Last week, a reporter for Austin’s most progressive media organization launched a sexist broadside against local mothers and sex trafficking survivors.
Yes, you read that correctly.
The Austin Mom’s Blog is … exactly what it sounds like: an apolitical group blog that focuses on lifestyle and parenting. While their content isn’t particularly personally relevant, I’ve known about them for several years. Within the community, their testimony is strong.
Apparently, one of the contributors to “Austin Moms” is participating in an anti-sex trafficking initiative. Sadly, this is apparently due to her personal experience with that heinous practice. As such, she was scheduled to speak at a press conference about the Austin City Council’s “defund the police” initiative. This doesn’t sound controversial, right?
Apparently not for Austin Sanders, the city hall correspondent for the leftist Austin Chronicle:
The PR firm representing the Crime Commission is holding a press event later today with two groups of moms opposing police budget cuts. On the left, Austin Moms. On the right, The Austin 20. Something about these groups that seems really…homogeneous. Can't put my finger on it. pic.twitter.com/GASKviz0Wx
— Austin Sanders (@daustinsanders) August 6, 2020
I wonder what it is about these groups that make the Crime Commission think they would be effective agents at pushing back against police budget cuts ????????????
— Austin Sanders (@daustinsanders) August 6, 2020
Yeah dude that’s it. Absolutely nothing to do with the sainthood afforded White mothers but denied to everyone else. https://t.co/B5A5wg7tVr https://t.co/OyHtD775sW
— Austin Sanders (@daustinsanders) August 6, 2020
Yeah.
Lest you think this was some misunderstanding, the following exchange happened shortly thereafter:
As a sex crime VICTIM while I was a minor, I was asked to share my story. The entire press conference was regarding the sex crimes division. Were you on the press conference? I don’t remember seeing you there – wondering why you’d make a completely inaccurate claim without facts.
— Allison Mack (@AllisonMack_ATX) August 7, 2020
The press release literally says Austin Moms and the Austin 20 were banding together to oppose cutting the police budget. DM if you wanna talk about this tomorrow pic.twitter.com/mWJdqTFbPK
— Austin Sanders (@daustinsanders) August 7, 2020
It’s a PRESS RELEASE. Why wouldn’t you do investigative journalism to actually find out the context of the press conference? KXAN got it right, because guess what, they were at the meeting! I don’t need to DM you. This is grossly irresponsible.
— Allison Mack (@AllisonMack_ATX) August 7, 2020
And by your actions, you completely devalued the sex crime victims that The Austin 20 and me, Allison Mack, are trying to protect by having enough resources in the SEX CRIME DIVISION.
— Allison Mack (@AllisonMack_ATX) August 7, 2020
Yeah. He actually said that. To a survivor.
But here’s the thing: This isn’t really about this one incident.
Obviously, Austin Sanders attempting to mansplain sex trafficking is bad. But Austin Sanders’ behavior becomes a lot more alarming when you consider the history of this tactic. Because this tactic comes from Maoist China during the cultural revolution.
Chinese novelist Murong Xuecon explains:
“Socialist countries tend to emphasize national and collective interest ahead of individual rights and dignity. This has been a constant throughout 66 years of Communist rule in China, but in the past two years the tendency has become increasingly strident. Cases of public shaming show us how in the name of some great cause, individual rights, dignity and privacy can all be sacrificed.
“Respecting the rights of individual citizens—even wrongdoers—is a fundamental principle of a moral society.”
This is why Austin Sanders attacked a sex trafficking survivor. Sex trafficking survivors threatened Austin Sanders’ narrative, and thus, they must be destroyed.
This isn’t surprising if you know history, but it’s still disquieting that this is happening in Texas.
This is a commentary republished with the author’s permission. If you wish to submit a commentary to Texas Scorecard, please submit your article to submission@texasscorecard.com.
