Culture Warriors category archive
Hoist on the Elmer Gantry 0
In The Roanoke Times, John Freivalds muses on the monetization of the miraculous.
Can the “No Account” Be Held Accountable 0
James Goodnow ponders that question at Above the Law.
The Hollow Men 0
Dick Polman reports that, as Trump administration spokespersons were not to be found on the Sunday yak shows, the networks turned to the D-list. He stands aghast at Jerry Falwell, Jr.’s, performance on Meet the Press. Here’s a bit from his column (emphasis added–follow the link for the whole article):
Ah, nope. Falwell replied: “I didn’t hear anything there that would offend somebody.”
Falwell sorta conceded that perhaps Trump could’ve been more sensitive to “my friends in the Jewish community,” that perhaps “he could be more polished and more politically correct.”
(Hang on a sec. Since when is it “politically correct” to condemn Nazis? Didn’t we conclude as a nation, on a bipartisan basis 75 years ago, that Nazis were bad?)
He goes on to report that Falwell asserted that Trump “spoke from his heart.”
If this is indeed the case, and there is no reason to doubt it, said heart is not a pretty place. Nor are the hearts of ones who would defend it.
Trial Separation? 0
Several advisory boards to the President have recently resigned en mass as a result of Trump’s embrace of Neo-Nazis and his mealy-mouthed refusal to condemn the Confederate insurgency in Charlottesville, Virginia. Admittedly these groups are largely symbolic, but there is a larger symbolism in their resignations.
At the Washington Monthly, Nancy LeTourneau considers the implications of corporate CEOs’ jump off the Trump ship. A snippet (follow the link for the complete article:
This move brings into focus a growing fissure within the Republican Party. Historically, corporate leaders have been one of the key members of the Republican coalition—along with military hawks and white evangelicals. But some of the cultural issues that define the attachment of evangelicals to the party are the very ones that are driving the corporate world away.
The conventional wisdom is that the Republican Party’s corporate masters have been willing to tolerate the Republican Party’s bigots and culture warriors so long as the corporations get the tax cuts and other breaks they want. It will be curious to see whether Trumpery leads to the dissolution of that uneasy partnership.
“No Irish Need Apply” 0
Writing from disgust, Robert F. Lyons protests Donald Trump’s and the Trumpkins’ immigration proposals by telling the story of his Irish immigrant ancestors.
Read it.
Sanctifying Stupid 0
Warning: Language.
Aside:
Paul said, “Faith is the evidence of things unseen.”
He did not say that it is the disproof of things seen.
Cavalcade of Crazy 0
Thom rounds up a few stories that haven’t gotten much notice in the furor over healthcare.
Real Big Men, Uncivil Discourse Dept. 0
Elise Viebeck discusses the bullying behavior of the macho, macho men of the Republican Party and their nasty, nasty attitudes towards women Republican. A snippet (follow the link for the rest):
The language of retribution increasingly adopted by Republican men reflects Trump’s influence and underscores the challenges Republican women can face when opposing the consensus of their party, which remains dominated by men, outside experts said.
I think an argument can be made that the bullying impulses have always been there in the party of family values. What has changed is that the bullies now believe Donald Trump’s ascendency has given them permission to be what they always have been.
Hoist on the Elmer Gantry 0
Timothy Egan marvels at the unwavering support that evangelical they-call-themselves-Christians have for Donald Trump, a venal vulgarian who makes Bob Guccione look like a choir boy, and concludes
Patriotism is supposed to be the last refuge of scoundrels, but religion surely is a close second.
Follow the link to learn why he says that.
Wingnut Synergy 0
Leonard Pitts, Jr., notes that it’s a thing:
More at the link.
Twits on Twitter 0
Would it be appropriate to refer to someone who sends bigoted “tweets” as a “twigot”?
Dude-Bros, Reprise 0
One of the most powerful weapons of rape culture for centuries has been indoctrinating victims, particularly women, to believe that, if they are abused, it’s somehow their fault, rather than the fault of the abusers. As our society has gotten more open about sex and sexual behavior (and, some would say, cruder), that may be changing. According the San Jose Mercury-News, women in tech have become more willing to expose the misconduct of tech dude-bros. Here’s a bit from a much longer article:
Sixty percent of those women report experiencing sexual harassment, according to “Elephant in the Valley,” a 2015 survey by venture capitalist Trae Vassallo and others of more than 200 female tech executives, founders and investors.
“It’s reached epidemic proportions in Silicon Valley, and there’s so much more that needs to be done,” said San Francisco-based angel investor Karen Bairley Kruger, who founded Wingpact to support female entrepreneurs and investors.
Dialectic 0
Thomas Chatterton Williams reflects on the opioid* epidemic and the contradiction embraced by supporters of Donald Trump. A snippet:
Follow the link to find out his reasoning.
___________
*When Not White people do it, it’s called “illegal drugs.”
Republican Family Values 0
You can’t make this stuff up.