In just the latest gem of intellectual genius provided by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), “Alex From The Bronx-Adjacent-Westchester-Suburbs” recently posted photographs of her grandmother’s squalid living conditions in Puerto Rico, blaming President Donald Trump for the situation.
“Just over a week ago, my [grandmother] fell ill,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “I went to Puerto Rico to see her- my 1st time in a year+ bc of COVID. This is her home. Hurricane María relief hasn’t arrived. Trump blocked relief $ for PR. People are being forced to flee ancestral homes, & developers are taking them.”
Just over a week ago, my abuela fell ill. I went to Puerto Rico to see her- my 1st time in a year+ bc of COVID.
This is her home. Hurricane María relief hasn’t arrived. Trump blocked relief $ for PR.
People are being forced to flee ancestral homes, & developers are taking them. pic.twitter.com/wnRxLalA2D
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 2, 2021
As The Daily Wire noted, Ocasio-Cortez quickly amended the tone of her comments, writing 45 minutes later that her grandmother was “doing okay” and claiming that her concern was for the wider community.
And for the record – my abuela is doing okay. It’s not about us, but about what’s happening to Puerto Rican’s across the island.
She had a place to go to and be cared for – what about the thousands of people who don’t?
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 2, 2021
Without meaning to, Ocasio-Cortez provided a perfect encapsulation of the modern American left with her Twitter rant. For them, all problems are due to systemic issues, for which the solution is the eradication of conservatism and the continued bolstering of Leftist policies. This remains true regardless of the scale of the problem, or the individual Leftist’s ability to intervene on a personal level.
As a member of the House of Representatives, Ocasio-Cortez has an annual salary of $174,000. It seems reasonable to assume that her net worth places her among the more “privileged” in our society, without considering any number of additional avenues for legitimate income made possible by her cultural status.
By all available metrics, Ocasio-Cortez is perfectly able to financially support her beloved “abuela,” if just to make basic structural repairs to her cramped living area.
However, the notion of taking individual responsibility for one’s own family and community is totally antithetical to Ocasio-Cortez’s ideology. For radical progressives like Ocasio-Cortez, even problems they themselves could solve with one PayPal transfer are the responsibility of others — the faceless “collective” of society, shrouded in the constrictive veil of government control.
Why take personal responsibility for those around you when you can demand that “the government” step in? Why dip into your own pocket when you can expect “the rich” to foot the bill?
Like so many radical Leftists, Ocasio-Cortez exists in the bizarre intersection between “adoration for one’s family members and community,” and “an apparent inability to send them $100 a week to help repair their roof.”
The truth is that her latest tweet says everything you need to know about the new wave of far-Left thought in the United States.
Ian Haworth is an Editor and Writer for The Daily Wire. Follow him on Twitter at @ighaworth.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.