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The anti-statehood rhetoric is getting ridiculous today. 
Reminder Puerto Rico would functionally be a state if not for the Insular Cases, a jurisprudence rooted in express racism—as opposed to the slightly subtler racism that's kept DC disenfranchised. So here I go again...
Reminder Puerto Rico would functionally be a state if not for the Insular Cases, a jurisprudence rooted in express racism—as opposed to the slightly subtler racism that's kept DC disenfranchised. So here I go again...
Anti-statehood sentiment was never a left-right issue in Puerto Rico. Socialists, labor leaders, liberals and businessowners in Puerto Rico all supported statehood for much of the 20th century. The US was seen by many at the time as a bastion of democratic and labor rights.
Historically, all US territories are considered to be on a path toward statehood. Most states experienced displacement and colonial settlement in the process. Puerto Rico, while it has been subject to barbaric experiments and military exercises, has largely avoided that.
It wasn't until the mid 20th century, when US capitalists and local anti-labor forces came together to form the Partido Popular Democrático, that we started to celebrate our disenfranchisement and unequal treatment by the US as a form of "nationhood." We took the L with a grin.
The greatest political trick ever pulled was how Luis Muñoz MarĂn and the Partido Popular Democrático, complicit in the assassination and persecution of nationalists and other independence supporters, managed to blame statehooders for all of it.
Statehooders agree with the vast majority of statehood opponents that we need to end colonial treatment and unequal access to funding and guarantee self-determination. The problem is that some regard the status quo as preferable to statehood—an immoral stance imo.
The status quo/so-called Commonwealth only exists because of the Insular Cases and capitalist intervention. Puerto Rico would have been better able to secure its independence—or statehood for that matter—if not for the Ogilvy marketing campaign that is the Estado Libre Asociado.
The Puerto Rican Left and the statehood movement are historical allies. Anyone arguing differently probably thinks they need to oppose a statehood in order to take down the PNP, and/or they've adopted a decidedly ahistorical political framing. But the PNP does not own statehood.
In fact, the recent election revealed that the statehood movement in PR is up to three times larger(!) than the PNP. Any good organizer would look at these facts and attempt to organize statehooders rather than alienate them. Unfortunately, some still think it's a partisan issue.
If not for the Insular Cases, Puerto Rico would already have: equal treatment under federal programs, access to bankruptcy (no FOMB!) and most of the rights and responsibilities of full citizenship. But because of the Insular Cases, there are only two ways to secure these things:
The first is piecemeal: lobbying heavily for laws that will guarantee health care parity, bankruptcy protections, and all the basics currently denied to us. The second is statehood.
We're not actively pursuing the first route because we're divided on (you guessed it!) statehood.
We're not actively pursuing the first route because we're divided on (you guessed it!) statehood.
It's a ridiculous and pointless impasse, because when you break statehood down into individual components like parity, you find that 98%+ of Puerto Ricans support each individual component. From a coalition-building perspective, dropping opposition to statehood is a no-brainer.
That's why Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana, now Puerto Rico's eminent left-wing party, adopted a neutral stance on statehood. This allows us to focus on the issues and the components of statehood that we all support. But many others are stuck in the 1950s.
You gotta meet people where they are, not where you want them to be. You can participate in the CIA propaganda that is the Commonwealth project, pretending there's some intangible sovereignty to defend against statehood, or you can take a deep breath and stop shadow-boxing.
It's a tragedy that rather than fight for higher wages, unions for all, and a Green New Deal for Puerto Rico, people are spending their time on Twitter propping up Luis Muñoz MarĂn's corpse in the name of something he actively opposed (independence). We are being stupid.
We have nothing now. No sovereignty, no culture under siege, nothing to lose by seeking to end colonial treatment. So why can't we fight our common enemy: the Insular Cases, white nationalism, and a federal statute that passes for a Constitution?
When you look at these issues with historical context, it's pretty obvious what needs to happen:
- Statehooders need to drop their opposition to proposals like the Puerto Rico Self Determination Act and allow it to go through regular order. You're the majority? Act like it.
- Statehooders need to drop their opposition to proposals like the Puerto Rico Self Determination Act and allow it to go through regular order. You're the majority? Act like it.
- The Puerto Rican Left and their mainland allies need to stop obsessively trying to muddle the facts on support for statehood. It's there. Accept it.
- We need to empower MVC and left-wing efforts to support workers, guarantee basic rights, and improve material conditions.
- We need to empower MVC and left-wing efforts to support workers, guarantee basic rights, and improve material conditions.
- We need to end the status quo ASAP. Support for independence would skyrocket once territorial status is out of the question, and we will be able to transition to independence or statehood with common cause.
...Or we can keep trolling statehooders online and maintain the status quo for another century or so. I know where I stand. Do you?
Finally, I see all these graphics/ canned tweets attacking USians who support statehood. If this is you, I hope this thread gives you pause. Our energy is far better spent attacking what is truly indefensible: the enduring disenfranchisement and subjugation of Puerto Ricans.
