all stem from- orientation and Identity are two very different axes that happen to intersect.īy using the term in this manner, the author is trying to pretend that her experiences as a non-straight and/or non-cis woman are equivalent and relatable to Pete's experiences and difficulties as a gay man, when this is absolutely not the case.
Buttigieg identifies as a gay man, and there is not singular "Queer Identity" that gay men, trans women, trans men, etc. Using "queer" to refer to the overall LGBT+ community and culture is perfectly fine, and I get that some people like to use the word to self-ID, but when you are talking about a specific individual, it's completely inappropriate to use the word to describe them without them having explicitly referred to themselves as such. and is a collection of smaller communities that, while overlapping in many areas, often have distinct individual subcommunities, vastly different patterns of association and personal history, and incredibly different wants and personal needs. "Queer" is an umbrella term used because the LGBT+ community consists of gay men, lesbian women, bi/pan individuals, trans men, trans women, etc. Noam Chomsky says that the factors predicting success in our “meritocracy” are a “combination of greed, cynicism, obsequiousness and subordination, lack of curiosity and independence of mind, self-serving disregard for others.” So when journalists see “Harvard” and think “impressive,” I see it and think “uh-oh.”Ĭlick to shrink.I also want to touch on something the author is doing here- she is conflating the terms "Queer" and "Gay" as though they are synonymous. Few people amass these kind of résumés if they are the type to openly challenge authority. Why? Because I am somewhat cynical about the United States meritocracy. I don’t trust people who get flattering reams of newspaper profiles and are pitched as the Next Big Thing That You Must Pay Attention To, and I don’t trust wunderkinds who become successful too early. And I don’t trust the type of people likely to appear on “40 under 40” lists, the valedictorian-to-Harvard-to-Rhodes-Scholarship types who populate the American elite. I don’t trust military intelligence officers. I don’t trust former McKinsey consultants. Before I dive into Shortest Way Home’s account of the life and career of Peter Buttigieg, let me be up front about my bias.