Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @ SXSW 2019 by nrkbeta, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0/Original

I debated whether or not this was even worth writing about, but after reading this over and over again, I realized there is a larger point that has to be made here.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had no idea until last night what a garbage disposal was or what it was for. She felt it was an important-enough discovery to share with her followers on Instagram – which, in and of itself, is curious because she vowed to ease up on using social media because it is a “public health risk.”

If you don’t believe she would actually do this, there is proof.

https://twitter.com/elainejgodfrey/status/1125591766965657600

It should be noted that Elaine Godfrey is not a member of a right-leaning media outlet that is hellbent on mocking AOC. She is a politics reporter for The Atlantic, which is notably not right-leaning.

AOC will get mocked for this, and possibly rightly so. She has two types of defenders out there. The first ones are out in force saying “Well, ACTUALLY, there are very few homes in New York City that even have garbage disposals!” There are several others saying, “I also never had one until I moved to D.C.”

However, as mock-worthy as it is, there is a much larger point that has to be made regarding this particular revelation of hers: She wants us to know that she knows what is best for the country and the world, but as her defenders are unintentionally pointing out, she has no experience in either.

Washington D.C. and New York City are not America. They are not the world. There are experiences that you have to have in order to make a judgment on something. That’s one of the more aggravating things about modern journalists, by the way, who have little real-world experience but write and preach from their newsprint about what is right and wrong. There is this belief that simply reading about something or watching a video about something or talking to someone about something is enough to count as experience.

It doesn’t.

AOC has no idea what a garbage disposal is. That’s incredible, and not just because it’s hilarious. It’s incredible because it is one of the most American experiences. Every family meal turns into a pop quiz over whether or not the disposal can handle the half a plate of food your kid didn’t eat or whether you just throw it away. And, if you do throw it away, is it something you should immediately take outside? Otherwise, it could make your kitchen reek.

AOC has never had that experience. It’s a little experience, one you may not really think about as you use your own, but it is an experience you have if you have been outside of New York City.

This freshman Congresswoman preaches from her office, her social media account, and in front of every crowd and camera she can get in front of and will tell you that how you live your life is absolutely and without question utterly wrong. But, how does she know that? Has she lived it? Has she experienced what you have?

It’s highly doubtful. She still claims that alleged issues with the VA are a right-wing conspiracy. She has never had a friend or family member forced to wait months for care or get completely ignored in the waiting room. She doesn’t know a family that has suffered the loss of a veteran relative who takes their own life because they can’t get the help they need.

This is not to say that AOC isn’t American. Her experience is uniquely American: A self-made woman who went from bartender to the most influential Democrat of the modern era. But to say she represents the American public or knows what is best for them is hubris at its finest. She does not have a clue what life is like outside of New York City, the individual and unique struggles that families across the country have to deal with.

You can’t say for sure that their way of life is wrong if you’ve never personally experienced it. Ignorance should not count as experience, but in her case, she likes to pretend it does.