Please listen to Malcolm Gladwell's podcast's episode on courageous satire (thanks Ginnie!). Really inspiring and useful to think about as we keep normalizing and laughing at Trump for being a hypocrit. Nobody cares if you're a hypocrit if they're on your side.
And also read this piece about the right way to criticize Trump:
And also read this piece about the right way to criticize Trump:
Let’s, then, go through a few insults and criticisms of Trump that don’t seem to work very well. A few of the most obvious:
Trump is orange
Trump is vulgar
Trump is dumb
Trump has funny hair
These are all given frequent mention. They are also beside the point. One should care far more about what Trump thinks and does than what he looks like. Now, one could say that what he looks like is in some ways a reflection of who he is, since the ridiculous spray-tan with the little white eye-regions is the product and consequence of his vanity. But the broader principle of progressives should be: what someone looks like is of minimal relevance in evaluating them. That’s what we believe. And we should be consistent in that belief. If someone made fun of our candidate’s appearance, no matter what that appearance was, we would declare that as a matter of principle, image should matter less than substance. Such high-mindedness is both admirable and correct. But it has no force unless you maintain it consistently, even as applied to people whom you detest.
And, it's a little late for a hot take on the election, but here's mine:
The reason our collective failure hurts so much is because we were SO READY to just hand over the keys. And really just focus on us, ya know? Like we could have been done with poltiics, finally! This was the last election racist, mysoginst, old white men could (thank god for Hispanics!), and we just had to get over this little hurtle and then we'd be done! That black guy and that old grandma would be President because of us! Wouldn't that feel great?!?
And then we wouldn't really have to care anymore! We'd get upset about things, but generally we'd trust Hill to get us through it (let me be clear, she would have with flying colors). And if she ever did something disagreeable, we'd just be kinda bummed about it but not hold her accountable or anything - after all, she's way better than those feed-bags in Congress blocking her path on the good stuff! And she's sure as shit better than that loser Donald J. Drumpf. Ah, wouldn't that have felt good to say....
But we can't say it. We have to work now. We have to resist. We have to make jokes for a reason now. We have to be courageous.
The reason our collective failure hurts so much is because we were SO READY to just hand over the keys. And really just focus on us, ya know? Like we could have been done with poltiics, finally! This was the last election racist, mysoginst, old white men could (thank god for Hispanics!), and we just had to get over this little hurtle and then we'd be done! That black guy and that old grandma would be President because of us! Wouldn't that feel great?!?
And then we wouldn't really have to care anymore! We'd get upset about things, but generally we'd trust Hill to get us through it (let me be clear, she would have with flying colors). And if she ever did something disagreeable, we'd just be kinda bummed about it but not hold her accountable or anything - after all, she's way better than those feed-bags in Congress blocking her path on the good stuff! And she's sure as shit better than that loser Donald J. Drumpf. Ah, wouldn't that have felt good to say....
But we can't say it. We have to work now. We have to resist. We have to make jokes for a reason now. We have to be courageous.