orange site:https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42971446

Most Based Comments

Basedness: 🔥🔥🔥🔘🔘

I'm not a fan of Trump in any way, shape or form, but for me getting rid of DEI and the insanity around gender is a good thing. But don't let one good thing blind you to all the other bad stuff. (20)

I am exactly talking about woke culture. Not about trump/musk or other politicians (-14)

Basedness: 🔥🔥🔥🔘🔘

Not trying to doxx myself, but i work for an American company that is still firmly committed to DEI. (8)

Lol. Get the fudge out. (-11)

Basedness: 🔥🔥🔥🔘🔘

How much have you encountered this in real life? Let's not get carried away by the Russian propaganda farms please. They've fricked US politics and we need to learn to see through the manipulative bullshit. (30)

they come in herds, more specific "prides" (-6)

Angriest Comments

Angriness: 😡😡😡😡😡

Een oprechte vraag: wat houdt de 'woke-cultuur' in voor jou? Dat politieke correctheid en 'cancel-culture' schadelijk zijn, ben ik mee eens. Maar (anti)woke lijkt tegenwoordig een catchy term om anderen mee te 'cancellen' zodat enkel hun idee van politieke correctheid overblijft. Dus doet anti-woke dan niet hetzelfde als wat pro-woke zou doen? (4)

Woke zever houd voor mij in: het maken van een wereldzaak van non zaken.Bv transrechten. Je mag hier al jaar en dag trans zijn.Manne die vrouwen worden willen vrouw zijn. Vrouwen die man zijn man.Van de 2 transmensen die ik ooit ontmoette vroeg niemand om een zelf verzonnen pronoun te gebruiken. Ahnee want ze willen juist dat geslacht zijn niets nieuws.Maar voor wie doen we dat?Serieuze vraag he?Er is weinig draagvlak, kijk naar de verkiezingen.Het breekt zelf af, en neemt enorme hoeveelheden tijd en middelen in voor… ja wie eigenlijk?Kijk naar het nieuws.Oei meneer is al 12 keer veroordeeld voor dronke rijden? Oei nu iemand dood gereden? Ale 6 maand enkelband…Oei meneer postte een foute meme?Oh een blanco strafblad?Ale een jaar cel!Wie veaagt daar eigenlijk om?Wie die normaal denkt vind een kinderleven minder waard dan een kwetsend woord?Wel magistraten die wij betalen en onze wethouders gewoon wel. Onironisch.En is het zcht om de wereld te verbeteren?Want terwijl ze hier al jaren ... (-1)

Angriness: 😡😡😡😡😡

Ik val geen mensen lastig. Ik reageer gewoon op comments. Dat is een beetje waar Reddit voor bedoeld is, weet je wel (1)

Je bent eig een beetje zoals de opper linkse mensen.De nsdap (nationale socialistische democratische arbeiderspartij)Die hadden ook zo een groep mensen die ze niet leuk vonden en hadden gebannen in ghetto's.Maar om 1 of andere reden begonnen die mensen dan zelf in die ghetto te gaan om de mensen te achtervollen die ze verbannen hadden.Jij doet me daar wat aan denken. (1)

Angriness: 😡😡😡😡😡

Transgendere mensen zijn grofweg 0.5%. En dat van pottyten en sport wordt vooral door onszelf gepushed aangezien we ook gewoon mee willen draaien in de maatschappij.Het hoeft helemaal geen groot issue te zijn oid. Er zijn een hele hoop mensen die ophef erover proberen te maken, omdat ze weten hoe ze rechtse mensen moeten agiteren. Dat als ze je constant het idee geven dat er gebruik gemaakt wordt van je goede wil, dat je boos zal blijven en zal blijven engageren met hun content.Uiteindelijk is het inderdaad divide en conquer. Maar dat komt niet door trans mensen ofzo. Er wordt een hoop werk verricht om ons zwart te maken, en wij kunnen ook niet veel anders doen dan onszelf verweren (4)

Ja door die linkse wappies….Je leest volledig naast het punt.Mannen mogen ool gwn nooit meedoen met vrouwen in de sport.Als 99,5% dat vind meot die 0,5% zich daar gewoon naar plooien en niet hun willetje doordrijven en dan verbaasd zijn als dat mensen agiteert.Trans pottyten? Wie wil dat? Ge gwn naar het man/vrouw pottyWat is daar het nit van?Een derde type wc voor 0,5%?Nee dan moeten we eerst maken dat pakweg rolstoelgebruikers overal toegankelijk zijn.Maar bon nu oogst je u gezaai…En de linkse traantjes vloeien.Jullie harassen en stalken rechtse mensen.Gwn omdat jullie net zoals de nazi's JULLIE willetje erdoor willen en democratie moet desnoods maar plooien.Maar er zijn 2 geslachten man en vrouw en al de rest is zever.Uitzonderingen, afwijkingen en ziektes bestaan.Zoals xxy ofzo.Maar dat zijn afwijkingen mutaties, geen nieuw geslacht…Het feit dat je alles negeert zoals dat foute woorden juridisch meer ebstraft worden dan pakweg een kind doodrijden dat negeer je.He moet weer foc... (2)

Biggest Lolcow: /u/lam469

Score: 🐮🐮🐮🐮🐮(+5🐮)

Number of comments: 57

Average angriness: 🔘🔘🔘🔘🔘

Maximum angriness: 😡😡😡😡😡

Minimum angriness: 🔘🔘🔘🔘🔘

NEW: Subscribe to /h/miners to see untapped drama veins, ripe for mining!

autodrama: automating away the jobs of dramneurodivergents. Ping HeyMoon if there are any problems or you have a suggestion

The value I bring to this platform is unmatched. I'm

hilarious and handsome and have level headed takes. People irl actively seek my attention and input.

Once again, rdrama is showing their bias against excellent users who bring positive change here. Please do better. I do not want to have this conversation AGAIN moving forward.

they don't even know how to do a free https redirection using cloudflare !codecels

US President Donald Trump said Kyiv "essentially agreed" to provide mineral rights – rare earth elements in particular – in exchange for Washington's continuing support in a Monday Fox News interview.

"I told them that I want the equivalent of like $500 billion worth of rare earth [minerals], and they've essentially agreed to do that," Trump said.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is open to a deal in response to Trump's earlier proposals by saying, "If we are talking about a deal, then let's do a deal, we are only for it."

"The Americans helped the most, and therefore the Americans should earn the most … And they should have this priority, and they will. I would also like to talk about this with President Trump," Zelensky added in his interview with Reuters.

Rare earth elements consist of 17 elements, the deposit and monetary values of which remain classified information in Ukraine. It is also unclear if Trump also referred to other sought-after metals found abundant in Ukraine, such as lithium and titanium.

average reddit response

Redditors mad x24

https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1ikzfoc/trump_wants_a_deal_for_ukraines_natural_resources/

Zelensky is a heck of a lot smarter than Trump so

Trump offered 500 million for all resources and his personal guarantee so 4 years of peace

https://old.reddit.com/r/XGramatikInsights/comments/1iky0u7/ukrainian_president_zelensky_offers_the_us_access/

Redditors mad mad mad

https://old.reddit.com/r/lazerpig/comments/1il8gr4/trump_reveals_hes_spoken_with_putin_by_phone_says/

No, he still thinks he can win. That's why the Russian army is still in Ukraine.

Hitler won his last battle on April 1945. His longest streak without winning a battle is couple weeks.

Ukraine won't its last battle in September 2022. They haven won a battle in over 2 years.

PUUUUUUUUTIN IS LOSING

https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1ikrk40/russia_to_draft_100000_troops_putin_is_not/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Russian_mobilization

700k left 80% returned

Will 18-21 year old return that were 3 years ago 14-17 ?

But Russia is just increasing it army size and it has nothing to do with Ukraine since Russian using volunteers and 300k contract soldiers so regular army is inside Russia.

Also Redditors copping with China taking over Russia. That will be a gg for whole west that's why Trump trying to cozy with Russia.

But with all the resources in Ukraine we have to do simple math. So if Ukraine has oil for 100 buxx and it cost 200 buxx to remove it than it's absolutely not worth it and Ukrainian resources ain't easy to get on top of it they have small amount of it. Greenland of Australia is more worthy.

TLDR: Trump offers 500 millions for west Ukraine

😉#SonicTheHedgehog #SonicIDW #SilverTheHedgehog #WhisperTheWolf #tanglethelemur #SilverxWhisper #WhisperxSilver #Silvisper #Whispilver pic.twitter.com/VWxfwcb1rr

— Draws (@Drawzzzzzzz) February 9, 2025

Context: There's two characters that are comics only. Usually they're headcannoned as lesbians because of course they are. Silver is often seen with them, so some fan drew silver railing one of the female characters as the other watched lol.

!chuds !dramatards

As a practising MtF, this is highly upsetting

                                             - SERGE

Seven authors have pulled out of the competition, citing free speech concerns.

Cancel culture—the practice of ruining someone's career for not sufficiently adhering to Leftist principles—appears to be dying after decades of victimizing innocent people. In what seems to be the first attempted cancelation of the new Trump administration, Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC) announced on Wednesday that it was removing author Devon Eriksen's book from consideration for an award. The SPSFC said that it made the decision because Eriksen violated the competition's code of conduct—which had been published to X the day before this announcement.

SPSFC Twitter "We apologize for the extended delay and radio silence. Devon Eriksen has been removed from the SPSFC effective immediately for violation of our code of conduct," the SPSFC posted on X.

We apologize for the extended delay and radio silence. Devon Eriksen has been removed from the SPSFC effective immediately for violation of our code of conduct.

— The Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (@theSPSFC) February 4, 2025

Eriksen is the author of "Theft of Fire: Orbital Space #1," a popular self-published book that has received glowing reviews, including one from the creator of Doom. He didn't even enter the book into the competition; his wife did, thinking she might surprise him if he won. After seeing that he had been booted from the competition, he published a fictional account of learning that he had been entered into a competition without his knowledge and had somehow violated that competition's code of conduct, which he never agreed to.

Read the whole thing

I was walking down the sidewalk the other day, relishing how warm weather comes early in Tennessee, when a weird little goblin with big eyes and floppy green ears jumped out of the bushes in front of me.

"You're banned from the competition!" he proclaimed, with a self-satisfied… https://t.co/lRyhWclpXh pic.twitter.com/sgya1ote7I

— Devon Eriksen (@Devon_Eriksen_) February 4, 2025

Well, this morning the goblins came back.

I was frying up some bacon and eggs when the doorbell rang, and there he was again, sitting on shoulders of another goblin, who was standing on a rickety wooden crate, which, judging by the state of their clothing, they perhaps had… https://t.co/84be2wLD2s pic.twitter.com/QPz4N5zGJh

— Devon Eriksen (@Devon_Eriksen_) February 5, 2025

That code of conduct stated that contestants could not harass judges or other authors, which Devon didn't do—and couldn't do—since he didn't even know he was entered. But one of the judges posted on Bluesky, in a message provided to The Daily Wire, that even though Eriksen "didn't directly contact judges or other authors," his posts were "driving away judges, authors, and prospective contestants/members in huge numbers."

The SPSFC competition has been around for a few years and is currently in its fourth iteration. Nearly 200 books from independent authors are submitted and divided among various reviewers, each reviewing around 30 books. Each group then selects around four books as quarterfinalists, reads those four books, and selects two semi-finalists. Eventually, the list is narrowed down, and a winner is selected. There is no cash prize, but it allows the authors to collect reviews and publicity.

According to Christine, Eriksen's book had been selected as a quarterfinalist and was the only author to receive a "strong yes" in his batch. After dozens of authors had been cut, at least one began complaining about Eriksen's inclusion in the competition based on his numerous blog posts and tweets, which contain comments about immigration and transgenderism that frequently offend the Left. Dozens of people on Bluesky and the SPSFC groomercord started calling Eriksen a "nazi" for his posts and published some screenshots of them on Reddit along with a summary of the situation at the SPSFC. Following the prolonged outcry, the SPSFC put together a code of conduct and then used it to boot Eriksen from the competition.

But the code of conduct claims that its "goal is not to eradicate these 'bad' opinions" and that they are "not here to police people's opinions," they do just that after claiming Eriksen's posts amount to "hate speech" and "backwards attitudes."

Eriksen was not the only author targeted. E.J. Fisch, author of "Dakiti: Ziva Payvan Book 1," who wasn't even part of the SPSFC competition, spoke out against the handling of Eriksen and quickly saw her book dropped out of a promotion that is reportedly being run by one of the authors involved in the mob against Eriksen.

lol welp pic.twitter.com/2FBwiZgQFP

— EJ Fisch (@EJFisch) February 6, 2025

The announcement that Eriksen was booted from the competition was met with immediate backlash, with many other authors pulling their books from the competition. Moe Lane, whose book "Ghosts of an Alien Wind" was in the competition, asked the organizers to remove his book from consideration, though his reasoning is unclear. His announcement was posted on the Groomercord for the competition and was shared with The Daily Wire.

Other authors were more explicit about why they asked for their books to be removed from the competition. Gregory Michael, author of "Chloe's Kingdom," asked for his book to be removed because "free speech is crucial."

Removal of @Devon_Eriksen_ over politics is upsetting. Theft of Fire was likely the best book in the competition … I don’t agree with everything Devon tweets, but free speech is crucial. Please remove Chloe’s Kingdom @theSPSFC

Heist novels need to stick together 🚀💰 https://t.co/kVnKpMeJ6R

— Gregory Michael (@_GregoryMichael) February 4, 2025

G.S. Jennsen, author of "The Thief," posted a lengthy letter on X outlining why she wanted her book removed from the competition as well.

In light of recent events, I am withdrawing THE THIEF, which is currently a Quarterfinalist in @theSPSFC , from further consideration in the competition. More below.#SPSFC https://t.co/Hm1NEXTwPl pic.twitter.com/qMtYUjgHwq

— G. S. Jennsen (@GSJennsen) February 5, 2025

C.R. Walton, author of "Wilderness Five," also noted that Eriksen's removal had nothing to do with his actions relating to the competition, writing that the decision to drop him was "very clearly just caving to a hateful mob that hates the guy."

As some other authors, I'm distancing myself from @theSPSFC for its aggressive termination of @Devon_Eriksen_ for thoughts expressed on his own media channels completely unrelated to the competition.

No specifics of the violation are even given. It is very clearly just caving… https://t.co/XZkeHlzzup

— C. R. Walton (Scientist & Author) (@lithologuy) February 5, 2025

Zachary Forbes requested his book, "Slipspace: Terra Nullius" be removed from the competition as well, also writing a lengthy X post about how the SPSFC's recently introduced code of conduct "was done hastily and sloppily, left intentionally vague, for the sole purpose of banning one particular contestant."

Personal announcement in regards to SPSFC

The left image below is an objective analysis of the their new ‘code of conduct’, written 2 (two) days ago…

It’s clear from any lens that this was done hastily and sloppily, left intentionally vague, for the sole purpose of banning one… https://t.co/pF7NVucixb pic.twitter.com/vnnbY3hDfV

— Zach Forbes (@ZachForbesBro) February 5, 2025

Steve Gavin also requested his book "Cosmic Strife Assault" be removed from competition, writing a short post on X calling the situation involving Eriksen a "mess."

Thank you to the @theSPSFC judges and reviewers. I have watched the mess from afar and the disqual of @Devon_Eriksen_ and the CoC. This is not a political statement. Please remove my book from consideration in this contest. I wish everyone else the best of luck. pic.twitter.com/Bcf6zj8T6j

— Steve Gavin (@stevegavin09) February 5, 2025

Grace Walker publicly distanced herself from the SPSFC, seeking to have her book, "ASH (Rogues: Legends Book 1)," removed from the competition as well.

https://x.com/gwalkerauthor/status/1622877587983173632

Danielle Ste. Just also cut ties with the SPSFC, although her book, "The Disk Mirror Solution (Galaxia Mortem Book 1)," had already been cut from the competition.

Watching the #SPSFC controversy over the past couple days has been disheartening.

As a science fiction author, I want to concentrate on writing science fiction people will fall in love with, not on passing a purity test whose requirements are only known to the gatekeepers.
1/4

— Danielle Ste. Just (@DanielleSteJust) February 6, 2025

Haldane B. Doyle, author of "Our Vitreous Womb," announced he was also withdrawing from the competition, thanking the volunteer judges but saying he only wants "to participate in indie sci fi competitions that judge the books and not the authors, regardless of the criteria applied."

I am officially withdrawing "Our Vitreous Womb" from the #SPSFC competition. I'm deeply appreciative of the volunteer judges @theSPSFC , but I only want to participate in indie sci fi competitions that judge the books and not the authors, regardless of the criteria applied.

— zeroinputagriculture (@zeroinputag) February 6, 2025

Even one of the competition's judging teams decided to pull out of the competition—not because they agreed with what Eriksen had said—but because of how SPSFC handled the situation. The eight authors—other than Ste. Just—who have so far withdrawn from the competition were quarterfinalists, meaning they had already advanced over about 30 other competitors in each of their respective judging groups.

Eric Kay, author of "Above Dark Waters," wrote on X that his book had already been cut, but questioned why the people behind the competition couldn't just cut Eriksen and write a nice review for his book, as they had done for Kay's book.

I was in the competition and was already cut. Why couldn't they simply cut Devon at the Quarterfinals and write a nice review like below?

Because they wanted to make an example and keep purity and 'do something' above sense. pic.twitter.com/Nl1XjTathb

— Eric Kay (Hard Sci-Fi) (@Eric_K_PNW) February 7, 2025

The idea that fellow competitors would drop out of a competition in solidarity with one of their own is almost unheard of when it comes to these types of cancelations and shows the ideology of "cancel culture" may no longer be tolerated. Christine Eriksen wrote on X that "cancelations are canceled" and pointed out that her husband's book has had one of its best sales days to date.

Cancelations are ✨C A N C E L E D✨

A big thank you to everyone who's shown support for @Devon_Eriksen_'s unfair treatment in this. I was excited to submit Theft of Fire to a fun little competition, but when they created a CoC explicity to appease a mob and kick him out? 😭 https://t.co/jp57ZK5lMw pic.twitter.com/QIg4uANEXD

— Christine Eriksen (@AnEriksenWife) February 5, 2025

Other authors who dropped out of the competition said they had seen an increase in sales. Michael, who was the first to withdraw from the competition, noted that "Chloe's Kingdom" was now #1 on Amazon, "not from winning a competition – but for standing up for free speech. Doing the right thing feels good."

CHLOE'S KINGDOM is #1 on Amazon! 🚀 Not from winning a competition—but for standing up for free speech. Doing the right thing feels good.

To my new readers, I can't wait for your thoughts & reviews! Oh, and did I mention there’s a raccoon? 🦝 pic.twitter.com/SPS0YGhdjw

— Gregory Michael (@_GregoryMichael) February 6, 2025

In a post shared with The Daily Wire, John A. Douglas, author of "The Black Crown," commented that the SPSFC doesn't "fully understand the schism kicking Devon out has caused in the indie author spaces." "DevonGate is a seismic shift in the indie landscape," Douglas added. "And he didn't even DO anything!"

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2526904/mastermind-behind-right-wing-twitter-account-inevitable-west-exposed-as-indian-crypto-scammer

of course it's a paki paper lmao, copy &&pasted :

The mastermind behind the right-wing X, formerly Twitter, account 'Inevitable West' has been exposed as an alleged Indian crypto scammer and political grifter following a major blunder.

Saurabh Chandrakar, linked to the controversial Mahadev betting app, mistakenly promoted the app on his main social media account, inadvertently leading to his identification. This error sparked online investigations, which uncovered his alleged involvement in a massive money-laundering operation connected to the app.

According to Indian news outlets, Chandrakar, a prominent figure behind the Mahadev betting app, is currently under house arrest in Dubai after being detained following an Interpol-issued Red Notice. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in India is actively seeking his extradition to face charges related to money laundering, with estimates suggesting the illicit proceeds could amount to ₹6,000 crore (approximately $680 million). His case has become more complex as it is allegedly linked to several high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats in Chhattisgarh. So far, 11 individuals have been arrested, and two charge sheets have been filed.

The Mahadev app has become a focal point of controversy, drawing attention to Chandrakar's background. Reports suggest that he, along with business partner Ravi Uppal, allegedly ran the app as part of a larger scheme that defrauded thousands of people. The scale of the operation has raised further questions, particularly after reports surfaced of Chandrakar hosting a lavish wedding in Dubai.

In addition to his business dealings, Chandrakar gained notoriety on social media under the pseudonym 'Inevitable West,' where his account quickly gained traction. X users noticed a rapid surge in followers, with some speculating that his posts were picked up by high-profile individuals, including Elon Musk, which allegedly contributed to his skyrocketing popularity.

LMAO just lmao

.@Inevitablewest pic.twitter.com/91bUPZBZQD

— BladeoftheSun (@BladeoftheS) February 6, 2025

Inevitablewest is an Indian.

Mahadev is a Hindu god. pic.twitter.com/o3MIX6SItB

— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) February 5, 2025

Well well well @Inevitablewest pic.twitter.com/ecwIaQCrEV

— Next Wave America 🇺🇸 (@NextWaveAmerica) February 7, 2025

Why did you delete it @Inevitablewest
😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/VBdpGDj5FA

— Dr. Amira Dalton 🇺🇸 (@libertymama86) February 7, 2025

are any prominent racist accounts actually yt gigachads this can't keep happening lmao

++ALSO be sure to look at hidden replies on his posts, he's genuinely so mad and removing every comment pointing out that he's Indian 🤣

Lmao frick jannies !metashit

pic.twitter.com/d4NBVY7LMa

— Pirat_Nation 🔴 (@Pirat_Nation) February 7, 2025

!animalposters !cats

Is this what cancel culture achieved : The Atlantic

Over the weekend, the artist and entrepreneur Kanye West, now known as Ye, let loose a blitzkrieg of appalling screeds to his 33 million followers on X. "IM A NAZI," he proclaimed. He reiterated his position that "SLAVERY WAS A CHOICE," contended that "JEWS WERE BETTER AS SLAVES YOU HAVE TO PUT YOUR JEWS IN THEIR PLACE AND MAKE THEM INTO YOUR SLAVES," implied that domestic violence is a self-sacrificing form of love, and shared a screengrab tallying the sales receipts for a White Lives Matter T-shirt sold on his Yeezy website. By Monday, the only product for sale on the site was a white T-shirt adorned with a black swastika, and his X account had been deleted.

Remarkably, this was not the highest-stakes or most widely discussed racist controversy on that social-media platform during the same time frame. On Friday, Vice President J. D. Vance defended Marko Elez, a 25-year-old employee of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency office, who was revealed to have posted (pseudonymously), "I was racist before it was cool," "You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity," and "Normalize Indian hate."

When Ro Khanna, the Indian American representative from California, inquired of Vance—whose wife and children are of Indian descent—whether, "for the sake of both of our kids," he would ask Elez for an apology, Vance became apoplectic. Toward Khanna. "For the sake of both of our kids? Grow up," he fumed on X. "Racist trolls on the internet, while offensive, don't threaten my kids. You know what does? A culture that denies grace to people who make mistakes. A culture that encourages congressmen to act like whiny children."

Elez resigned from his post, and Musk asked his 217 million followers on X what they thought: Should he be reinstated? Almost 80 percent of those who replied said yes. Later that day, Musk confirmed that Elez would be "brought back" to DOGE. Not only was a self-professed racist like Elez not canceled—on the contrary, he was transformed overnight by some of the most powerful (and pugnacious) men in America into a national cause célèbre.

Incidentally, this was the same week that Andreessen Horowitz, the Silicon Valley venture-capital firm, announced that it had hired Daniel Penny as "a Deal Partner" working on its "American Dynamism team." Penny, a former Marine, was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide after he held a mentally ill man in a choke hold on the subway, and the man died. In an internal memo reported by The New York Times, an Andreessen Horowitz partner praised him for showing "courage in a tough situation."

If a vogue for virtue signaling defined the 2010s and early 2020s, peaking in 2020 during the feverish summer of protest and pandemic—a period in which pronouns in bio, land acknowledgments, black squares, diversity statements, and countless other ethical performances became a form of social capital—something like the exact photonegative of that etiquette has set in now. The reassertion of brute reactionary power in the dual ascendancy of Donald Trump and Elon Musk has brought us to a cultural tipping point. Virtue be darned: Now we are living in an era of relentless, unapologetic vice signaling. Of all of Ye's deranged posts, one was particularly confusing. "DO YALL THINK I CAN TURN THE TIDE ON ALL THIS WOKE POLITICALLY CORRECT SHIT," he asked. Here it seemed the infamous trendsetter was decidedly behind the times.

After a decade and a half of progressive dominance over America's agenda-setting institutions—corporations, universities, media, museums—during which everyone was on the lookout for the scantest evidence of racism, sexism, xenophobia, transphobia, and every other interpersonal and systemic ill, it is not at all frivolous to ask what has been achieved. What, to put it bluntly, was all that cancel culture for?

If the genuine but ill-conceived goal was to create a kinder, friendlier, more inclusive and equitable world for all (often paradoxically by means of shaming, coercion, and intimidation), the real-world effect has been an abysmal rightward overcorrection in which norms of decency have been gleefully obliterated. We have not merely been delivered back to the pre-woke era of the early 2000s. Nor is what we're seeing some insubstantial vibe shift in manners and aesthetics, confined to the internet.

Consider: We had a #MeToo movement characterized by sometimes disproportionate reputational sacrifices; now we have a presidential Cabinet populated by men with credible sexual-assault accusations on their records. The stifling racist/anti-racist binary of the anti-racism movement has led to the wholesale dismantling of DEI initiatives in both the government and the private sector. The insistence that "no human is illegal" has ended with an unconstitutional attempt to retract birthright citizenship. And the push not just for tolerance but for the equivalence of trans athletes with cisgender athletes has culminated with the president banishing "gender ideology" and surrounding himself with a multiethnic crowd of beaming girls to sign the "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order. On every single issue that mattered to them, progressives now find themselves in a weaker position than before.

In The Opium of the Intellectuals, the French sociologist Raymond Aron observed that utopian programs are "refuted not so much by their failure as by the successes they have achieved." In the blistering weeks since Trump's inauguration, we can say that this has been axiomatically true of the movement we look back on now as "wokeness."

Got here from an RSP post history: