The Rise of the Right-Wing Snowflake

Trump ran as an economic populist, but based on his Goldman Sachs cabinet that was obviously a lie.
This lie will become increasingly appearant to all except the most tribal of the true believers, which will leave Trump with only one card to play: cultural war.

Having proved himself a fake populist on most issues that actually matter, Trump has no choice but to move more enthusiastically into the culture war to deflect away from his obvious betrayal on economic populism and keep his diehard supporters in heat. In other words, he’ll do exactly what mainstream Democrats and Republicans have been doing for decades, which is distract the public and keep it fighting while oligarchs grab what little is left.

Many liberals have no tolerance for speech they deem to be hate speech. The problem is that "hate speech" has no firm definition. Thus saying the simple inoffensive truth of "all lives matter" can be called "hate speech" by liberal snowflakes, and then you must be silenced. The right to free speech be damned.

The same is true for conservative snowflakes, like this.

A New York theatre production featuring Trump as Caesar does sound predictable and trite. But according to Loomer and the Proud Boys, it is also incitement; it puts their lives, and the lives of other right-wingers, at risk. During the scene in which Caesar is stabbed, Loomer advanced towards the stage and shouted: ‘Stop the normalisation of political violence against the right!’ It’s astounding how similar Loomer’s tactics and language are to those of the worst kind of leftist activism. The idea that a cultural work could ‘normalise’ violence against a group in society is like something straight out of an op-ed in a liberal arts college newspaper. It’s the sort of ideas right-wing figures normally rage against.
In an interview with the New Yorker, Loomer showed just how much she has adopted college-style ‘snowflake’ language. When asked if she was censoring the play by interrupting the performance, she said: ‘I was not blocking anyone’s speech.’ She continued: ‘The play didn’t stop after they made me leave. If anything, I was increasing the amount of speech!’ This is exactly what illiberal protesters on campus say as they shout down or shut down people they accuse of ‘normalising violence’.

Loomer is an obviously sensitive snowflake, but she is not alone.
There is a difference. Liberal snowflakes have the media behind them, but conservative snowflakes have the White House behind them.

This is already being played out with Trump's war on NFL players.

...Each side will argue their position is more enlightened, patriotic or whatever, but at the end of the day, if you feel emotionally harmed by a fellow citizen exercising free speeches rights, you should probably start by examining your own demons.
Why does someone not standing for it bother you so much? If you feel standing is a patriotic gesture that’s your right, but why do you care so much if a fellow citizen fails to see it the exact same way you do? Moreover, what does a patriotic gesture mean if it isn’t voluntary? If Americans are cowered into standing for the anthem out of fear of being deemed unpatriotic, then the gesture itself no longer has any meaning. It merely becomes a ritual act of symbolic dogma, more appropriate for a society like Nazi Germany than the U.S. Republic.

Right-wing snowflakes appear to want their version of patriotism to be mandatory.
Of course when it's mandatory then it's no longer patriotism. It's just a required gesture made under coercion.
For conservative snowflakes that coercion should come in the form of ending a career.

When I refuse to stand and cover my heart and face the flag, as I always have, I’m not burning the flag or spitting on the flag or pissing on the flag or screaming obscenities at people. I’m purely refraining from participating in a religious ceremony.
What makes it a religious ceremony? The fact that those who refrain from participating are excommunicated.

What is ironic is that players already often take a knee, and no one complains: to pray to Gawd after a touchdown.
This happens during the game, sometimes on the clock, unlike the National Anthem protests.

Either way, none of it matters. It's all just meaningless symbolic gestures, perfectly fit for a reality TV culture.

Our culture is one of extreme superficiality. This is exactly why so many people lose their minds over NFL players taking a knee, but could never be driven to such burning outrage over a war launched based on falsehoods that killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. Politicians and oligarchs encourage such superficiality, because if the public can be kept extremely ignorant and stupid then those who actually call the shots and craft the legislation can be left alone to steer society in the way they deem fit without the general public interfering. The end result is the rabble fights about the national anthem, flags and Milo, while the country continues to get looted.

Interestingly, the origin of the term "snowflake" used in a disparaging way a goes back to the 19th Century.

Emily Brewster, lexicographer and associate editor at Merriam-Webster, found what she believes is the earliest use of snowflake as an epithet: Early 1860s in Missouri, as the Civil War began and citizens battled over whether or not slavery should continue within the state. “A snowflake was a person who was opposed to the abolition of slavery,” Brewster said. “They were called snowflakes because it said they valued white people over black people.”
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Bollox Ref's picture

Just asking.

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

And things seem dry for some people these days.

If people that look like you aren't allowed to speak positively of their own tribe - or if your speech is considered hate speech unless preceded by great scooping sundaes of praise of everybody that doesn't look like you, first - then at some point, things get out of control.

A multicultural country is not a simple thing to run. And yet we need to if we are going to exist for the next two centuries.

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Strange that a harp of thousand strings should keep in tune so long

Unless you are in a position of authority and on the public payroll. Then the citizens own your ass.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Citizen Of Earth's picture

So I figure
18% are wealthy conservatives assholes waiting for Trump to slash their taxes and loot the working class for their benefit.

The other 20% are dimwits, racists, xenophobes, and gay haters. (you can probably throw women haters in there as well).

I take a knee.

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Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.

link

The NBA is recommending teams address fans or show videos expressing themes of unity before their first home games, while reminding them of the rule that players must stand for the national anthem.
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Glenn speech at Lannan Foundation a few days ago

Excellent speech

Don't focus on the day to day insanity of Trump -- longer term issues

And Trump is not out of the norm, he is the USA. Too many people are waiting for him to be gone and things will swing back to "normal"

Glenn Greenwald, Talk, 27 September 2017

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Raggedy Ann's picture

@DonMidwest
is Diablo

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

detroitmechworks's picture

Is from Fight Club.

A satirical novel about the fragility of masculinity, written by a Gay author, living in Vancouver, WA.

Yes, I find i hilarious that the vast majority of fans of that film don't get that it's a PARODY of their thought process.

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

snoopydawg's picture

Why does it bother people who stands as they were conditioned or not? And would they feel the same way if Peyton Manning, Tom Brady or any other popular white athlete took a knee during the national anthem? Or is this another form of racism? Kaepernick happens to be an African American and is his skin color the reason why people are upset about this?

Many schools are telling their athletes that they have to stand during the anthem. The ACLU is taking them to court over this, but how many students are going to risk their career lives by doing it? This is an interesting concept.

But what has been missed by the people who are offended by what Kaepernick did, is he isn't protesting the flag or the anthem, he protesting the cops getting away with murder.

But what if he said this instead? "I am upset by the way our injured troops are being treated by our government and until they start getting the treatment they need, I'm taking a knee"
Would that make a difference to them? If yes, then this proves that this IS about race.

Powerful point about how people are upset and think he is disrespecting the flag and the troops who died to give him freedom, but they aren't upset about how the troops are used as the corporations' cannon fodder. Or that they are sent into countries and kill hundreds of thousands innocent civilians just because they live on the resources that others want.

They just don't get why he is protesting in the first place

IMG_1248_0.JPG

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yellopig's picture

Since 2009, the military has been paying for these "patriotic" displays:
https://lawnewz.com/high-profile/heres-what-should-really-outrage-you-ab...

It makes Uncle Sam look like some kind of sad sack, paying people to like him: "Please clap".

Some of my facebook friends are reporting that they're boycotting the NFL this weekend. I'm kinda laughing, to see so many people taking a strong stand in favor of blind obedience. Fool

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“We may not be able to change the system, but we can make the system irrelevant in our lives and in the lives of those around us.”—John Beckett

@yellopig to boycott the NFL, although I don't believe taking a knee is one of them. Maybe your friends and the many others that are claiming to boycott the NFL can put those few hours that they would normally waste watching the game to good use and figure out what the fuck is actually going on in this country and around the world. Just a thought.

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yellopig's picture

@pro left
By "Facebook friends" I mean people I knew in high school 45 years ago and 2000 miles away. They may be obedient, but they're not obedient to me.

It will do none of us any good for me to antagonize them.

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“We may not be able to change the system, but we can make the system irrelevant in our lives and in the lives of those around us.”—John Beckett

Our culture is one of extreme superficiality.

Also, you note similarities between the snowflakes on both sides. I really wouldn’t be shocked to find the same puppet masters pulling both sets of strings. So much of the outrage is almost from the same script. It’s just a little too much for me to believe both sides organically choose to be offended in the exact same manner. Not to mention the left has lost its ability to see they’re played led by the media just as the watchers of Fox. They even have their own Limbaughs and O’Rileys to rally around.

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Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.