Identity politics is not a difficult idea, but because of how “American conservatives” have corrupted it, it has become somewhat of a “hard-to-define” idea. Power is the root of identity politics, which, as Garza points out, is in no way comparable to what it means to feel empowered. I became aware of the gap between power and what it really meant to feel empowered as I read Garza’s reading. When he compared empowerment to the ability to select what to eat for breakfast, Garza provided a straightforward and relevant analogy that really hit the mark. Power, on the other hand, belongs to those who are in charge of making these options available to us (or not). This expands my understanding of power and demonstrates the need of identity politics since, as Garza writes in her piece, “A lack of understanding of power is central to how power operates.” Our power is not as profound as I formerly believed it to be. During Garza’s reading, she made a strong statement that caused me to pause and consider where power actually exists in our daily lives. This is the statement, “Power prefers to operate in obscurity; if how power operates was fully transparent, I suspect many of us would rebel against it.” Is everything we believe to be power, in particular, a created and managed illusion? Do we really have the ability to make decisions that are solely in our best interests? Identity politics are really important because of this.