Campaign-shaming

How ableist and elitist attitudes can sideline campaign volunteers

I had to block someone on Twitter yesterday. Given the sheer number of bots and trolls swarming the platform, having to block someone is not an unusual occurrence.

What was unusual about this particular block? The fact that this someone whom I followed (and who followed me) for a long period of time.

Long story short, this individual tweeted that supporters of Senator Kamala Harris, one of the many people seeking the presidential nomination for the Democratic Party, shouldn’t bother to phone bank, text, or canvass in Iowa on her behalf because she could only win with (large) donations. Someone responding to the tweet stated that the original poster should “get off [his] ass” and “help” get the junior senator from California elected to the White House.

Others — myself included — got involved in the exchange which quickly escalated. I eventually blocked the original poster. I also ended up apologizing to the second poster; in the heat of the moment, I had accused her of being “judgmental” about people who were unable to canvass door-to-door in Iowa.

This social media exchange got me to thinking. Exactly how often do the supporters of political candidates campaign-shame their fellow supporters?