The last couple years, especially, but there always seems to be some stupid fucking pop culture “thing” that American conservatives just universally latch onto. I’m not talking about them complaining about BLM or CRT, which I at least understand why they’re complaining about, but it seems that every few months there’s some IMMENSE outrage over something stupid like the plastic potato’s implied gender or stopping the print of some Dr. Seuss books no one was buying or Aunt Jemima or now a fictional character claiming to receive a COVID vaccine. There always seems to be some cultural lightning rod for conservative outrage that NEEDS to exist, no matter how frivolous or stupid the concerns are. Why is this? Why do American (though I could imagine conservatives elsewhere do the same, I’m just speaking from experience) conservatives feel the need to latch onto and be offended by SOMETHING?
- Culture War mobilizes conservative rank-and-file to do political things
- Conservative leaders have absolutely nothing to offer the American people policy-wise besides perpetual outrage
- Conservatives are pissbabies who are basically just Birchers who react angrily to whatever they see on TV
This isn’t new, it just intensifies over and over again because the Culture War is inherently unwinnable, they get angrier and angrier about how they aren’t winning it, and it’s that way by design because a perpetual martyrdom complex is intrinsic to American evangelical Protestantism and continuously keeps the rubes motivated.
It keeps them distracted. If they feel like they’re always losing something they’re more likely to show up to polls, and stay tuned in. Since the 90s I can’t remember a time when Rs were not totally losing their minds over something. Whether it’s Clinton and cigars, freedom fries, or fucking Obama in a tan suit. It’s quite literally always something that is quite literally nothing.
Since the 90s I can’t remember a time when Rs were not totally losing their minds over something.
Came to say the same thing. They’ve been doing this since I’ve been alive, which is a long time. Communism, Satanic panic, panic over “the homosexual agenda”, and much much more.
Largely because I think conservatives have won everything but the culture war so that’s why they obsess over it.
If they had to talk about their actual political philosophy and policy positions, they would have far less support.
