(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The new slur for MAGA-heads [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-02 (Scroll down for the new name to call hateful assholes without the preamble) In general the Republican party of the United States has shifted how it presents itself to the American people in the last 10-15 years. Where before they attempted to cut the classic, ‘sharp dressed man with a focus on small government and economic freedom’, that’s not the image they cut now. It really started with the assimilation of the firebrand Tea Party Movement, got jet boosted in 2016, and has now solidified. I believe they now look to cast the image of ‘big powerful man willing to stand up for whats wrong because F*** YOU’. Evidence: Reps in congress are now wearing assault rifle lapel pins instead of American flags? Y’all see this? Just batshit. But they’ve learned that insane acts of jingoism supercharges their base. While the Republican Party of the early 21st century was no dove when it came to the aesthetic of the party, after all their base basically ended the careers of The Chicks (Formerly Dixie Chicks) for criticizing their hero George Bush, they’ve really leaned into it now. The GOP is no longer focused on passing its own legislation, as evidenced by the tumultuous first two years of Trump’s presidency, but on their own image. They dont run on the policy they want to pass, merely on how awful it would be to elect a democrat. Part of this shift in narrative is their apparent acceptance of just being the biggest bully in the room. Americans, despite our love of underdog stories, respond to strength. The GOP has decided they’ll just be the STRONG party. They’ll protect you from the woke. The libs. The socialists. That’s the center of this article. The name calling. It matters so little to me, in large part because it’s nearly impossible for any of them to define ‘woke’. I live in a blood red area, name calling is not a new issue for me. And I dont want to imply folks on the left should stoop to their caveman level of realpolitik. But I do want to punch back. That’s honestly what I want to see electeds do more often. When a republican says “groomer” I expect a Mallory McMorrow-level response at minimum. I’m tired of watching people who say they represent my views run away when they get bullied. Over 100 House Dems voted to denounce “socialism” today as if that’s still an effective cudgel to use against them. The West Wing is too preachy and unrealistic but I want like a Congressman Matt Santos moment where someone stands up and actually defends the term. I’m not saying I want our nation to be a socialist state. I’m saying social security, disability, and unemployment benefits are ALREADY socialist ideas we implemented and they’re essential to daily life! Agriculture subsidies, national parks, public utilities, all socialist policies. All I’m saying is I want to fight back. When Ron DeSantis bans the study of race in America, I want a way to describe him. When parents at my local high school say that allowing trans students to use their preferred bathroom will erase the social order, I want a word for that. I’m tired of being called ‘woke’ and not having a snappy comeback. “Fascist” can be overused and not appropriate to each scenario, such that it can get watered down like “socialism” has. The idea for a word to describe the worst of the worst actually came from Majority 54 podcast. If you’ve ever heard of Jason Kander, he was a rising star in Missouri Democratic politics and lost its Senate election by just 3 points in 2016. When issues with PTSD drove him out of electoral politics among other things he started that pod. Anyway, he and his co-host Ravi Gupta asked listeners to come up with a term for the MAGA-heads. They ultimately settled on “faketriots”. Get it? Like Patriots but fake. Anyway that’s a mouthful and not really punchy enough for my taste. Now after extensive study (Twitter) I think I’ve come up with a better slur to use against the Boeberts and Taylor-Greenes of the world. PHOBES I feel like that really gets to the heart of it. Transphobes, homophobes, xenophobes, islamophobes, they all just end in -phobe. It’s a word to describe someone who lives in fear. Someone who not only lives in fear but has decided to let it fully control their lives. They can carry their revolvers into Subway because they’re big and tough but it’s all an act. They hate gay people because they think rights are pie and giving some to someone else means you have less. They hate trans people because they’re scared of something new like using a different gender identity. It’s ok and reasonable to be scared of losing your job. Being a PHOBE is acting on that fear by blaming immigrants for “taking” your job. Being a phobe is just assuming drug addicts want to be drug addicts, poor people just didn’t work hard enough, and your doctor *wants* you to get sick. But especially, being a phobe is being presented with an alternate angle on a topic, and refusing to even acknowledge it. Being a PHOBE means you dont understand something and want to keep it that way. It’s being so locked into your own worldview that any refutation of that worldview isnt seen as simply an opposing viewpoint, but an active attack on you personally. Psychologists have published a lot of studies on tribalism and the like, and it’s the phenomena Trump has managed to harness with his most devoted. He managed to convince them to wrap their own sense of self around him, such that any criticism of him, no matter how valid, can’t be accepted because it causes real actual pain in their psyche. They are essentially phobes of whatever he points them at. You dont have to be one of his acolytes to be a phobe, as DeSantis is showing everyone. You just have to take your own fears and hates and decide it needs to be someone else’s problem. When you read a report noting that gas stoves are a health risk and climate issue and your first thought is “F*** YOU ITS MY STOVE” you’re being a phobe. The issue is a million times more nuanced than what you’re making it into, but it doesnt matter to you. You’ve already bought the “Dont tread on my stove” bumper sticker. So start calling people phobes. Because that’s what they are. Scared little babies terrified of a changing world and using violence to keep things the way they want it. Bunch PHOBES [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/2/2150774/-The-new-slur-for-MAGA-heads Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/