Thank you so much! That’s great to hear. If cultural just makes you angry that’s a bad sign. There’s little any of us can do other than live our lives, watch our films, and have conversations with those folks still open-minded enough to engage (which is most of them). Have a great day.
Maybe a reflection of the You Tube suppression (IDK), but your link to the Aussie woman's Olympics spectacle was "removed". Most have us have already watched at least part of it, especially right after it happened. But I don't see how she is an example of DEI? She's more like Eddie the Eagle, but less likeable.
It has to do with her rhetoric and motivations around performing. She wrote a thesis on gendered performativity within the Australian break-dancing world and defended her performance as a gesture against norms and expectations (which it certainly was). She approached the competition like a political activist and a Critical Theorist, in direct contradiction of the spirit of the Olympic Games (fraternity, excellence, tradition). Her selection prioritized a certain ideology which is closely linked to and driving DEI policies.
Once criticized she blamed the backlash on misogyny and rightwing trolls, rather than just 'folks with eyes that work'.
Ironically her selection disadvantaged the many black and brown Australian breakdancers who are better at the craft than her. You know there's probably dozens! Basically all of them.
When there was a backlash against her here in Australia a few woke journalists tried to defend her with the usual "brave" and "disruptive" piffle. Perhaps Critical Theorists could stage their own range of sporting events. Good for a laugh if nothing else.
If you look back at TV shows like Archie Bunker and the West Wing you can see the seeds of this crippling disease. They were both characterized by their preaching, superior tones.
It’s funny you say that. I was just reflecting on how the cultural divide in the US is essentially the same as it was in 1970: liberals, academics, Jewish folks and upper class white professionals versus the working class, immigrants, blue collar people. The tone is the same, the divide hasn’t changed-even their rhetoric and their relationships to power seem fixed.
The difference is that now the latter group have a direct line to media and culture in a way they didn’t then.
I suspect you’re right about 1980’s cultural products being premonitory of DEI because they were produced by the same kinds of people. Podcasts, Southpark, YouTube creators, Substack… are all eroding that media complex, and quickly.
Why haven’t more people read this? I just reread and it deserves greater dissemination!
Thanks Karen! Freddie DeBoer just added it to a list of subscriber writing, so we'll see. Much appreciated!
All your links were wonderful and gave me my first laughs of the day. Great writing!
Thank you so much! That’s great to hear. If cultural just makes you angry that’s a bad sign. There’s little any of us can do other than live our lives, watch our films, and have conversations with those folks still open-minded enough to engage (which is most of them). Have a great day.
Maybe a reflection of the You Tube suppression (IDK), but your link to the Aussie woman's Olympics spectacle was "removed". Most have us have already watched at least part of it, especially right after it happened. But I don't see how she is an example of DEI? She's more like Eddie the Eagle, but less likeable.
It has to do with her rhetoric and motivations around performing. She wrote a thesis on gendered performativity within the Australian break-dancing world and defended her performance as a gesture against norms and expectations (which it certainly was). She approached the competition like a political activist and a Critical Theorist, in direct contradiction of the spirit of the Olympic Games (fraternity, excellence, tradition). Her selection prioritized a certain ideology which is closely linked to and driving DEI policies.
Once criticized she blamed the backlash on misogyny and rightwing trolls, rather than just 'folks with eyes that work'.
Ironically her selection disadvantaged the many black and brown Australian breakdancers who are better at the craft than her. You know there's probably dozens! Basically all of them.
When there was a backlash against her here in Australia a few woke journalists tried to defend her with the usual "brave" and "disruptive" piffle. Perhaps Critical Theorists could stage their own range of sporting events. Good for a laugh if nothing else.
If you look back at TV shows like Archie Bunker and the West Wing you can see the seeds of this crippling disease. They were both characterized by their preaching, superior tones.
It’s funny you say that. I was just reflecting on how the cultural divide in the US is essentially the same as it was in 1970: liberals, academics, Jewish folks and upper class white professionals versus the working class, immigrants, blue collar people. The tone is the same, the divide hasn’t changed-even their rhetoric and their relationships to power seem fixed.
The difference is that now the latter group have a direct line to media and culture in a way they didn’t then.
I suspect you’re right about 1980’s cultural products being premonitory of DEI because they were produced by the same kinds of people. Podcasts, Southpark, YouTube creators, Substack… are all eroding that media complex, and quickly.