The “Choice” Bait and Switch
The rhetoric of “choice” in politics isn’t about expanding freedom — it’s about distracting us from demanding justice.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), flanked at left by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), speaks during a news conference about the Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act, on Capitol Hill, May 7, 2014 in Washington, D.C.Drew Angerer / Getty
The word “choice” is rhetorically powerful in American politics. Who could be opposed to it?
But choice is a recent entry in the lexicon of language, used to convince working and poor people that our problems are of our own doing, so we — not the government or corporations or any larger force in society — must fix them ourselves.
Like the phrases “personal responsibility” and “pull yourself up by your bootstraps,” the rhetoric of choice seduces us into turning frustration with our lot in life towards competing for a piece of an ever-shrinking pie. It tells us not to be angry at our boss, elected officials, the wealthy — whoever is holding us down — but to simply demand better choices.
This article is for subscribers only. Please login or subscribe to access our full archives and beautiful print and digital magazine starting at just $3 a month.