The only change we've had in the culture is when we defy the norm & erode the values so that parts of the hierarchy collapse. If we do not defy & shame them, we won't even have that. Civil rights is basically a constant struggle to shame defy equal rights into existence one inch at a time.

I'm afraid in the US, being a Nazi freak has always been the norm, been common, bc it's white supremacy. The US is a white supremacist aspiring democracy that supports their status as the norm. Appease them, reinforce the status, they stomp harder bc they need to keep it the norm.

That "saving face" under shame/change is them trying to keep the good & worthy status. They can stomp w/ guns, etc., but if they're surrounded by those defying & shaming them despite that, by the cultural pressure, they aren't shamed personally but they'll adjust public views to save the status.

Shame - defy, criticize, protest, lawsuits, demands for change to equality & social justice, unrest creating cultural pressure - changes the cultural norms, of what is a good & worthy belief. They stomp to change it back, but more shame defiance you muster, the more they have to adjust to new norms.

In the US, the civil rights movement shamed & pressured the gov into desegregation after much stomping. It led segregationists to start the anti-choice movement in the late 70's & what would become Project 2025. Bc the cultural norms changed against open, legalized segregation.

LGBTQ folk shamed for equal rights, changed the culture after long struggle. So now UK terfs, for ex, are still stomping on trans folk but often claim that cis gay folk, marriage equality, gay parents, etc. are fine - they changed to new views, at least publicly, to keep status under new norms.

They get status by being in the dominant group & repressing the marginalized. When they're defied (shame,) they stomp to regain status & control of the culture. But w/ a building of that cultural pressure (shame), the defiance becomes the cultural norm & they start giving way to keep their status.

I think the blue hair came 1st in Gamergate memes so that was the one that stuck, but if you're over 40, yes, you think blue haired old ladies when they say it. So as an attempt to signal to MAGA instead of just the bros, it makes little sense. Ofc, they're hoping the bros beat up the protestors.

They don't exactly feel shame when shamed for behavior but they care about their cultural status as the good righteous worthy. If you appease them, you reinforce that status. If folk defy & criticize them (shame) & too many to stop, they have to change their behavior to keep the cultural status.

They're really terrified. Inflatable costumes in Portland not only put a spoke in their narrative wheel but media was forced to cover it. They know tons of costumed folk will be at the No Kings one now & media will have to cover it. So they're trying to depict them all as paid, hating perverts.

It's pretty funny bc most of the MAGA base might think it that way. But in the bro manosphere of Gamergate they're signalling, women who dye their hair green or blue are uppity, fake anarcho feminists, trying to get attention & destroy men by refusing to be subservient & have sex w/ the bros.

Yep, "slut shaming" is about shaming women for having sex w/ multiple partners. Sleeping w/ your married source & caping for him in the press is unethical corruption, whether a man or woman does it, & calling it out is defying that corruption, not criticising a woman just for having sex.

Why would the cartels want to stop ICE and CBP activities that have been diverting resources away from drug interdiction?

here’s more context to the videos DHS is putting out from Chicago.

So much ink spilled about liberals/the academy needing to get along with Republicans; so little ink spilled about Republicans needing to get along with anyone who isn’t them, or about why they can’t compete for votes of educated people

One of the terrible things about the conservative elites’ attacks on higher education is that they are giving their constituents the impression that the universe isn’t big, complicated, and fascinating — that it really does take this many people to work out how even a small fraction of it works

Please remind us who the domestic terrorists are again.

This is the response I received from ICE when I inquired about the 13-year-old they abducted from Everett, Mass. on Friday:

This roster is both worrisome - many now in charge align w/ the regime & happily carry out illegal, threatening actions (which increase their own civil power) - & heartening - many still don't want to grab power but are keeping their heads down, getting creative. Military support isn't firm - good.

I've done a lot of whining the past couple of months about US military leaders consolidating power, acting illegally w/ Trump & co rather than pushing back. I knew his crew fired some folk, didn't realize it was this many of the biggest folk. This explains a lot.

You got me checking. Here's the dance in the 1948 movie, The Pirate. High waisted clown pants! (The noose in the dance was relevant to the plot of the movie - they're dancing to save themselves - but also obviously subtext.)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiYf...

Well. Things are pretty bad for the current regime. Look who they've pissed off NOW. (Watch to the end, it's not just footage from Portland. Surprise musical guest!)

youtu.be/bw5zxdSObso

One thing that I’ve come around on in comics is it used to seem corny and childish that a bunch of guys would call themselves the Legion of Doom and meet in an old castle where they’d be like ”hiss let us defeat the ideas of hope and love hiss” but that’s what they’re actually doing in real life lol