The Next Time a Conservative Whines about the “Cancel Culture”
The irony of Conservatives complaining about “cancel culture” and “attacks on free speech” is thick. They have been banning things other Americans do for decades – everything from being able to access healthcare to banning certain imagery from public grounds while promoting images of white supremacists, Bible verses, and crosses the size of sky scrapers. Ignoring all that, the inventors of bans and boycotts are now offended at measures to stop systemic GOP racism, racist dog whistles, brazen voter suppression, and just outright lying and are passing all kinds of laws outlawing everything from voter registration efforts to protesting police brutality.
So, the next time you are in a conversation with a conservative and they complain about “cancel culture” ask them if they agree with the 28 year ban on YOGA in Alabama schools. That’s right, folks, since 1993, yoga and meditation have been banned in Alabama schools because The Hindu might rub off on students while exercising. The effort to lift that ban has been tried the last legislative session and gained traction this session until it was killed by religious conservatives scaredy cat bigots in the Senate judiciary committee. The blocked bill had even prohibited using the word “namaste” and forbade chanting and mantras, and required all yoga poses be named in English, but that wasn’t good enough. In testimony, Christian activist religious zealot Becky Gerritson said, “Yoga is a very big part of the Hindu religion. If this bill passes, then instructors will be able to come into classrooms as young as kindergarten and bring these children through guided imagery, which is a spiritual exercise, and it’s outside their parents’ view. And we just believe that this is not appropriate.” Hilariously, representatives of Roy Moore’s Foundation for Moral Law, claimed yoga would lead to proselytizing in public schools by followers of Hinduism. Recall that the weirdo and failed US Senate candidate likes little girls and was banned from the local shopping mall for harassing them. Connecting the name Roy Moore with the word “moral” can cause whiplash in normal people.
So, when you get “Cancel Culture” from a conservative, just reply “Yoga ban.” They’ll have no idea what you’re talking about, so you’ll enjoy explaining it to them.
Today I read an article in the Washington Post about the Armenian genocide. It started before WWI with small things that could be blamed on Armenians and then steamrolled during the war. This is how I see GOPer ideas, they are nit picking at small groups which will end in their extraction – one way or another – from society.
1As I have said often enough that you are probably going to be irritated by my saying it again, this is not recent.
Back in McCarthy days, there was Red Channels and various other kinds of blacklists. And those were effective, whereas most of the things noised about today are purely informal and quickly forgotten.
2I have a license plate in Texas that says something like “Save the Beach”. I pay extra every year and the extra money is supposed to go to programs that support Texas beaches.
Yesterday I saw a Texas license plate with 3 crosses (obvious Christian symbolism) and the slogan “One State Under God.” Putting aside the violation of church/state separation, where does the extra money for these plates go?
3I just finished reading about Larry Kudlow’s dire warning that Joe Biden will force us to drink “plant-based beer” and then you tell me about Roy Moore’s Foundation for Moral Law. Damn, the right is entertaining.
4Cancel Culture is intolerance and bigotry and is practiced across the political spectrum, Extreme Left and Extreme Right.
5The Middle doesn’t do it. Churches do it all the time, especially Mormons and Fundies.
A pox on their houses!
Eastern spirituality is far superior to the $h!# pumped out by evangelical Xtians like those in the SBC running Texas.
6Conservative Christians fail to realize that guided imagery has been practiced by faithful believers for centuries as a form of prayer. One saint’s directive suggests when praying for healing for another imagine that person whole and healthy. In fact Protestantism in general was the first promoter of “cancel culture” in their rebellion against Catholicism, which some of them, especially Southern Baptists, adamantly refuse to recognize as part of the Christian tradition.
7Buttermilk Sky.
For 30 years I have ribbed Thomas Sowell as America’s least-respected economist (zero score in the citation index) but lately I have replaced him with Kudlow.
Even so, I had to search for that, which seemed too stupid even for Kudlow. Well, never underestimate the stupidity of rightwingers.
If you listen to the entire 4 1/2 minutes, the plant-based beer line was really closer to reality than anything else he said. We will, in fact, be ready for plant-based beer.
8Every time the RWNJs use the phrase “cancel culture” they need to be corrected. It’s “Accountability Culture”. Let them argue that.
9A tale as old as time ~ Many video remakes of the original film available.
***************************************
The forced suppression of knowledge by close-minded zealots of bigotry portrayed in film.
Edit: Teacher B.T. Cates is arrested for teaching Darwin’s theories. Famous lawyer Henry Drummond defends him; fundamentalist politician Matthew Brady prosecutes. A very thinly disguised rendition of the 1925 “Scopes monkey trial” with debates between Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan taken largely from the transcripts.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053946/plotsummary
10BarbinDC: Agreed! For too long we’ve let the Republicans frame the debates and choose the terms. I was furious when the Rs started labeling “global warming” as “climate change” … and now they are claiming it was the Democrats who made the shift. But in particular, I like the idea of clapping back at cancel culture with the question “should people be held accountable for their actions?” No way they can say “no” without shuffling their feet and looking at the ground.
Buttermilk Sky: Will the Roy Moore Foundation for Moral Law be located in the Gadsden Mall? Maybe in a closed-down Spencer’s Gift?
11“…Roy Moore’s Foundation for Moral Law, claimed yoga would lead to proselytizing in public schools…”
Except Hindus don’t proselytize. It’s not part of their religion.
So, just what you’d expect from Roy — extreme ignorance.
12Harry @ 2, IMHO repugnantcans” have counted on their messaging being so overwhelmingly focused on whatever wedge issue they’re pushing, that they can get enough people to forget about whatever was in the last news cycle. Much less what some RWNJ did even last year.
13Reminding ourselves constantly of the crap they’ve pulled and want everybody to forget about isn’t just helpful politically. For me at least, it’s a sanity helper.
Seems to me that in a way you and Jefe are doing the same thing. You’re just expanding some more.
And I say keep it coming.
That’s why lotsa times I’ll post links to stories that tell things most everyone who hangs out here already knows.
Sometimes they bring a different perspective.
But I think sometimes the perspective might seem more different given where I’m at at the time, and remembering just combats the changing of the narrative.
And for a more light hearted demonstration,
And Now This
https://youtu.be/JiM-ODV_9ps
Here in Westfield, Indiana, a group calling themselves (I kid you not), “Unify Westfield” is trying to ban LGBTQ related books from the elementary libraries. This group is all about “canceling”. Hell, these right wing nut jobs have been trying to “cancel” books since the Dark Ages.
https://www.youarecurrent.com/2021/04/20/a-community-divided-opposing-groups-launch-petitions-regarding-lgbtq-books-in-westfield-washington-schools-elementary-libraries/
14Richard: oh, I think we can trace cancel culture within Christianity to before the Protestant movement.
The Spanish Inquisition, 1478 – 1834, was busy cancelling culture before Martin Luther was born (1483) and long before he posted his 95 theses on the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg (1517), generally considered the opening shot in the reformation.
Yeah, torture and kill those who disagree. So very Christian.
But waaaaayyy before that . . . Paul (yeah, that guy who wrote a bunch of letters that are now in the New Testament) had this to say about his critics:
(2 Corinthians:13) For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. (14) And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. (15) It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions.
Yep, call your critics servants of Satan. That will help the conversation greatly.
If anybody is offering, I’ll have some of that plant-based beer.
15From the people who brought you book and record bans and burnings.
16TrulyTexan @16
“He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind:
and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.”
Submitted by a child become atheist at his first communion.
17Pretty sure they heard masturbation instead of meditation,
18so yoga was never gonna’ cut it.
Maybe these people would be more accepting of yoga if they knew how popular it was in Nazi Germany.
19I immediately thought of an old WKRP episode where a church group was threatening to boycott the station if they didn’t stop playing certain songs. It was being pushed by a large group, but suddenly Carlson discovered the “group” ended up being the minister. I’d say more about it, but El Jefe has done such a good job there’s no need to add more.
20