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Nothing Is Ever Going Back to Normal
National Review — after previously offering that Drag Queen Story Hour was a “blessing of liberty” and railing against Florida Governor Ron de Santis for modest efforts at pushing back against the left — finds itself shocked… shocked … at the metastasizing phenomenon of leftists foisting drag shows (featuring men strutting pretending to be women as if women were clown-prostitutes) on children. “Oh, my heck!” they proclaim. “Who could have foreseen that if we indulged the left in their depravity they would push it even further?“
It’s understandable why (Bush) Republicans and (Atlantic) Conservatives would prefer not to fight the culture wars. It’s just not gentlemanly/ladylike to make a big fuss about leftists sexualizing children. It’s icky and Trumpy to confront the left about their cultural ambitions and their use of every lever of Government to promote them. And because they don’t want to fight, it’s very easy to succumb to denialism. “Yes, sure, there are a few crazies on the fringe of the left, but most of them don’t want to get gay with kids. And if we just calmed down and found some common ground we could get back to normal. Hey, why are those people over there making those kids shove cash in that transvestite’s thong?”
“In Defense of Political Escalation,” Abigail Shrier makes the eminently logical point that the left has no intention of ending the culture wars, or even a ceasefire.
Those waiting on the mythical pendulum to “swing back,” should stop holding their breath. The gender activists are True Believers, akin to jihadists: no amount of reasoning diminishes their resolve, no appeal to data brings them pause, no urge to consider the sanctity of American liberties will convince them to cool it.
While conservatives have been waiting for things to calm down and get back to normal, and fretting that “we oughtn’t do things that are at odds with our precious principles,” the left have seized not just Government power, but also academic power, media power, and even corporate power which they eagerly wield against anyone who dissents from Woke ideology.
If the woke continue to gain ground, where will we skeptics go to educate our children, transact commerce, find fair adjudication of our custody disputes? Where will we publish when not only the New York Times has a “gender director”—when every publication does?
That is the worry that likely motivates DeSantis, the first politician to “weaponize” the Florida tax code. He brought its hammer down on Disney to punish that one company for using its immense corporate coffers to lobby against parents’ rights in Florida. In principle, it’s a move I’m leery of. (And in the case of sending CPS after moms and dads who take their kids to drag shows, it’s a move I would oppose.)
But the gist of this stratagem—escalation—may be necessary. Indeed, it already seems to be working. Playing offense, even raising the stakes, may be the only means of achieving a much-needed truce. I’m out of better ideas. How about you?
Yeah, if there is another way to bring the culture back to plumb, I would be interested to hear it. But pundits writing hand-wringing articles in magazines that are only read by other pundits doesn’t seem like an effective solution to me.
And it’s not just the gender bending. The left will never give up on CRT. They will never give up on Climate Totalitarianism. They will never, despite John Cornyn’s delusions, give up on zero-tolerance gun control.
They don’t want to make a deal; they want our complete submission.
Published in Culture
In the beginning, for what Disney wanted? I think the deal was better than the obnoxious tax breaks that cities pull out to attract behemoths, but at this point, I don’t think it helps as much as it did. It might be a neutral. We’ll see. There are mixed views on Disney in Orlando. A decent amount aren’t really big fans. When they talk with pride, it’s over UCF transforming from a nursing school to a full fledged university with a competitive football team
But that’s not borne out by the facts. Do you want me to provide you with links to NR articles discussing Trump policies? I’d be happy to.
Not my ancestors. There weren’t any churches, so they built them themselves.
Well, I can’t argue with that!
And, the implication of my previous comment on this, donating to Reid and Pelosi is part of “the cost of doing especially nationwide/international business in the United States with a lot of Democrat control of Congress and the various administrations.”
Microsoft didn’t only donate to the campaigns of the House of Representatives member(s) for the Seattle area.
In the case of some people in my family, they ARE working in failing towns, living in houses they own outright but are worth little on the market. It’s a struggle but it’s where generations of family have lived their lives and where they wish to stay. If they moved to a place with a higher cost of living and better economy, they’d be far behind on the frictional losses, little or no better off economically, and certainly unhappy. None of them are druggies or on welfare but they are pretty much going to be living out their lives where they are.
Williamson painted with a massively broad brush, and with malice.
Of course. The point is that they moved. You seem to think that moving to where there is opportunity is somehow too much to expect.
Maybe. I hope that’s the case. To be honest I think that the revocation of the special status won’t actually go through. They put it out a year or so, and I expect there will be a lot of negotiating before that comes to pass.
The only thing I know for sure is that it was beneficial to Disney (or they would have been insane to ask for it).
Got any data on how it benefitted residents?
I would have expected you to have engaged in good faith with enough Trump voters on Ricochet to understand why it’s a dishonest and lazy slur.
It doesn’t appear that the family members you describe are the ones Williamson was writing about, if they aren’t on welfare.
He wrote that if you live in a declining town and don’t move, he wants you to die.
I AM a Trump voter, Drew. You seem to forget that. And I don’t think that it’s either lazy or dishonest to use the terms I do when I think it fits. I certainly wouldn’t apply it to all the other Trump voters here, but it applies to some.
One thing I can’t stand and I will always object to is the way so-called “conservatives” go after poor people. Stop it, guys. It’s sickening. If you’re having trouble making ends meet, do you really think “just move to a different city and get a new job” is such a simple thing do to? In this economy? Where the cost of housing is so far out of whack that the only people who could really afford to make such a move have no need to do so?
Good lord, have a little compassion.
I read that article, and granted, it was a while ago, but I don’t recall that being what he wrote. I remember the article suggesting that welfare benefits be applied to moving costs to help people access opportunities.
Yes, Williamson generalized, but I don’t think the brush was too broad. Nor was there malice. He writes rather pointedly, however, and he pulls very few punches–if there’s no work, find a way to go where the work is. I don’t see that as “malicious”.
KW is an ass, and he enjoys being an ass. Insult-punditry gives you a temporary thrill, but in the end — if you’re human — should leave you with regret.
Maybe so. Maybe it’s just his toxic personality that makes it come out that way.
This has less to do with “going after the poor ” then it does with defending Williamson, who as I recall was suggesting that welfare benefits be restructured so that they could be applied to moving expenses. This only came up here because of the effort to disparage National Review and so I guess this Williamson column had to be attacked again….
The problem with this formulation is that Cult and messiah stuff was first used by the left and extreme NeverTrumpers to tar any and all people who would be willing to vote for Trump. So this means you as well. It has become and insult that applies to anyone who would consider voting for Trump or objecting to the Media Narratives. You can not possibly disagree for a logical reason you just must be a member of a Cult.
Objecting to a large number of attacks on Trump is actually pretty easy without being a member of “cult”. The Dems and the media can’t just tell us what happened honestly and let the chip fall where they may. Whether it is Schiff in the impeachment or Cheney in the Jan 6, they edit comments and take thing out of context. Then we here the unedited and true version of events. Pointing out that these people are lying makes one a member of a “cult”
I wish Trump had been better in a number of areas, I actually hope he does not run again, that does not mean I am going to accept lies based on edited comments.
I’m afraid this is something of the pot calling the kettle black? I have seen you regularly insult others and name-call on this site. In fact, just now you called KDW an a**.
I cop to that! It’s why I know one should have regret. I don’t get paid for it and have legions of followers who celebrate me for being an ass, though. I’m sure that KW doesn’t have any regret. He just moves on to another insult-laden column.
I didn’t notice it being used as a slur. I saw it being used as a point of fact.
What about if people really “worship” the Constitution and you’re just mistaking that, for “worshipping” someone who also supports it, especially far more than the people in charge now?
Not all white people are the same, as an Irish person should certainly understand.
Or maybe it’s about the point that it’s better to not destroy economies and jobs then tell people to move to where they’re easier to control.
It’s like the people who think as long as you have your “day in court” it doesn’t matter how oppressive the laws are, or how much it costs to defend yourself…
How does getting help with moving costs work out if housing where you’re supposed to move to is unaffordable?
True enough, but still it ought to be possible to find community in this large and diverse country.
Also, welfare-type benefits are usually organized on a state or even county basis. So if someone has to move to another county, or even another state, to find those sweet KW opportunities, having welfare pay for it might be problematic.