If Kari Lake thinks its cool to make fun of someone because of their clothing, do we all now have permission to make fun of her ugly-ass haircut and the pound or two of makeup she puts on her face to look less like an aging Frankenstein's bride? Asking for a friend, in the name of what goes around, comes around.
The language uttered by Michael Knowles is nothing more than a call to rid us who are transgender by death. The GOP aims to make it illegal to transition in America. It was never about children it is basically to rid those of us who are trans from being out in public.
Frankly, I am scared that someone will take my life because I am trans. I work, pay my taxes, and stay out of trouble and why is my existence of myself and my trans sisters and brothers are not bothering anyone?
While I'm glad that you're coming around to the position that trans people are in fact people, it's somewhat ironic that you'd quote Chait of all people, one of the biggest purveyors of anti-trans bigotry and nonsense. A guy who spent the last two days defending his reporting of unsourced allegations about 'children transitioning' when it was revealed by the parents who actually have trans teenagers that he was full of it and that his reporting was full of holes.
In fact, we only got to this point of people feeling comfortable talking about genociding trans people because people like you carried water for people like Chait, who were 'just asking questions' and making up impossible possibilities that did not exist in reality.
Because they are impossible. No child is being rushed into getting massive surgery on their own or otherwise. In a nation like America, where medical care that can save your life is already hard to come by, the idea that a child can just walk into a clinic and declare that they're a helicopter and get expensive, elective surgery for free without their parent's consent is insanity. And I mention this story about helicopters, because Chait spent the last two days on twitter using random tumblr posts to claim that, actually, that proves that kids are in fact somehow identifying as random objects. Because Chait is a crank. He's not a serious voice for trans issues, he's a reactionary fraud who amplifies anyone who confirms his priors.
I'm glad he can, at least, say that it's bad that the right wants to murder trans people, but this is not a new thing. They've been saying this for a long time! And more to the point, the people on 'the left' have been saying that they wanted to do this for a long time, and people like you and Chait carried water for them by saying that 'oh they don't actually want that' or 'they have legitimate concerns.'
Once again, just like with things like 'crt' being turned into outright racism, or 'just asking questions' about covid vaccines being turned into a general push against vaccination in general, the people who sit on the fence and act like 'well, maybe they have a point worth listening to' only ensure that the nutjobs get enough air to eventually air their monstrousness in public, and by that point they've been minted as 'legitimate' by the people who should know better.
I'm not trying to come off as though I'm mad at you personally, Charlie. You're a smart guy who comes down hard on a lot of issues. Which is why it bothers me when people have been telling you, for months, that on this one it was all smoke and no fire, made by people with smoke machines, and you continued to give them air. I could say the same for other contributors to the Bulwark, but that's neither here nor there.
My point is, guys like Chait are like Ron Johnson, in that they're trojan horses for what they really want to do. I would hope that Chait might suddenly feel bad and reevaluate his ideas, but seeing how he's been citing random tumblr posts as evidence of the 'trans conspiracy' on twitter, that seems unlikely.
What I would ask of you, and anyone who has thought that maybe guys like Chait have a point, is to reevaluate your priors and ask how your willingness to try and find a 'middle ground' between civil rights and extermination has only empowered the worst parts of the arguement. I don't think that's an unfair thing to ask of anyone, because we're clearly at a point where the people who want to do terrible things think that there won't be consequences for going entirely mask off.
And you're not a minor voice, or an unprincipled man, which is why I respect you enough to say all this. You can personally not be into trans people in terms of their lifestyle or whatever, and still believe that they are equal people under the law who deserve respect as individuals. The trans panic is just that, a moral panic, and it's time to discuss it as such, rather than acting like the people who are using it to push all manner of reactionary garbage have a point.
You mention Jews, and the thing that has always struck me about the 'first they came for the Jews, and I said nothing' thing, is that you shouldn't wait until it gets to that point, because the point of the parable is that the people who came for everyone else were using those other people to get to the people they really wanted.
We talk a lot about trans issues without discussing what this all means for trans people, how terrifying it must be to live in a country where demagogues talk to their heavily armed and violent followers about killing you openly. That, to me, is an experience that should be highlighted more, not more talk from men like Chait about 'questions' about the validity of private citizens living their lives.
We live in a time that is rapidly approaching open civil strife by right wing extremists, and they've made their targets known. They're not going to stop there, either. And everyone thinks there's nothing to worry about until they're caught in the crossfire.
As the father of a trans kid, it's become clear that our family and families like ours are going to be at the forefront of the GOP campaign strategy. And regardless of whether statements like Knowles' are dog-whistles, they are still terrifying. Dogs don't ignore dog-whistles. If they can, they will come for us. I don't think this is hyperbolic.
"Tonight’s address was among the darkest speeches he has given since his “American carnage” inaugural address. Trump warned that the United States is becoming “a nation in decline” and a “crime-ridden, filthy communist nightmare.”"
First, this is obviously absurd. No one who is not brainwashed can possibly believe this. If you think the Biden administration apocalyptic, then you should, as they say, go touch some grass. Second, this is pure divisive garbage that only serves to stoke hatred of fellow Americans. If Joe Biden or any Democrat said anything this divisive and provocative, we might think he caught rabies and the 25th Amendment would be in order, simply waiting for the foaming at the mouth to go ahead and invoke it.
As for Trump Jr reminding us all what scumbags he and his entire family are, did he not learn the lesson than maybe part of why Oz got beat by Fetterman was because of cheap shots declaring him a diminished individual post-stroke? This may play well with the MAGA alt-right trolls, but most voters have at least a shred of empathy and don't like it when you take joy in the calamities that befall good people.
As for this Knowles guy, just despicable. Conservatism today is authoritarianism. It's not pluralism. It's not classical liberalism. It's fascistic, and it's about rooting out all dissent, and the ends justifying the means. Which is why, if not Trump, Ron DeSantis will do.
We need to stop pretending that dog whistles like Knowles' call to eradicate transgenderism doesn't mean exactly what he intended it to mean: death to trans folks.
People like Knowles - and Trump for that matter - get away with saying exactly what they mean out loud and in public because decent, civilized people keep giving them the benefit of the doubt long after there's any reason to. There are STILL news outlets in this country that won't use the word 'lie' to describe the thousands of things Trump has said.
MAGA world counts on the rest of us being too squeamish to call their speech what it is. It's time for that to stop.
The true right wing has seemingly found its secret to success: loud, obscene complaints about transgender people, which represent such a small group of folks that the right can get away with its “eradication” language. Of course, once that is successful, it will move quickly to all gay and lesbian people, followed by Jews, then Muslims, then Blacks. Ugly is an understatement.
Charlie, I know I've ranted at you in these comments about some of your takes on trans people before, but thanks for highlighting this.
It should be abundantly clear where all this is going. Red states are banning drag shows, banning gender affirming care, banning any mention of LGBT people in schools. Florida is trying to make it legal for the state to kidnap children for merely having a trans parent or sibling and to sue people who accuse others of bigotry, even if it's true. CPAC coming out and calling for the eradication of trans people isn't new. The right has been vocally advocating this for some time. What is new is now it's not just the fringe, but it's the mainstream too.
I hope everyone who is on the fence about trans rights sees this and understands exactly where we're headed. Now is not the time for "nuanced" takes. You can't have a nuanced discussion with someone who wants you dead. Now is the time to stand along side our LGBT friends and countrymen and declare that this genocidal rhetoric has no place in our society.
As someone who has had nothing but contempt for Donald Trump since I was ten years old, I’ve never taken my foot off the gas when it comes to the threat he posed to America. I have been firmly in the Trump > DeSanctimonious on the danger scale camp (although there are scant words in the English language to express my loathing of Ron).
With that said however, I will admit that while my foot has remained steady on the gas, I have slowed it down a bit. 2024 is a long time away. The mid-terms proved to be a realistically best case scenario. Uncle Joe is killing it. There is still a little time left to successfully rehabilitate Kamala in anticipation of next fall. Gym Jordan’s committee is off to a hilarious start and doesn’t seem to be getting any better (although always time to Benghazi it up well enough). And lastly, Trump has been sitting in his basement Truthing without any movement and therefore more energy has been used on my part in fearing Ron/Nikki/Tim’s appeal to Red Dogs.
However, this speech changed everything.
Even Trump’s recent rerun to the “kill drug dealers in 24 hours” shit - albeit insane- didn’t have the same zeal it used to, but this speech was different. The venom is not only back in his vegetable-diet-less mouth, but is spewing at 11. His people’s quest for vengeance only rivals his own. My foot has once again clamped down as far it can go
This is the language of fascism. I apologize if I consistently offer a full throated defense of trans folks. Why do I do that even though I have no personal stake as to that issue? Well, not only do I believe it to be the right and moral position but I firmly believe that the rhetorical, legislative and physical assaults on trans folks is merely the tip of a fascist spear whose bearers have amply demonstrated is just the first of a long line of attacks on everyone’s personal freedoms.
"So let’s try an experiment here. Imagine that we had a speaker — at an event that is definitely not meant to be CPAC — who said, 'Jew-ishness must be eradicated from public life.' Or how about 'Judai-ism must be eradicated.' Or, how about saying “Zion-ism must be eradicated from the Middle East'."
The thing is, that's what will happen once the first domino is allowed to fall. Then it is only a matter of time until those so emboldened, like little children testing their limits, go after everyone on their bucket list until there is nobody left to persecute. History is full of examples of this, for those who care to inform themselves with facts rather than merely opinions. Eternal vigilance is required as long as human nature allows the worst among us to act unguarded upon their impulses.
Retribution is already happening. Look to Georgia, where Republicans passed legislation to remove prosecutors who prosecute Republicans or go after their bloated idol in Florida. We are living in truly dangerous times. Small d democracy is being wiped off our maps by would be dictators and his legions. If this legislation goes unchallenged the rest of Red America will follow suit.
"[T]ransgender people is not a real ontological category,” he added. “It’s not a legitimate category of being.” So says Putin about Ukrainians. Such talk *is* genocidal. Imagine what it will mean if maga is able to impose its ideal world of unrestricted concealed carry.
Remember, sooner or later they always come after the Jews.
Stop them now and we won’t have to stop them later.
If Kari Lake thinks its cool to make fun of someone because of their clothing, do we all now have permission to make fun of her ugly-ass haircut and the pound or two of makeup she puts on her face to look less like an aging Frankenstein's bride? Asking for a friend, in the name of what goes around, comes around.
The language uttered by Michael Knowles is nothing more than a call to rid us who are transgender by death. The GOP aims to make it illegal to transition in America. It was never about children it is basically to rid those of us who are trans from being out in public.
Frankly, I am scared that someone will take my life because I am trans. I work, pay my taxes, and stay out of trouble and why is my existence of myself and my trans sisters and brothers are not bothering anyone?
While I'm glad that you're coming around to the position that trans people are in fact people, it's somewhat ironic that you'd quote Chait of all people, one of the biggest purveyors of anti-trans bigotry and nonsense. A guy who spent the last two days defending his reporting of unsourced allegations about 'children transitioning' when it was revealed by the parents who actually have trans teenagers that he was full of it and that his reporting was full of holes.
In fact, we only got to this point of people feeling comfortable talking about genociding trans people because people like you carried water for people like Chait, who were 'just asking questions' and making up impossible possibilities that did not exist in reality.
Because they are impossible. No child is being rushed into getting massive surgery on their own or otherwise. In a nation like America, where medical care that can save your life is already hard to come by, the idea that a child can just walk into a clinic and declare that they're a helicopter and get expensive, elective surgery for free without their parent's consent is insanity. And I mention this story about helicopters, because Chait spent the last two days on twitter using random tumblr posts to claim that, actually, that proves that kids are in fact somehow identifying as random objects. Because Chait is a crank. He's not a serious voice for trans issues, he's a reactionary fraud who amplifies anyone who confirms his priors.
I'm glad he can, at least, say that it's bad that the right wants to murder trans people, but this is not a new thing. They've been saying this for a long time! And more to the point, the people on 'the left' have been saying that they wanted to do this for a long time, and people like you and Chait carried water for them by saying that 'oh they don't actually want that' or 'they have legitimate concerns.'
Once again, just like with things like 'crt' being turned into outright racism, or 'just asking questions' about covid vaccines being turned into a general push against vaccination in general, the people who sit on the fence and act like 'well, maybe they have a point worth listening to' only ensure that the nutjobs get enough air to eventually air their monstrousness in public, and by that point they've been minted as 'legitimate' by the people who should know better.
I'm not trying to come off as though I'm mad at you personally, Charlie. You're a smart guy who comes down hard on a lot of issues. Which is why it bothers me when people have been telling you, for months, that on this one it was all smoke and no fire, made by people with smoke machines, and you continued to give them air. I could say the same for other contributors to the Bulwark, but that's neither here nor there.
My point is, guys like Chait are like Ron Johnson, in that they're trojan horses for what they really want to do. I would hope that Chait might suddenly feel bad and reevaluate his ideas, but seeing how he's been citing random tumblr posts as evidence of the 'trans conspiracy' on twitter, that seems unlikely.
What I would ask of you, and anyone who has thought that maybe guys like Chait have a point, is to reevaluate your priors and ask how your willingness to try and find a 'middle ground' between civil rights and extermination has only empowered the worst parts of the arguement. I don't think that's an unfair thing to ask of anyone, because we're clearly at a point where the people who want to do terrible things think that there won't be consequences for going entirely mask off.
And you're not a minor voice, or an unprincipled man, which is why I respect you enough to say all this. You can personally not be into trans people in terms of their lifestyle or whatever, and still believe that they are equal people under the law who deserve respect as individuals. The trans panic is just that, a moral panic, and it's time to discuss it as such, rather than acting like the people who are using it to push all manner of reactionary garbage have a point.
You mention Jews, and the thing that has always struck me about the 'first they came for the Jews, and I said nothing' thing, is that you shouldn't wait until it gets to that point, because the point of the parable is that the people who came for everyone else were using those other people to get to the people they really wanted.
We talk a lot about trans issues without discussing what this all means for trans people, how terrifying it must be to live in a country where demagogues talk to their heavily armed and violent followers about killing you openly. That, to me, is an experience that should be highlighted more, not more talk from men like Chait about 'questions' about the validity of private citizens living their lives.
We live in a time that is rapidly approaching open civil strife by right wing extremists, and they've made their targets known. They're not going to stop there, either. And everyone thinks there's nothing to worry about until they're caught in the crossfire.
As the father of a trans kid, it's become clear that our family and families like ours are going to be at the forefront of the GOP campaign strategy. And regardless of whether statements like Knowles' are dog-whistles, they are still terrifying. Dogs don't ignore dog-whistles. If they can, they will come for us. I don't think this is hyperbolic.
"Tonight’s address was among the darkest speeches he has given since his “American carnage” inaugural address. Trump warned that the United States is becoming “a nation in decline” and a “crime-ridden, filthy communist nightmare.”"
First, this is obviously absurd. No one who is not brainwashed can possibly believe this. If you think the Biden administration apocalyptic, then you should, as they say, go touch some grass. Second, this is pure divisive garbage that only serves to stoke hatred of fellow Americans. If Joe Biden or any Democrat said anything this divisive and provocative, we might think he caught rabies and the 25th Amendment would be in order, simply waiting for the foaming at the mouth to go ahead and invoke it.
As for Trump Jr reminding us all what scumbags he and his entire family are, did he not learn the lesson than maybe part of why Oz got beat by Fetterman was because of cheap shots declaring him a diminished individual post-stroke? This may play well with the MAGA alt-right trolls, but most voters have at least a shred of empathy and don't like it when you take joy in the calamities that befall good people.
As for this Knowles guy, just despicable. Conservatism today is authoritarianism. It's not pluralism. It's not classical liberalism. It's fascistic, and it's about rooting out all dissent, and the ends justifying the means. Which is why, if not Trump, Ron DeSantis will do.
We need to stop pretending that dog whistles like Knowles' call to eradicate transgenderism doesn't mean exactly what he intended it to mean: death to trans folks.
People like Knowles - and Trump for that matter - get away with saying exactly what they mean out loud and in public because decent, civilized people keep giving them the benefit of the doubt long after there's any reason to. There are STILL news outlets in this country that won't use the word 'lie' to describe the thousands of things Trump has said.
MAGA world counts on the rest of us being too squeamish to call their speech what it is. It's time for that to stop.
The true right wing has seemingly found its secret to success: loud, obscene complaints about transgender people, which represent such a small group of folks that the right can get away with its “eradication” language. Of course, once that is successful, it will move quickly to all gay and lesbian people, followed by Jews, then Muslims, then Blacks. Ugly is an understatement.
Charlie, I know I've ranted at you in these comments about some of your takes on trans people before, but thanks for highlighting this.
It should be abundantly clear where all this is going. Red states are banning drag shows, banning gender affirming care, banning any mention of LGBT people in schools. Florida is trying to make it legal for the state to kidnap children for merely having a trans parent or sibling and to sue people who accuse others of bigotry, even if it's true. CPAC coming out and calling for the eradication of trans people isn't new. The right has been vocally advocating this for some time. What is new is now it's not just the fringe, but it's the mainstream too.
I hope everyone who is on the fence about trans rights sees this and understands exactly where we're headed. Now is not the time for "nuanced" takes. You can't have a nuanced discussion with someone who wants you dead. Now is the time to stand along side our LGBT friends and countrymen and declare that this genocidal rhetoric has no place in our society.
As someone who has had nothing but contempt for Donald Trump since I was ten years old, I’ve never taken my foot off the gas when it comes to the threat he posed to America. I have been firmly in the Trump > DeSanctimonious on the danger scale camp (although there are scant words in the English language to express my loathing of Ron).
With that said however, I will admit that while my foot has remained steady on the gas, I have slowed it down a bit. 2024 is a long time away. The mid-terms proved to be a realistically best case scenario. Uncle Joe is killing it. There is still a little time left to successfully rehabilitate Kamala in anticipation of next fall. Gym Jordan’s committee is off to a hilarious start and doesn’t seem to be getting any better (although always time to Benghazi it up well enough). And lastly, Trump has been sitting in his basement Truthing without any movement and therefore more energy has been used on my part in fearing Ron/Nikki/Tim’s appeal to Red Dogs.
However, this speech changed everything.
Even Trump’s recent rerun to the “kill drug dealers in 24 hours” shit - albeit insane- didn’t have the same zeal it used to, but this speech was different. The venom is not only back in his vegetable-diet-less mouth, but is spewing at 11. His people’s quest for vengeance only rivals his own. My foot has once again clamped down as far it can go
To borrow from Bill, I am alarmed.
This is the language of fascism. I apologize if I consistently offer a full throated defense of trans folks. Why do I do that even though I have no personal stake as to that issue? Well, not only do I believe it to be the right and moral position but I firmly believe that the rhetorical, legislative and physical assaults on trans folks is merely the tip of a fascist spear whose bearers have amply demonstrated is just the first of a long line of attacks on everyone’s personal freedoms.
I'm hoping Tim wears Kari's open jealousy of his youthful good looks like a badge of honor.
"So let’s try an experiment here. Imagine that we had a speaker — at an event that is definitely not meant to be CPAC — who said, 'Jew-ishness must be eradicated from public life.' Or how about 'Judai-ism must be eradicated.' Or, how about saying “Zion-ism must be eradicated from the Middle East'."
The thing is, that's what will happen once the first domino is allowed to fall. Then it is only a matter of time until those so emboldened, like little children testing their limits, go after everyone on their bucket list until there is nobody left to persecute. History is full of examples of this, for those who care to inform themselves with facts rather than merely opinions. Eternal vigilance is required as long as human nature allows the worst among us to act unguarded upon their impulses.
Retribution is already happening. Look to Georgia, where Republicans passed legislation to remove prosecutors who prosecute Republicans or go after their bloated idol in Florida. We are living in truly dangerous times. Small d democracy is being wiped off our maps by would be dictators and his legions. If this legislation goes unchallenged the rest of Red America will follow suit.
"First they came for the trans people, and I did not speak out for I was not trans. Then, they came for homosexuals..."
We know where that story goes from there. Let's pray past isn't playing prologue here
"[T]ransgender people is not a real ontological category,” he added. “It’s not a legitimate category of being.” So says Putin about Ukrainians. Such talk *is* genocidal. Imagine what it will mean if maga is able to impose its ideal world of unrestricted concealed carry.