes peeled for more news coming out from Colombia, as the elections are to be held October 27, across almost 1,100 municipalities. Unfortunately, with the murder of the sixth mayoral candidate in Colombia, this marks an even more violent election season than that of 2015, which saw the deaths of five mayoral candidates.

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colombiapoliticsViolence

Could This Young Woman Of Color Be The Next AOC? This Progressive Political Group Hopes So

Things That Matter

Could This Young Woman Of Color Be The Next AOC? This Progressive Political Group Hopes So

By at 1:13 pm
BY  | September 12, 2019 AT 1:13 pm
MeetMcKayla / Instagram

Inspired by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mckayla Wilkes of Maryland has got her sights set on 2020, challenging House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer for his seat. In fact, Wilkes has been influenced so much by AOC’s run for Congress in 2018, she’s now secured backing from Brand New Congress – the same progressive group that supported Ocasion-Cortez’s campaign way back when.

That’s swell and all, but why do we care?

Instagram / @meetmckayla

There’s plenty of reasons to care about Wilkes and who she is: she’s a black, working-class, 29 year-old mother-of-two studying political science in Waldorf, Maryland. When you compare her to Steny Hoyer and his background – essentially an old, white man serving his 20th term in office – you can definitely imagine that Wilkes would be more familiar with the everyday struggles that most of us face, than Hoyer. “He’s not for people that are my family, my friends, my coworkers,” Wilkes said in an interview with Buzzfeed. “It shows in the policies that he sponsors and that he endorses, and it shows in the donors that he gets his contributions from.”

Wilkes has been extremely candid and open about her past and her struggles.

Twitter / @MeetMckayla

It’s easy to see that Wilkes is as genuine as it gets, as she’s also been upfront about her past. “I just don’t want any secrets … I want everything to be out there. It’s not like I’m the only person who goes through these things,” she said, having publicly spoke about her time in jail as a teen and young adult. Wilkes has admitted to going through a rough patch, and also spoke about the abortion she had when she was 19: “It’s not like it’s something easy to do,” she told BuzzFeed recently. “It’s not an easy decision to make. But I feel like women should have that right. … My body is not a political playground. There’s no room for [politicians] in the room with me and my doctor.”

Sure, she’s more representative of the population, but what does Wilkes stand for?

Instagram / @meetmckayla

In short, it seems as if Mckayla Wilkes is running on a platform that’s kinda similar to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Things like Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, affordable housing, overhauling the criminal justice system and even initiating impeachment proceedings against Trump are all on her to-do list, should she be elected. And yeah: none of these policies are gonna be easy to institute, especially as the Democrat’s current position doesn’t support impeachment. But, whoever said that running for office – and getting things done – would be easy?

She is committed to raising money for her campaign directly from her constituents.

Instagram / @meetmckayla

However, Wilkes is clearly driven by her morals, and isn’t afraid of a challenge. She’s also committed to staying away from PAC money and is seeking funding through other means. It’s meant that, since launching her campaign in June, she’s raised $70,000 from door knocking. To put it in perspective, Hoyer raised just $185 in the first quarter of 2019 from grassroots donations … and over $650,000 from other sources. What this means for Wilkes is that, having fundraised exclusively through donations from the community, her decisions and policies are tied directly to her constituents – and not other interests. More power to her, right?

It sounds like Wilkes is definitely for the people – but what is she up against?

Instagram / @leaderhoyer

Well, there is the obvious: Wilkes is running against an incumbent, and one who’s got plenty of funding and connections to boot. It’s not easy to run against someone who’s in that position. Especially when the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) made an announcement earlier this year that if an organization supports candidates challenging an incumbent House Democrat, the party would cut them off from business. It means that even simple things like securing advertisers becomes that much harder for someone in Wilkes’ position.

Wilke’s campaign will be a challenging one to win but she’s got her eyes on the prize.

Instagram / @meetmckayla

Chances are that Wilkes’ campaign will face more challenges than what Ocasio-Cortez saw, too. The population of Maryland’s 5th District is 60 percent white. However, New York’s 14th District, where AOC ran for her seat, is 18 percent white. Political pundits speculate that because 2020 is a presidential election year, it’s highly likely that younger and more diverse voters will show up to have their say – which in turn should help Wilkes.

Mckayla Wilkes is no fool, and she knows that she needs to lean into the fact that she not only represents a more diverse face in the race for Congress, but also a deeper, more tangible connection to the average Joe. “That’s … what sets me apart from Hoyer and also the majority of people in Congress,” Wilkes said to the media, “because I would not be able to sleep at night knowing that I’m denying my sister health care or that I’m denying my friend a place to live or that I’m denying my classmate a place to live. So, for me, it’s personal.”

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CongressAlexandria Ocasio-CortezElections 2020