“We can no longer wait to be led by those with the power and authority to lead. You must lead, I must lead, all of us must lead. We are the leaders we’ve been waiting for.”
Hmm, I wouldn’t personally use the term “KKKulture War.” I don’t think it’s productive to invoke such charged references loosely, especially as I aim to speak across divides. That said, I do appreciate the quote you shared at the end.
Why? If we're not offensive, we're called "woke." But if we are, we're told to be nicer. I thought the point of not being "PC" (the predecessor of "woke" - culture wars on the right are not new) was to say what we mean. What is inaccurate about what she said? If the double standard is justified by those whose hands it ties, it will simply get more restrictive, not go away.
Just one more horrible thing that has eroded civil society thanks to trump and his minions. Every time I see a republican asked to describe DEI, they can’t. They will tell you it’s a terrible “liberal” idea, but that’s all they can say. DEI doesn’t give a job to an unqualified person, it takes being a white male, who OVERWHELMINGLY got hired, off the table in terms of qualifying. Companies don’t hire less qualified people for a position. Republicans can’t grasp this. Not to mention the majority of people who benefit from DEI policies are white women. I feel like the entire country has become a victim of trump and his colossal lack of knowledge in how a country should run to benefit its people. He isn’t even helping his middle base. Unless you’re as racist, homophobic, misogynistic and ignorant as he is, you’re being left behind. I’ve said this a million times, and I will probably say it until the day I die, I blame everyone who voted for him on the embarrassing and disgusting country we have become.
The contents of this article, and what it reflects about what's happening in the U.S., make me sick. I struggle to believe this is what the majority of Americans want.
What I do believe is that we're in an exhausting, relentless marathon. For those who have the privilege, ignoring may be a means of survival, but it also gives the perception, especially for articles like this, that this is what America wants. Unfortunately, I think we are in for a very long uphill battle of finding balance - that sadly we haven't started yet.
The pursuit of money and power through the selling of division and hate is disgusting.
I hear you. It can feel like the divisions are widening, which is extremely upsetting.
At the same time, I do believe change is possible—though it’s slow and messy. Every small act of understanding and bridge-building matters. I fully believe we all play a role in enacting cultural change.
How? Everything / everyone / everywhere, it seems, is saying "Do something". But what? And it is very hard to remain calm and logical, when literally every single day brings new pain to our country and disgrace on the global stage (ref. Trump's speech at the UN today). We can and do protest but I truly do not know what else can be done except hope we can change the House and Senate next year. But not even very optimistic about that. I guess your point that change is messy and slow is the painful truth of the day.
I just am dumbfounded. Growing up in the conservative Christian church, I could never reconcile the scripture I was being taught (to memorize no less) with the social and political Republican views they espoused. The parable of the good Samaritan literally says to help foreigners. The Bible explicitly teaches non-retaliation and radical generosity.
How can they read the parables of Christ and go in the voting booth and vote for these people.
But I guess that's why I was able to escape my upbringing. Because I could see the hypocrisy.
I'm in deep mourning over the fact that my entire family save one neice are in the MAGA cult.
I honestly am okay with a shift back towards center. The far left and far right ideologies are both problematic and "othering" of giant swaths of people. We need to be considerate of others, but we also need to work on not creating mountain out of molehills and claiming offense to every little thing. It's not surprising that there's been a slight correction of sorts after things shifting so far left for awhile (and I say this as a liberal person).
I totally see your point—I actually almost included that perspective in the piece. Personally, I’m not opposed to a shift back toward the center either. Some correction feels natural after how far things leaned left for a stretch. Still, the dynamics at play here are curious and strike me as an overcorrection.
I'm sure there will be a slight overcorrection to the right for a time due to how far left things shifted for years (and the frustration and anger by those who felt othered and ostracized by that extreme shift). That's the problem with any legislation or societal opinion being pushed that is far left or far right instead of bridging across the middle. I'm hopeful that things will ultimately end up more in the center, and in "real life" conversations with neighbors and friends, I'm not alone in this feeling.
"A slight correction of sorts"? Wow that seems like the understatement of the year, I'm sorry to say. Most of my acquaintances feel that the world has gone upside down, what was right (politicians treating others - usually - with respect, for example), is now wrong. I feel so ashamed of this country.
I live in one of the cities Trump always mentions when he’s describing “liberal hellholes”. I would describe myself as left leaning and I’m generally around people who have similar views. I follow a lot of left leaning social media, but I do follow some more conservative people on social media to keep up with the news that they’re showing. I didn’t hear one person say anything about Sydney Sweeney or Cracker Barrel from the left until conservative news started pushing the idea that the left was up in arms, and even then most of the more left people didn’t seem to really care about the whole thing at all. It definitely feels to me like these campaigns are set up on purpose to drive a wedge in society.
This. I found this piece problematic for making a lot of assumptions and generalizations. The Cracker Barrel and American Eagle stuff was manufactured outrage. Potentially initiated by online propaganda operatives. It wasn't an organic reaction by the left. I also take issue with the idea that society took an "undeniable" shift to the left in 2020. And, finally, even if we did shift to the left, this isn't merely a "correction" to the center. What were experiencing is a consolidation of power by the minority that was put into play before Reagan was in office. "Woke" isn't the reason for it, is merely a tool for making it palatable to more people. The Right has been using culture wars for decades: invoking Welfare Queens and demonizing crack over cocaine to create racial distrust. The Southern Strategy to herd conservative evangelicals into the Republican party and create the mirage of Christian persecution to manipulate them against their neighbors.
I don’t even understand the controversy with Cracker Barrel. Was it because a man, presumably white, was erased? It just looked that a more modern, simple logo. I’ve never set foot in one so maybe it has more significance than that.
Honestly I think the culture wars are an easy distraction for certain people to take advantage of our attention. I’m tired of being told to be outraged all of the time, there are actual problems to worry about.
I agree. And I feel that so many of these distractions, including all the outrageous things that Trump says and does, are just to get us to take our eyes off the ball. To not see all the crooked and grifting actions he is taking that are SO much more important that the Cracker Barrel logo.
This whole thing is very upsetting to me. As for me and my family, we will continue to be respectful, apologize if we offend, and vote as much as possible with our wallets.
I am grateful for the comments stated here as we have taken such a huge step down in our country and I get discouraged. It is helpful to learn and to keep taking action.
Trump is leading the Right in the KKKulture War.
Who is leading the Left?
We are.
To quote Robert Reich:
“We can no longer wait to be led by those with the power and authority to lead. You must lead, I must lead, all of us must lead. We are the leaders we’ve been waiting for.”
Hmm, I wouldn’t personally use the term “KKKulture War.” I don’t think it’s productive to invoke such charged references loosely, especially as I aim to speak across divides. That said, I do appreciate the quote you shared at the end.
Generally, I would agree. Unfortunately, after reading Fever in the Heartland, I find it historically accurate.
If you (or anyone else) have also read it, I would appreciate hearing others’ comparisons.
Why? If we're not offensive, we're called "woke." But if we are, we're told to be nicer. I thought the point of not being "PC" (the predecessor of "woke" - culture wars on the right are not new) was to say what we mean. What is inaccurate about what she said? If the double standard is justified by those whose hands it ties, it will simply get more restrictive, not go away.
Just one more horrible thing that has eroded civil society thanks to trump and his minions. Every time I see a republican asked to describe DEI, they can’t. They will tell you it’s a terrible “liberal” idea, but that’s all they can say. DEI doesn’t give a job to an unqualified person, it takes being a white male, who OVERWHELMINGLY got hired, off the table in terms of qualifying. Companies don’t hire less qualified people for a position. Republicans can’t grasp this. Not to mention the majority of people who benefit from DEI policies are white women. I feel like the entire country has become a victim of trump and his colossal lack of knowledge in how a country should run to benefit its people. He isn’t even helping his middle base. Unless you’re as racist, homophobic, misogynistic and ignorant as he is, you’re being left behind. I’ve said this a million times, and I will probably say it until the day I die, I blame everyone who voted for him on the embarrassing and disgusting country we have become.
The contents of this article, and what it reflects about what's happening in the U.S., make me sick. I struggle to believe this is what the majority of Americans want.
What I do believe is that we're in an exhausting, relentless marathon. For those who have the privilege, ignoring may be a means of survival, but it also gives the perception, especially for articles like this, that this is what America wants. Unfortunately, I think we are in for a very long uphill battle of finding balance - that sadly we haven't started yet.
The pursuit of money and power through the selling of division and hate is disgusting.
I hear you. It can feel like the divisions are widening, which is extremely upsetting.
At the same time, I do believe change is possible—though it’s slow and messy. Every small act of understanding and bridge-building matters. I fully believe we all play a role in enacting cultural change.
How? Everything / everyone / everywhere, it seems, is saying "Do something". But what? And it is very hard to remain calm and logical, when literally every single day brings new pain to our country and disgrace on the global stage (ref. Trump's speech at the UN today). We can and do protest but I truly do not know what else can be done except hope we can change the House and Senate next year. But not even very optimistic about that. I guess your point that change is messy and slow is the painful truth of the day.
I just am dumbfounded. Growing up in the conservative Christian church, I could never reconcile the scripture I was being taught (to memorize no less) with the social and political Republican views they espoused. The parable of the good Samaritan literally says to help foreigners. The Bible explicitly teaches non-retaliation and radical generosity.
How can they read the parables of Christ and go in the voting booth and vote for these people.
But I guess that's why I was able to escape my upbringing. Because I could see the hypocrisy.
I'm in deep mourning over the fact that my entire family save one neice are in the MAGA cult.
I was also raised this way. I am sorry for you. Let's hang in there together.
🤝🙌🙏🏻
I honestly am okay with a shift back towards center. The far left and far right ideologies are both problematic and "othering" of giant swaths of people. We need to be considerate of others, but we also need to work on not creating mountain out of molehills and claiming offense to every little thing. It's not surprising that there's been a slight correction of sorts after things shifting so far left for awhile (and I say this as a liberal person).
I totally see your point—I actually almost included that perspective in the piece. Personally, I’m not opposed to a shift back toward the center either. Some correction feels natural after how far things leaned left for a stretch. Still, the dynamics at play here are curious and strike me as an overcorrection.
I'm sure there will be a slight overcorrection to the right for a time due to how far left things shifted for years (and the frustration and anger by those who felt othered and ostracized by that extreme shift). That's the problem with any legislation or societal opinion being pushed that is far left or far right instead of bridging across the middle. I'm hopeful that things will ultimately end up more in the center, and in "real life" conversations with neighbors and friends, I'm not alone in this feeling.
"A slight correction of sorts"? Wow that seems like the understatement of the year, I'm sorry to say. Most of my acquaintances feel that the world has gone upside down, what was right (politicians treating others - usually - with respect, for example), is now wrong. I feel so ashamed of this country.
I would also like a shift back to the center for the same reasons.
I live in one of the cities Trump always mentions when he’s describing “liberal hellholes”. I would describe myself as left leaning and I’m generally around people who have similar views. I follow a lot of left leaning social media, but I do follow some more conservative people on social media to keep up with the news that they’re showing. I didn’t hear one person say anything about Sydney Sweeney or Cracker Barrel from the left until conservative news started pushing the idea that the left was up in arms, and even then most of the more left people didn’t seem to really care about the whole thing at all. It definitely feels to me like these campaigns are set up on purpose to drive a wedge in society.
This. I found this piece problematic for making a lot of assumptions and generalizations. The Cracker Barrel and American Eagle stuff was manufactured outrage. Potentially initiated by online propaganda operatives. It wasn't an organic reaction by the left. I also take issue with the idea that society took an "undeniable" shift to the left in 2020. And, finally, even if we did shift to the left, this isn't merely a "correction" to the center. What were experiencing is a consolidation of power by the minority that was put into play before Reagan was in office. "Woke" isn't the reason for it, is merely a tool for making it palatable to more people. The Right has been using culture wars for decades: invoking Welfare Queens and demonizing crack over cocaine to create racial distrust. The Southern Strategy to herd conservative evangelicals into the Republican party and create the mirage of Christian persecution to manipulate them against their neighbors.
That’s an interesting point about the companies and very sad if true. They are profiting from stoking division in this country.
I don’t even understand the controversy with Cracker Barrel. Was it because a man, presumably white, was erased? It just looked that a more modern, simple logo. I’ve never set foot in one so maybe it has more significance than that.
Honestly I think the culture wars are an easy distraction for certain people to take advantage of our attention. I’m tired of being told to be outraged all of the time, there are actual problems to worry about.
I agree. And I feel that so many of these distractions, including all the outrageous things that Trump says and does, are just to get us to take our eyes off the ball. To not see all the crooked and grifting actions he is taking that are SO much more important that the Cracker Barrel logo.
This whole thing is very upsetting to me. As for me and my family, we will continue to be respectful, apologize if we offend, and vote as much as possible with our wallets.
My biggest concern is the own all the social media companies. It’s a scary time. I hope in 5 years we’ve evened out.
I think we can get there, but I think it will take longer than 5 years... unfortunately!
I am grateful for the comments stated here as we have taken such a huge step down in our country and I get discouraged. It is helpful to learn and to keep taking action.