Maya Wiley’s Cognitive Dissonance Games

Who is Maya Wiley, and why should lovers of the free market and equal potential care? Wiley is a civil rights attorney who founded the Center for Social Inclusion, which features this cheerful rhetoric on their page:

“The right has a strategy to turn us away from racial justice. They claim that racial justice means blinding ourselves to race. They attack programs that right the wrongs of racism or help people of color by calling those very programs racist. Sometimes they pretend that they are not talking about race when they are. Sometimes they use stereotypical images of people of color to suggest that we shouldn’t support policies, implying that “these” people would benefit, without coming out and saying that. The right has been effective in keeping those who want reforms on the defensive, constantly in the position of justifying existing policies rather than advancing new ones that would further our goals. The conservative movement has delayed and rolled back our progress toward an fair and just society under the mantle of a “colorblind” American ideal.

Maya Wiley must not be a fan of Dr. King.

The woman responsible for such commentary made a presentation and handed out materials to the House Democratic Caucus last week, by invitation. According to the Washington Examiner,  Wiley instructed her audience to learn telepathy when she stated in her presentation materials: “Calling a Black man ‘the food stamp president’ is not a race-neutral statement, even if Newt Gingrich did not intend racism.”

Wiley’s BA in psychology from Dartmouth must come in handy when she teaches such cognitive tricks. While psychology is typically used to help people, it is also readily wielded against people. My own social psychology professor proudly informed us that her side gig was to help criminal defense attorneys phrase questions to purposefully rattle crime victims and sway the jury. Wiley appears to be teaching similar methods to rattled Democrat incumbents terrified of losing their seats in November. Psyops is an insidious and brutally effective battle tactic. When you don’t have enough ammo, make the enemy think they have none.

Maya Wiley’s worst cognitive enemy might be herself. Here she is explaining how billions of public dollars are needed to get poor people on the internet, and that public transportation expansion will help them.

The only people I’ve ever heard describing public transportation as aspirational are white hipsters. Ms. Wiley, why not encourage businesses to open these job training centers and expand broadband access? Why must it be public money? Let’s get these people you describe into jobs where they can not only learn the skills you tout, but also earn enough money to buy their own vehicles. Nobody really wants to be a burden on others, but they do want to take care of themselves and their families, and own what they earn.

The icing on this cognitive dissonance cake comes from Ms. Wiley’s own criticism of President Obama, who in her view has not done as much as Johnson or Clinton for racial equality. Although pushing for publicly funded solutions via her Center for Social Inclusion, it would seem that the most far left President hasn’t been able to do much for employment and mortgages with gobs of public funding.

It might be time to stop trying to find racially charged subconscious content in free market thinking, Ms. Wiley, and start paying attention to how the free market grants prosperity to any who wish to partake.

About KJ Adan

KJ Adan writes, seethes, and laughs in Los Angeles. Follow her on twitter: @thekelliejane

, , , ,

  • http://twitter.com/VeganPatriot American Vegan

    I never even heard of this woman until now, but her language is toxic and has to be challenged. Points to KJ!

  • Nappy G.

    Most “far left” President? Your hyperbole makes you completely UNcredible. Obama champions Democratic ideals,but actually governs as a moderate Republican & uses Ronald Reagan’s 80′s model. But in today’s conservative climate even Ronald Reagan would be considered “moderate”. Reagan raised taxes several times over both his terms,but somehow that is always conveniently forgotten by today’s Repubs. You probably think Obama’s a Socialist,too. Hilarious! The whole Social Security program IS socialism, by Tea Party standards. Same with Medicare & Medicaid. Did Obama start those programs? I didn’t think so. Do millions of Americans depend on these programs? Of course they do! It’s been very entertaining watching the right-wing of the Republican party take over & make the whole party demographically obsolete. I’m not a fan of everything Obama does,but I use valid reasons to justify my criticisms,not just repeating the Repub talking points about “most extreme”/”Socialist”/”Class warfare”,etc. Extremists are always losers in the long run because they ignore FACTS, & choose to warp reality to fit their own dogma (i.e. Tea Party,Fox News,etc.). Good luck with that! It’s gonna be a long 4 years for you.