6 Comments

Excellent example of the operations of ideological hegemony, a reminder of the tragic role of media in inflating the words of the Orange Gibbon over the last 4 years, thereby overshadowing issues of substance and deforming the civic culture necessary to make democracy work.

Expand full comment

On target, as usual, Claire. This reminds me of 1990s Oregon, when a Christian right organization ran a series of anti LGBT ballot measure campaigns in struggling communities in the waning days of the timber industry. In Cottage Grove, a town in central Oregon that had fallen on hard times, religious conservatives managed to divide the local community around the issue of LGBT rights, which was really a non-issue meant to distract from the pressing issues at hand: jobs, drug addiction, and the fact that global corporations with little commitment to the community now had control over its destiny. Meanwhile, the local high school fell into disrepair, and the town couldn't pass a bond in order to make the necessary renovations. People had become convinced that the "real" threat was the sinister "gay agenda." Sigh.

Expand full comment

It is so crucial to do as you do in this essay: examine the larger dynamic. Is this publicly shareable or pay-only? There is a very large group of interested women I would like to share this post with.

Expand full comment