Chris Potter has gone round the bend, perhaps due to reading too many rants about Pittsburgh driving habits. I know he's got this whole young, hipsteresque, artsy street cred from editing the city's only alternative paper, but I think his white middle class male roots have reared their ugly head ....and he may be heading for membership in the Allegheny County Young Republicans Democrats. They might even make him Deputy Chief White Guy.
In this week's column, Potter delves into the Thursday Morning Massacre to question the potential political motivations (and machinations) of former Chief of Staff BJ Leber and City Solicitor Susan Malie. He concludes that both "sides" engaged in backroom politics, a fair conclusion. But Potter goes one step further defending the Irish Mafia machinators against the label of "old boys network":
Except that Zober, whose appointment triggered this mess, is not a particularly old boy. He?s a 31-year-old professional, with a law degree and everything. Even some of my ?progressive? friends ? people who backed City Councilor Bill Peduto for mayor last year ? say Zober is a smart, decent guy. After years of whining about how Pittsburgh?s ?young people? are ignored, should we be outraged if one is poised to become deputy mayor?
Give me a freakin' break, Chris. Only another young white heterosexual middle class male would possibly try to defend this as a young people issue. There are hundreds of uber-qualified women, people of color, people with disabilities, people with same sex partners and so forth living in this region. And we will NEVER have entree into the old boys network. Zober may be the nicest guy in the world with all the qualifications one would desire in an appointed mayor, but its ludicrous to somehow distance him from the old boys network. If Zober were a chick, black or spoke with a funny accent, he would be safely tucked away somewhere on a semi-defunct advisory committee.
Potters' column is a classic example of how far we have to go in the struggle for equal representation here in our fair city. He claims we shouldn't have to choose between having smart women and smart young people. Yet all of his political columnists are white middle class heterosexual men.
Frankly, I am tired of being reassured by white middle class heterosexual men that you have my best interests at heart. Yet every time we turn around, more of your kind land the big jobs, the columns, the media slots, the appointments, etc. God love all the progressive white men out there but you need to share some of your actual privilege with us.
Next up, which white middle class guy will fill Alan Cox' slot on WQED's "Off Q"? Wait and see ...
