Culture Warriors category archive
Establishmentarians 0
The EFF reports on an establishmentarian copywrong.
Republican Family Values 0
Nickolas Kristoff details the deception. A snippet:
The problem? While neither party has done enough to support families and children, the one that is failing most egregiously is — not surprisingly — the one led by the thrice-married tycoon who tangled with a porn star, boasted about grabbing women by the genitals and was found by a jury to have committed sexual assault.
Follow the link for his bill of particulars.
The Bully’s Puppets 0
Robert Reich looks at how the rich and powerful use misdirection plays to get even more rich and powerful and expresses hope that persons are finally catching on. An excerpt; follow the link for the rest.
The bullied are still there; Trump is still exploiting their anger.
For nearly a decade, Trump has channeled that anger into racism, nativism and misogyny. He has encouraged his followers to feel powerful by bullying those with even less power: poor Black and Latino people, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, Muslims, families seeking asylum, undocumented workers, pregnant women who can’t afford to travel to a state where abortions are legal.
This bullying game has been played repeatedly in history by self-described strongmen who pretend to be tribunes of the oppressed by scapegoating the truly powerless, but who are actually fronting for the rich and powerful.
In reality, Trump and his lackeys work for the oligarchs — cutting their taxes, rolling back regulations that protect the public but that cost the oligarchs, and dividing the rest of us into warring factions so we don’t look upward to see where most power and wealth have gone.
The good news is that Americans are catching on.
The Unswayables 0
Werner Herzog’s Bear offers a theory as to why Donald Trump’s cult is so loyal to a man who has repeatedly demonstrated that he is loyal to no one and nothing. Here’s a bit (emphasis added):
Trump and his MAGA slogan symbolize the maintenance of all kinds of hierarchies. His name on a sign means support for men in charge, white people in charge, LGBTQ people in the closet, Christianity assumed, and immigrants deported. While not all Trump supporters fit all of these categories, each has at least of one these hierarchies in mind when it comes to their support. Trump could indeed shoot someone on 5th Avenue and not lose support because what he does is literally meaningless. All of his meaning is symbolic.
I commend the entire piece to your attention.
(Missing link found.)
Still Rising Again after All These Years 0
The New Secesh decide that, if all else fails to bring back the Confederacy, let’s craft a Way-Back machine?
A Notion of Immigrants 0
David debunks de bunk.
Aside:
This conspiracy theory is, indeed, laughable from the git-go, as David points out.
But it’s not really about elections.
It’s about rallying the bigots and racists who are Trump’s base.
Republican Thought Police 0
“Vengeance is ours,” sayeth the Republican Thought Police.
A Notion of Immigrants 0
The Arizona Republic’s E. J. Montini highlights the hypocrisy. A snippet:
Earlier this year, Republicans in the U.S. Senate bowed to Trump’s demands and killed a bipartisan security bill introduced by Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma and Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut.
(snip)
The bipartisan bill was not bad for border security. It was not bad for those looking to stop the flow of illegal drugs. It was not bad for those working to solve the asylum problem. It was not bad for the border patrol, since it included more officers and enhanced security.
In essence, the bill was not bad for America, just the opposite.
The border security bill was only bad for one thing — Donald Trump’s campaign..
Criminalizing Camping 0
Emma talks with investigative reporter and journalist Rebecca Burns about the right-wing’s effort to punish homeless persons for being in this new gilded age.
What’s in a Name? 0
Boston University Professor Joshua Pederson offers a theory as to why Donald Trump continually and (apparently) intentionally mispronounces Kamala Harris’s first name (and, note, it is not a difficult name to pronounce). Here’s a bit from his article:
Read the full article for context.
Trump’s Plan for a Police State 0
Robert Reich takes a look at Project 2025.
Gutting Out the Vote 0
Noah Feldman argues that persons aren’t really noticing because the right-wing is doing it one baby step at a time.
Tales of the Establishmentarians. 0
The Establishmentarian who worships a false idol.