The T%$*p administration’s beginning was marked by worldwide protest in the millions, many wearing pink, knit hats. Pussy hats. The grievance: that holding the highest office in America was a man who had been recorded saying: “Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.”
His time in office is ending on the same word. Outraged that the second-in-command chose to respect the democratic process, T^%#p, before lighting one last match to ignite riots at the Capitol, told Pence: “You can either go down in history as a patriot, or you can go down in history as a pussy.”
Besides the obvious — that such statements indicate T^$*p doesn’t know the first thing about pussies or patriotism — and besides the fascism, racism, and all that, his followers ought to be reflecting on what it means to be attracted to someone with such conspicuous insecurities.
He and they have refused to acknowledge the obvious: the election is over and it was not rigged. In their world, it is better to be a sore loser who lies incessantly and obstructs the democratic process than it is to be a pussy.
Don’t look for logic. There is none. Logic would suggest that these folks rejecting the Biden win would also toss out all other information from those ballots — they would equally question the House and Senate Republican wins. But they aren’t doing that. They’re grasping at any possible way to maintain power, not integrity.
This isn’t merely toxic masculinity at its most poisonous.
No, the domestic terrorism/attempted coup/attempted autogolpe/lawless riots/mob assault/anti-American violence that we saw on January 6, 2021 was an extension of the large scale tantrums that white supremacists have been throwing during T*&$p’s tenure.
Their fragility is what enabled T&$*p to rise to power. The United States government had and has been moving closer to representing the interests of all citizens. President Obama’s two terms made that undeniable. I could cite the myriad ways our culture has shifted, for the better, in the last forty years. Time is not responsible for those changes. People are. And it’s clear that most people have decided that there is no going back, that these changes were not passing fads. Do you think for one second it’s Biden they’re mad about? It’s who Biden has selected to surround himself with.
I remember in the 90s when Newsweek would run photos of newly elected officials and cabinet members. Then, it felt exciting to see even a few women and people of color in the mix. Now, the tables have turned, and we are not mere novelty items anymore. Of course identity does not dictate a person’s policy or indicate qualifications, but the T&$%pists do not care about those details. They see what they see. And what they see are many women and racial/ethnic and religious minorities filling seats that the fascists have long felt were reserved for white men.
Losing what they have felt entitled to has been emasculating. And in their world — one of perpetual adolescence — the worst thing one can be is a pussy.
It’s why they won’t wear masks.
It’s why they won’t show humility.
It’s why they beat a Capitol Police officer to death with a fire extinguisher.
It’s why they won’t compromise.
It’s why they wear “Camp Auschwitz” shirts.
It’s why they bring a confederate flag into the Capitol. Who can look at the stars and bars anymore and not see a swastika? They are one in the same. A symbol of a losing, whimpering demographic.
Still, there are those who are not carrying torches or zip-ties, but they might as well be.
These are the folks who call for civility, yet what they really mean is that they would rather not talk about any of this.
For them, condemning white supremacy will stir controversy, and in their world the worst thing is not being a pussy; it’s taking a stand and alienating themselves from family members or acquaintances or friends. They are not asking themselves why they find it worthwhile to maintain connection with bigots. All they know is that if they rock the boat, Thanksgiving will be uncomfortable.
They don’t see that by remaining friends with fascists, they are sympathizers. Had these people been alive during Nazi Germany, we know what role they would serve. They would have stayed silent, punching in on time, distracting themselves with home renovation projects, claiming to have no time to worry about things beyond their children, making blanket statements about wanting everyone to just get along, spewing nonsense about “both sides.” They are the ones suggesting that to hold T&$%p accountable, would be creating greater division. The sympathizers are saying so, so much with their ever-present silence, their faux neutrality.
Say what you will about Republicans taking so long to say enough. It’s still worth thanking the ten in the House — Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Illinois), Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyoming), Rep. John Katko (New York), Rep. Fred Upton (Michigan), Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (Washington), Rep. Dan Newhouse (Washington), Rep. Peter Meijer (Michigan), Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), Rep. Tom Rice (South Carolina), and Rep. David Valadao (California) — who had the guts to hold T$%*p accountable by voting to impeach. Their willingness to show basic respect for the United States by putting country before politics proves that this is not a witch hunt, no matter how much T&%$p chooses to play the victim.
I do not know if colleges will be using printed textbooks in another twenty years, though I truly hope so. I imagine a U.S. History book will have a chapter titled “The Pussy Years.” It will chronicle the kind of language used by polite society that enabled many to view T^$*p as anything other than unfit for public office. The text will not shy away from showing the grotesque language that T*%&p used again and again to describe women, to disparage anyone who disagreed with him.
This chapter will accurately describe the difference between Black Lives Matter protests and white supremacist riots.
It will teach how January 6, 2021 was not the first time that Americans died while T%$#p continued to fan the flames. It will look back at 2017 Charlottesville, when a white nationalist killed Heather Heyer; the swastika and other symbols embraced by fascists were present at the start of the T%^$p era, and this detail will not be omitted.
This chapter will spell out how the coup attempt did not happen out of the blue. It was the culmination of constant provocation by T%$^p during an era of moral equivalency.
The chapter will detail how in his administration’s last days, T^%&p was stripped of his social media megaphone, then his funding, then many of his Republican enablers, then his contracts with New York City– all while being the only president twice impeached, the second time for “inciting violence against the government of the United States.” Marginalia beside the sole photo of T&#%p would include the definition of traitor.
Patriot, and Other P-Words
The T%$*p administration’s beginning was marked by worldwide protest in the millions, many wearing pink, knit hats. Pussy hats. The grievance: that holding the highest office in America was a man who had been recorded saying: “Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.”
His time in office is ending on the same word. Outraged that the second-in-command chose to respect the democratic process, T^%#p, before lighting one last match to ignite riots at the Capitol, told Pence: “You can either go down in history as a patriot, or you can go down in history as a pussy.”
Besides the obvious — that such statements indicate T^$*p doesn’t know the first thing about pussies or patriotism — and besides the fascism, racism, and all that, his followers ought to be reflecting on what it means to be attracted to someone with such conspicuous insecurities.
He and they have refused to acknowledge the obvious: the election is over and it was not rigged. In their world, it is better to be a sore loser who lies incessantly and obstructs the democratic process than it is to be a pussy.
Don’t look for logic. There is none. Logic would suggest that these folks rejecting the Biden win would also toss out all other information from those ballots — they would equally question the House and Senate Republican wins. But they aren’t doing that. They’re grasping at any possible way to maintain power, not integrity.
This isn’t merely toxic masculinity at its most poisonous.
No, the domestic terrorism/attempted coup/attempted autogolpe/lawless riots/mob assault/anti-American violence that we saw on January 6, 2021 was an extension of the large scale tantrums that white supremacists have been throwing during T*&$p’s tenure.
Their fragility is what enabled T&$*p to rise to power. The United States government had and has been moving closer to representing the interests of all citizens. President Obama’s two terms made that undeniable. I could cite the myriad ways our culture has shifted, for the better, in the last forty years. Time is not responsible for those changes. People are. And it’s clear that most people have decided that there is no going back, that these changes were not passing fads. Do you think for one second it’s Biden they’re mad about? It’s who Biden has selected to surround himself with.
I remember in the 90s when Newsweek would run photos of newly elected officials and cabinet members. Then, it felt exciting to see even a few women and people of color in the mix. Now, the tables have turned, and we are not mere novelty items anymore. Of course identity does not dictate a person’s policy or indicate qualifications, but the T&$%pists do not care about those details. They see what they see. And what they see are many women and racial/ethnic and religious minorities filling seats that the fascists have long felt were reserved for white men.
Losing what they have felt entitled to has been emasculating. And in their world — one of perpetual adolescence — the worst thing one can be is a pussy.
It’s why they won’t wear masks.
It’s why they won’t show humility.
It’s why they beat a Capitol Police officer to death with a fire extinguisher.
It’s why they won’t compromise.
It’s why they wear “Camp Auschwitz” shirts.
It’s why they bring a confederate flag into the Capitol. Who can look at the stars and bars anymore and not see a swastika? They are one in the same. A symbol of a losing, whimpering demographic.
Still, there are those who are not carrying torches or zip-ties, but they might as well be.
These are the folks who call for civility, yet what they really mean is that they would rather not talk about any of this.
For them, condemning white supremacy will stir controversy, and in their world the worst thing is not being a pussy; it’s taking a stand and alienating themselves from family members or acquaintances or friends. They are not asking themselves why they find it worthwhile to maintain connection with bigots. All they know is that if they rock the boat, Thanksgiving will be uncomfortable.
They don’t see that by remaining friends with fascists, they are sympathizers. Had these people been alive during Nazi Germany, we know what role they would serve. They would have stayed silent, punching in on time, distracting themselves with home renovation projects, claiming to have no time to worry about things beyond their children, making blanket statements about wanting everyone to just get along, spewing nonsense about “both sides.” They are the ones suggesting that to hold T&$%p accountable, would be creating greater division. The sympathizers are saying so, so much with their ever-present silence, their faux neutrality.
Say what you will about Republicans taking so long to say enough. It’s still worth thanking the ten in the House — Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Illinois), Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyoming), Rep. John Katko (New York), Rep. Fred Upton (Michigan), Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (Washington), Rep. Dan Newhouse (Washington), Rep. Peter Meijer (Michigan), Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), Rep. Tom Rice (South Carolina), and Rep. David Valadao (California) — who had the guts to hold T$%*p accountable by voting to impeach. Their willingness to show basic respect for the United States by putting country before politics proves that this is not a witch hunt, no matter how much T&%$p chooses to play the victim.
I do not know if colleges will be using printed textbooks in another twenty years, though I truly hope so. I imagine a U.S. History book will have a chapter titled “The Pussy Years.” It will chronicle the kind of language used by polite society that enabled many to view T^$*p as anything other than unfit for public office. The text will not shy away from showing the grotesque language that T*%&p used again and again to describe women, to disparage anyone who disagreed with him.
This chapter will accurately describe the difference between Black Lives Matter protests and white supremacist riots.
It will teach how January 6, 2021 was not the first time that Americans died while T%$#p continued to fan the flames. It will look back at 2017 Charlottesville, when a white nationalist killed Heather Heyer; the swastika and other symbols embraced by fascists were present at the start of the T%^$p era, and this detail will not be omitted.
This chapter will spell out how the coup attempt did not happen out of the blue. It was the culmination of constant provocation by T%$^p during an era of moral equivalency.
The chapter will detail how in his administration’s last days, T^%&p was stripped of his social media megaphone, then his funding, then many of his Republican enablers, then his contracts with New York City– all while being the only president twice impeached, the second time for “inciting violence against the government of the United States.” Marginalia beside the sole photo of T&#%p would include the definition of traitor.
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