The fact that Trump is now granting citizenship and asylum to white men from South Africa because they are somehow VICTIMS is the worst example of this victimhood problem. Great article!
Every time a right-wing conservative complains about anything, at the core of their grievance is the inevitable fallout of whiteness and the unrestrained technological “progress” driven by capitalism, a project of whiteness they themselves actively uphold. The so-called “culture war” is just this dynamic laid bare: a desperate, performative revolt against the consequences of a system they refuse to interrogate.
They are perpetual victims of their own refusal to think critically, feel deeply, or reflect honestly. They lack not just emotional and moral intelligence, but the courage to grieve. To grieve the false promises of empire. To grieve the loss of meaning that comes with exploiting the Earth, others, and themselves.
And so, they lash out. But their rage isn’t revolutionary, it’s a tantrum. A tantrum against the ghosts of their own design.
This is great, thanks for sharing. There are people and outlets such as the Free Press brandishing themselves as “centrist” when it is absolutely right wing propaganda. It’s hooking itself into once left leaning spaces and people due to exactly what you said - people not thinking critically and honestly.
Excellent article. Cogent, accurate, and addressing something about right wingers that I don’t think gets enough attention. One minor quibble, or observation at least - Josh Olson is typically very intelligent and has great politics. I used to listen to his West Wing Thing podcast quite a bit and I always found him to be insightful and on point about the problems of the Democratic Party and liberalism / centrism. I’m surprised by his take in that post. I’m raising two teenage boys myself and do not agree with him at all. I see no evidence that they are being told that they’re “bad” simply for being young males. (I have a teenage daughter too, and it’s still much harder to raise a girl, for all the reasons you’d expect - i.e. raising her in a profoundly misogynistic society.)
That’s a gross understatement i would say its fucking America and the world up and leading us down a downward spiral of toxic reactionary bullshit and i wish the centre right to far right and all the right in between would kindly fuck off and we gotta tell them that loudly and rudely and politely and not accommodate or repackage it as a left wing which some dingbats on the left want us to do
Blaming things on the woke era is all I’ve seen from the democratic party so far. Now, they’re denouncing it strongly to win political points. No doubt things got out of hand, but instead of, “here’s what we really meant,” it becomes, “we don’t do that anymore.” An underlying pattern I see is that democratic politicians are far too swayed by the voters. Of course, it’s important to make your constituents happy, but you were elected to serve their best interests, not serve them.
Sure, it's to win elections-- but it didn't work this last cycle. There is a lack of respect for the democratic party. For example, the left is the side that believes in climate change and advocates for sustainability, but I find it hard to take them seriously when they don’t address what is actually causing our climate crisis (food systems) because everyone is involved with the dairy/beef/fish lobbies. They just point out issues that will appease their voters like denouncing plastic straws, which is a message so asinine that the right wing uses it to its advantage..
Hyndman is the perfect example of the crab mentality that dominates rural White America.
Most people's opinion of "the Left" seems to based on the right-wing caricature rather than any actual evidence. I once got into an argument online where someone was insisting that the Democrats lost the election because they "demonized White males," or some such. I politely asked for an example--after all, Harris and Walz gave plenty of speeches on the campaign trail and during the conventions. Surely, there would be *some* example that he could point to if that were true. The person responded with rage and profanity.
I think people forget that an additional burden of being a teenage girl is that you can get pregnant. To me, this alone makes it harder being a teenage girl than a boy--and that's without the added danger of sexual violence. Neither of these affect boys in the same way, and for some reason that's never mentioned in male victimhood culture.
Too funny! The United States of Slaver Tax Evasion!
I had an English teacher who told her own sons that they didn’t have to be lawyers, but in every other respect she expected them to be Atticus Finch, nothing less. Truly this white male victimhood stuff combines so strangely with their alpha male ideal. It’s like, let me be the team captain AND the class bully or I’m going to cry! It takes Olympian feats of cognitive dissonance. Perhaps not every child needs to idolize Atticus Finch, but boy, it’s a lot saner, even easier ideal to uphold than this nonsense.
The fact that Trump is now granting citizenship and asylum to white men from South Africa because they are somehow VICTIMS is the worst example of this victimhood problem. Great article!
Tell me about it! Reminds me of the quote, 'To the privileged, equality looks like oppression.'
Every time a right-wing conservative complains about anything, at the core of their grievance is the inevitable fallout of whiteness and the unrestrained technological “progress” driven by capitalism, a project of whiteness they themselves actively uphold. The so-called “culture war” is just this dynamic laid bare: a desperate, performative revolt against the consequences of a system they refuse to interrogate.
They are perpetual victims of their own refusal to think critically, feel deeply, or reflect honestly. They lack not just emotional and moral intelligence, but the courage to grieve. To grieve the false promises of empire. To grieve the loss of meaning that comes with exploiting the Earth, others, and themselves.
And so, they lash out. But their rage isn’t revolutionary, it’s a tantrum. A tantrum against the ghosts of their own design.
Tantrum is the best way to put it.
This is great, thanks for sharing. There are people and outlets such as the Free Press brandishing themselves as “centrist” when it is absolutely right wing propaganda. It’s hooking itself into once left leaning spaces and people due to exactly what you said - people not thinking critically and honestly.
Excellent article. Cogent, accurate, and addressing something about right wingers that I don’t think gets enough attention. One minor quibble, or observation at least - Josh Olson is typically very intelligent and has great politics. I used to listen to his West Wing Thing podcast quite a bit and I always found him to be insightful and on point about the problems of the Democratic Party and liberalism / centrism. I’m surprised by his take in that post. I’m raising two teenage boys myself and do not agree with him at all. I see no evidence that they are being told that they’re “bad” simply for being young males. (I have a teenage daughter too, and it’s still much harder to raise a girl, for all the reasons you’d expect - i.e. raising her in a profoundly misogynistic society.)
That’s a gross understatement i would say its fucking America and the world up and leading us down a downward spiral of toxic reactionary bullshit and i wish the centre right to far right and all the right in between would kindly fuck off and we gotta tell them that loudly and rudely and politely and not accommodate or repackage it as a left wing which some dingbats on the left want us to do
You'll get no pushback from me.
Lol 😂 keep up the brilliant work btw! you do superb journalism!
Thank you, Youri!
Blaming things on the woke era is all I’ve seen from the democratic party so far. Now, they’re denouncing it strongly to win political points. No doubt things got out of hand, but instead of, “here’s what we really meant,” it becomes, “we don’t do that anymore.” An underlying pattern I see is that democratic politicians are far too swayed by the voters. Of course, it’s important to make your constituents happy, but you were elected to serve their best interests, not serve them.
Sure, it's to win elections-- but it didn't work this last cycle. There is a lack of respect for the democratic party. For example, the left is the side that believes in climate change and advocates for sustainability, but I find it hard to take them seriously when they don’t address what is actually causing our climate crisis (food systems) because everyone is involved with the dairy/beef/fish lobbies. They just point out issues that will appease their voters like denouncing plastic straws, which is a message so asinine that the right wing uses it to its advantage..
Hyndman is the perfect example of the crab mentality that dominates rural White America.
Most people's opinion of "the Left" seems to based on the right-wing caricature rather than any actual evidence. I once got into an argument online where someone was insisting that the Democrats lost the election because they "demonized White males," or some such. I politely asked for an example--after all, Harris and Walz gave plenty of speeches on the campaign trail and during the conventions. Surely, there would be *some* example that he could point to if that were true. The person responded with rage and profanity.
I think people forget that an additional burden of being a teenage girl is that you can get pregnant. To me, this alone makes it harder being a teenage girl than a boy--and that's without the added danger of sexual violence. Neither of these affect boys in the same way, and for some reason that's never mentioned in male victimhood culture.
P.S. it's Jim Crow, not Jim Crowe.
The Tates? Never heard of them. Some kinda niche for shitstains like the incel thing?
Too funny! The United States of Slaver Tax Evasion!
I had an English teacher who told her own sons that they didn’t have to be lawyers, but in every other respect she expected them to be Atticus Finch, nothing less. Truly this white male victimhood stuff combines so strangely with their alpha male ideal. It’s like, let me be the team captain AND the class bully or I’m going to cry! It takes Olympian feats of cognitive dissonance. Perhaps not every child needs to idolize Atticus Finch, but boy, it’s a lot saner, even easier ideal to uphold than this nonsense.