A rendering of the planned Rose Parade float.
Let’s close out 2013 by noting that the wingnut population has not grown in maturity one bit this year. In fact, they seem to have regressed considerably, with no signs of changing course in 2013. Momentum! They have some! It’s just sort of a pathetic kind. Indeed, as time goes by, they seem to be becoming less and less tethered to factual reality, and, as Amanda Marcotte explains, more and more beholden to a tribal mentality of us vs. them, wherein anything that a liberal does is forbidden:
Now showing that you’re Not Like Them has turned into a full-time preoccupation, with the list of things that can’t be done because some liberal might also do them growing. Just check out this list from Media Matters of the things that are deemed products of “wussification”: yoga, paid internships, helmets, not being racist, not being able to curse at children. Then there’s the growing hostility on the right to the very concept of health, with the WSJ publishing op-eds lambasting running and, of course, the relentless demonizing of Michelle Obama for her campaign to encourage healthy eating. And now it’s apparently unpatriotic and probably communist to wear, um, plaid pajamas because some guy in an Obamacare ad is wearing them. We’re veering dangerously close to conservatives casting aspersions on those known liberal activities like “leaving the house” and “wearing clothes”. The evolution thing is a no-brainer. Liberals believe in evolution and everyone knows it, so conservatives are deciding, as a matter of tribal identity, that they cannot.
Amanda is referring to this poll which shows that fewer Republicans than ever “believe in” (acknowledge the reality of) modern evolutionary biology, without which much of modern medical science would not even exist:
A new Pew Research Center poll shows a widening political gap over theories about how humans came to be, with Republicans growing increasingly skeptical about the idea that humans evolved over time.
Over the last four years, the percentage of Democrats who said they believe in evolution has risen by three points, from 64 percent to 67 percent. But the percentage of Republicans who believe in the theory has dropped 11 points, from 54 percent to 43 percent.
So while there was a 10-point gap in 2009, there is now a 24-point gap.
Pew says similar shifts have not occurred for any other demographics, either racial or religious.
It’s not that facts or evidence have changed. Far right Republicans have simply intensified their psychological need to “stick it to the lib’ruls,” and they’re willing to look increasingly silly in order to confirm their tribal identity as wingnuts. Amanda also points out that that’s part of what made the Duck Dynasty controversy so interesting, as they really didn’t try to defend what he said — especially his racist comments — but defended him in a knee-jerk way that said, “he’s one of us.”
In other news, the lib’ruls have also apparently taken over the Rose Bowl parade, because parades were never in any way gay until this year, and the gays have just gone and taken Real America and stomped on it, therefore New Years is ruined:
A San Diego woman Thursday called for a boycott of the Rose Parade because two Los Angeles men will be married atop a float themed “Love is the Best Protection.” The cake-shaped float is sponsored by the AIDS Healthcare Foundationand is the group’s third entry in the New Year’s parade.
Karen Grube, of San Diego, said the Tournament of Roses should remove the AHF float from the parade. She has also called on corporate sponsors to remove their support of the parade if the wedding goes on as planned. And, she has set up a Facebook page seeking support for her cause.
“Gay marriage is illegal in over 30 states, why would they promote something that is blatantly illegal?” Grube said. “That’s just stupid.”
Not in your state, Karen.
“It used to be a family thing, to get up on New Year’s Day morning and watch the parade,” she said. “It no longer is.”
It will a happy day for the families of the men getting married on that float, Karen. In fact, the gentlemen getting married are aware of the fact that Karen is all mad, and are acknowledging it:
Danny Leclair said the negative reaction over the planned wedding to his long-time partner Aubrey Loots has not diminished his enthusiasm for his special day.
“It’s something that they don’t understand and so I expected it,” he said. “We’re not dissuaded or upset or concerned. We’re simply acknowledging it.”
While Leclair describes some of the negative comments he has read as “heinous,” others he says, are “people taking a stand for something they believe in.”
“There’s a lot of people who think we’re doing this as a political statement,” he said. “It couldn’t be further from the truth. Our stance is love is love and love will save lives.”
And if Karen doesn’t want to watch it, she is welcome to exercise her freedom by doing something else that morning.
Wonkette also acknowledges Karen’s pain, pointing out the slippery slope of these sorts of things:
Today it’s just the Rose Parade, but tomorrow, by God, it’ll be Broadway–and before you know it, they’ll be getting married.
And once you’ve lost Broadway…
The Illinois Family Institute hate group is also very upset about this parade that’s happening in a marriage equality state (just like Illinois LOL), so let’s officially close 2013 by giving the IFI’s Laurie Higgins the benefit of one more round of mockery before the year’s out. Here’s what’s on Laurie’s heart, y’all:
“It isn’t enough for homosexuals to have their own offensive annual parades every June in every major city dedicated to celebrating deviance. And it wasn’t enough to ruin Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade for families with a live performance from a play that celebrates cross-dressing. No, it seems their goal is to ruin every public event for families by publicly celebrating perversion: Inquiring minds want to know if Christian leaders would remain similarly (and oddly) silent if the sin being celebrated were consensual incest or the enslavement of other humans? What should Christian leaders do when a biblical truth is dragged into the public square and into the political scene? And what should Christian leaders do when their flocks are being deceived by the pervasive dissemination of lies, including even the dissemination of lies to our littlest ones–lies which are darkening their minds and molding their hearts. If the church does not participate in exposing these lies, which are confusing even adults, who, pray tell, will?”
The Macy’s Parade was only “ruined” for the dwindling cohort of wingnuts who can’t even celebrate Thanksgiving without worrying about the sex lives of people they’ve never met. For normal people, it was just the Macy’s Parade. And just like last year, families all over the country will watch the Tournament Of Roses parade, and they won’t be permanently scarred when, for two minutes or so, a float celebrating the advance of marriage equality goes by on the teevee. It’ll make Laurie cranky, but it’s really not America’s job to soothe her bad moods, now is it?
Happy New Year, everyone! I’ll be seein’ ya in 2014.
