Culture Warriors category archive
Establishmentarians Establishing Establishmentarianism 0
Thom talks with Tim Alberta about his new book, The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory: American Evangelicals In An Age of Extremism.
Republican Thought Police 0
At the Tampa Bay Times, the past president, current president, and incoming president of the American Sociological Association take strong exception to Florida’s decision to remove sociology from the list of “core” courses at Florida universities.
I commend their article to your attention.
Afterthought:
I am a strong believer in the value of sociology as a field of study. I majored in history, as I’ve mentioned before in these electrons, but, had my college given minors, I had more than enough credits for a minor in sociology.
History teaches how we got where we are. Sociology teaches us to understand how where we are functions, plus it sheds light on the workings of the where-we-came-froms.
But, of course, racists and bigots (and fascists and wannabe dictators) don’t want you to understand, or you’ll see through their game.
Taylor Mad 0
Along the same lines, Sam and his crew take a look at the right-wing’s Taylor Swift freak out.
A Critique of Poor Reason 0
At the Kansas City Star, Melinda Henneberger takes on what may be the looniest right-wing conspiracy theory since pizzagate: That the Kansas City Chiefs and Taylor Swift tools of Joe Biden. She wonders
. . . But how will Chiefs Kingdom push back against the slander that their wins aren’t real?
I think you will find her article a worthy and entertaining read.
Establishmentarians 0
Oklahoma establishmentarians want to erect a graven image.
Chaos Agents, a Notion of Immigrants Dept. 0
E. J. Montini points out the obvious. Donald Trump and his dupes, symps, and fellow travelers exacerbate problems, not solve them (emphasis added).
A bipartisan deal to address the border problem is the best thing for the country.
But it is the worst thing for Donald Trump . . . .
They want the chaos. They need the chaos. And Speaker Johnson goes along. These are Republicans putting Trump over party, and then putting party over country.
Follow the link for the evidence.
“The Godfather” 0
Chauncey de Vega argues that Donald Trump is analogous to the boss of a crime organization whose followers are loyal to him and him only. Here’s just a tiny little from his essay.
Furthermore, there is large base of support for authoritarian and fascist politics in the United States. Many Americans are strongly attracted to political strongmen autocrats willing to “bend the rules” in order to “get things done” for “people like them.”
Negative and affective partisanship — meaning a situation when a political party or movement becomes someone’s primary identity, creating an us-versus-them worldview in which the other side is not just wrong but evil — along with asymmetrical polarization, white identity politics and racism, misogyny, and hostility toward sexual or gender minorities also contribute greatly to Trump’s persistent levels of support.
The whole thing is a relatively long read, but it is worth it.
Republican Family Values 0
Dick Polman identifies an inconsistency.
A Notion of Immigrants 0
LZ Granderson tries to understand the appeal of Texas Governor Abbott’s pursuit mean for the sake of mean to the Texas electorate which keeps him in office.
The short answer is: most Texas voters, because he’s been in office since 2015. The economy is strong, and the cost of living is relatively low. Most important, the same traits that make him notorious across blue America keep him in power here in the Lone Star State.
Now, if “racism” popped in your head, you’re not all wrong.
But it’s not the full story. And that’s where progressives tend to go wrong.
Follow the link for Granderson’s take on the “full story.”
The Lake Effect 0
The Arizona Republic’s E. J. Montini dissects Kari Lake’s embrace of establishmentarians. Here’s a tiny bit, where he quotes a right-wing evangelical he-calls-himself-a Christian pastor who supports Lake:
Afterthought:
What if a town has more than one local church? Do they fight out in the Colosseum or cast spells on each other?
A Notion of Immigrants 0
Methinks Atrios makes an excellent point or two.
Courting Disaster 0
A Notion of Immigrants 0
The Majority Report crew points out that refugees fleeing for their lives and safety are not “invaders” and call out Texas’s attempt to secede, if not de jure, at least de facto to violate the Constitution.
Republican Thought Police, Reprise 0
Left to their own devices, the Republican Thought Police would ban Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Antony and Cleopatra and Maugham’s Of Human Bondage (one of my favorite books, by the way), not to mention First Samuel.
We are a society of stupid striving to become a society of ignorant.
Still Rising Again after All These Years 0
Michael in Norfolk minces no words.
A Notion of Immigrants 0
Yet more mean for the sake of mean.