The KKK is feeling pretty empowered

[Princessconsuelabananahammock9]

This is what happens when a man like Donald Trump gets in power.

These are the people who feel empowered.

While MN celebrates the " only two genders ", people of colour in Kentucky are scared.

I've seen threads on here wishing the UK had Trump. Is this really what you want?

Is this really the type of people you want in power?

Those that voted for Trump over trans issues, what about shit like this? Or women dying from lack of abortion access? Or climate change? Or the casual revisiting of gay marriage rights?

According to GLAAD all resources referencing LGBTQ and HIV have been removed from the White House website. Gay, lesbian, no results come up in the search.

" Pages removed include WhiteHouse.gov’s equity report (no longer accessible), a fact sheet with information on expanding access to HIV prevention and treatment (no longer accessible), and information about LGBTQ Pride Month (no longer accessible). Agency page removals include Department of State’s LGBTQ rights (no longer accessible), and Department of Labor’s LGBTQ workers page (no longer accessible). "

glaad.org/releases/breaking-trump-administration-removes-lgbtq-and-hiv-resources-from-white-house-and-other-government-websites/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/22/kkk-immigrants-flyers-kentucky

This is scary shit. I don't get how any one envies?

I don't think people understand that what's going on on the right of politics is an organised, determined, extensive, international push back against the progressivism of the past 60 years - the progressivism that has made racial, religious, disability and sex discrimination in employment and citizens rights illegal.

Yesterday Trump overturned by executive order a law passed under Lyndon B Johnson that banned discrimination in federal hiring. That law was instituted to address the problem of discriminatory and racist practices in hiring and employment in government contracting.

This is where they are in the US.

This is where we'll be in the UK if the right gets in again at the next election.

It's not just Trump. It's an international effort.

Thank you for illustrating my point. You think only stupid people voted for Trump because they are stupid. Your solution to Trump and populists like him is what? apparently, it's sneering at people and calling people stupid until they agree with you. That should go well.

People like Trump get into power partly because of people like you, and you can never see it. You talk about fascists, but you never see that you think you should be able to impose your opinions, just that people who have other opinions shouldn't, as they're wrong and you're right. Authoritarianism is ok, but only if it's you doing it, because of you being right. You and people who think like you are part of how we got here.

"The fact that 'hating wokeness' hoovered up votes should teach you something"

@Nameychangington

Yes - it teaches you the lessons of fascism.

That you can use people's hatred and fear of minorities to win political power and to exercise an economic agenda that concentrates wealth and the power that comes with wealth, in the hands of a tiny minority of men.

As I said, government buildings in my view should not be flying flags except national, regional and possibly town flags. I have never supported flying political flags and those flags are, of course, political flags.

Why? Because who arbitrates which political representational flag should be flown? And look at the reaction to having them taken down.

”The fact you think Trump or his team has listened to feminists after years of transphobic campaigning work is absolutely laughable”

What is laughable is your own inability to consider that feminists campaigning has been considered by the Trump team. You and some other people have tried to keep the focus on Trump, the individual. And yes, Trump will try to make decisions that are not supported even by his party. However, Trump has a team and he has also been elected as a representative of his political party. He is not a dictator.

So, yes. His team has been listening and talking to feminists. There are people in his team and in his party that absolutely do care about the needs of women and children. Biden’s policies also put female people in dangerous positions and harmed female people. It is dishonest not to acknowledge the harm that Biden’s policies did to female people.

Yes! And you don't prevent or reverse that, by calling people stupid and assuming they make the voting decisions they make because they're stupid bigots!

@Nameychangington

"Authoritarianism is ok, but only if it's you doing it, because of you being right. You and people who think like you are part of how we got here."

Who on the left is making a case for authoritarianism?

You really want to make the argument that those campaigning to protect the rights of minorities are responsible for fascism? 🙄

People are baying to withdraw from the ECHR. They don't understand that those who want to tear up human rights aren't on their side.

"And you don't prevent or reverse that, by calling people stupid and assuming they make the voting decisions they make because they're stupid bigots!"

But many people are bigots.

Racism and misogyny are common. Social research shows this to be true.

As is misinformation and conspiracy thinking.

In 2021 Statistica posted a poll showing 23% of Republicans voters believed in the Q-Anon conspiracy that the government, media and financial worlds in the USA are controlled by a group of Satan worshipping pedophiles who run a global sex trafficking ring.

Pew research found that 34% of Republicans believed that Obama was secretly a Muslim. That was in 2010.

A Vox poll in 2015 found that 54% of Republicans believed that 'deep down' Obama was a Muslim.

Racism, misogyny, misinformation, conspiracy theory, propaganda, ignorance - these absolutely do have a big impact on voting preferences.

@username299

"People are baying to withdraw from the ECHR. They don't understand that those who want to tear up human rights aren't on their side."

Yup

As I said, you can use people's hatred and fear of minorities to win political power and to exercise an economic agenda that concentrates wealth and the power that comes with wealth, in the hands of a tiny minority of men.

This is how it works.

Look at the situation with terfs, who are now siding with the same people arguing that barriers should be put in the way of women accessing higher education, reproductive care and access to no-fault divorce - something which will effect hundreds of millions of women for generations, because they happen to be on the same page when it comes to removing the rights and freedoms of transgender women to live as women.

And you do not solve that, by telling people that they are stupid bigots whose opinions won't be listened to. You don't solve bigotry by hectoring bigots about how they're stupid.

Do we think the left will ever learn that calling people stupid racists isn't a stellar strategy for securing their votes?

Or are they going to keep making this mistake for ever?

@izimbra

Yeah, the feminists who vote for dangerous men and parties that do not favour women, is a new phenomenon.

I heard a notable 'feminist' talk about how she'd destroy any woman who stood in her way.

Some have gone down the rabbit hole. I had interesting conversations with feminists who voted for Farage and support Trump. The Badenoch fan girls are scary.

"And you do not solve that, by telling people that they are stupid bigots whose opinions won't be listened to. You don't solve bigotry by hectoring bigots about how they're stupid."

Don't tell racists they're being racist?

Don't complain about racism?

Don't discuss the fact that people's racism drives their voting decisions?

This is what you mean by 'hectoring'?

What do you mean when you use the word 'hector'?

Racism, misogyny, misinformation, conspiracy theory, propaganda, ignorance - these absolutely do have a big impact on voting preferences.

And it has forever been thus in democratic constitutions - ie that individual biases shape voting behaviours, and you can add class, desire to maintain a power imbalance, religious affiliations, coercive control in domestic settings (ie voting as father/husband dictates), lack of education, illiteracy, even being blinded by perceived superiority as a result of having a higher education, as these all impact voting patterns. The only way to remove these is to remove democracy and return to authoritarianism.

Democracy is a flawed model, but it’s the best we have because implicit within it is the idea that the more people who vote, the more these trends self regulate, and the more extreme positions become diluted. Improved (or compulsory) voter turnout is the most powerful means by which to ensure that the democracy we get represents the voting population’s wants and needs accurately. Though we may still find that this results in a far right or far left government.

“I heard a notable 'feminist' talk about how she'd destroy any woman who stood in her way”

A feminist or a women’s rights campaigner? Some women’s rights campaigners don’t categorise themselves as feminists so it is quite important to get that distinction right.

People’s political support is often rather more complicated than simple full on support for a party. And feminists have to discuss and seek to influence whatever government is in power to achieve their objectives.

For me a feminist is someone who is fully on board with women's rights whether they call themselves that or not.

This woman is a feminist, or calls herself one anyway.

I understand the complexity behind political choice. However, I tend to vote for parties that support women's rights for example, seek to strengthen equality laws, tackle domestic violence, support maternity pay.

I don't support men who brag about sexually assaulting women or threaten their rights.

And the phrase ‘Badenoch fangirls’, or even just ‘fangirls’ is deeply misogynistic, so forgive me if I take comments about purported ‘feminists’ with a pinch of salt!

That's ok. You don't seem to understand what misogynist means if you think the word fan girl is 'deeply misogynist'.

FGM is deeply misogynist, not letting women speak in public is deeply misogynist, forced marriage is deeply misogynist - the word fangirl isn't.

He's also against the whole same sex relationship etc idea

“Look at the situation with terfs, who are now siding with the same people arguing that barriers should be put in the way of women accessing higher education, reproductive care and access to no-fault divorce - something which will effect hundreds of millions of women for generations, because they happen to be on the same page when it comes to removing the rights and freedoms of transgender women to live as women.”

The goal of campaigning for prioritisation of sex over gender when sex is important for sex based rights is a feminist goal. As is ensuring that children are receiving the best care possible. These outcomes may be sought by people that have different motivations to feminists. It doesn’t make feminists ‘aligned’ with those other people or groups.

The constant guilt by association tactic which continues to be used by describing the aims of feminists as being aligned with groups that they are opposed to on many issues is losing impact. The reality is that the harms of where gender has been prioritised over sex when it is sex that matters is impacting wider society now. As is the need for special care provisions for children who declare gender is identities. Therefore it was always going to have wide interest.

The question is why are those who say they are more progressive than others, so determined to not have open discussion about those negative impacts to find equitable solutions?

You are right.

Of course it’s misogynistic. It is pejoratively deriding women’s political positions by a referencing them as ‘girls’ and ‘fans’. It infantilises women and implies their views are not worthy of being listened to. It is almost precisely the same as not permitting them to actually speak and, indeed, is the proceeding step to doing so … and to dismissing their concerns about being forced to marry.

That you cannot understand this, that it is part and parcel of it all, a contributing factor, then frankly that’s on you.

Well, I am lucky in that I vote for a party that then chooses its leader and no leader is ‘elected’ as such. I would find it hard to vote in the USA because of that.

However, I also don’t demonise people based on their voting history. And I understand that sometimes the choice between two poor choices is a tough one.

So which ‘feminist’ are you making the accusation about ?

A fangirl is a woman/girl who is a fan of something. If I described a Batman fangirl, a Graphic novel fangirl or a jazz fangirl - I'm describing a woman who is enthused about something.

I've spoken to many fervent Badenoch fans who describe her in the most enthusiastic terms. I would describe them as fangirls.

You seem to be correlating this with the Taliban. Thanks for the laugh.

You're a much, much better person than me because I do judge people on their voting choice. I judge those who vote for far right parties or for parties that have a history of discriminating against women.