solarbird | Aug. 14th, 2023

Once again, it’s certainly been a week. Summer is my busiest time for work and, well, that means less coverage. Sorry about that.

I want to talk a little bit about this story, wherein Republican Florida’s fake online university and newly-appointed producer of videos for schools, PragerU declares slavery was “no big deal.”

The backbone of the video’s argument was that it was no big deal in the culture at the time, ignoring, of course, the viewpoint of the slaves involved. That’s a pretty big “African slaves aren’t people” hand-tip, and I’m not ignoring it, but I want to put it specifically in the context of fundamentalist evangelicalism.

For decades and decades, the fundamentalists have failed against what they called moral relativism, which is to say, what is considered “moral” can be different depending upon context and time. Naturally, they were using this particularly as an attack against LGBT people, but also as an attack on the rights of women, particularly reproductive rights; God Doesn’t Change, so being gay was a sin in the 1900s, it’s a sin now, it’s a sin forever, and so on. Moral Relativism is Anti-God.

And looking at the excerpts from this video, their argument is very clear: in the context of that (white, Christian, imperial, etc) society, slavery was okay, so we can’t treat it like a big deal in history either. And people who did it are still heroes.

This is, if you’re wondering, an argument of moral relativism. That moral relativism, exactly their idea and construct of it. That one.

All these years later, they have finally found their voice of support for full-throated moral relativism, and where they found it was in defence of chattel race slavery.

Neat, huh?

By the way, they also teach that people trying to stop climate change are fascists. You know, in case you thought fossil fuel companies weren’t involved.

Now, a few selected bits of news:

I hope this speaks for himself: “Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz told a crowed of Trump supporters at the Iowa State Fair ‘that only through force do we make any change in a corrupt town like Washington.’” Unfortunately, it’s video. This is fascism.

Pastor alarmed after Trump-loving congregants deride Jesus’ teachings as ‘weak’. This is also fascism, see also nothing too sacred to sacrifice for power.

A group of Democratic lawmakers in the House are calling for a hearing to “investigate attacks on democracy,” following Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’s suspension of an elected Democratic State Attorney, replacing her with the Republican opponent she defeated in the last election. This is a direct overturn of an election result.

Emails and texts link Coffee County Republicans ‘right into the Oval Office’ – this being part of the plot to overturn the election in the coup attempt.

This sounds like a test case to me: Anti-trans couple told they can’t foster children because of their views on LGBTQ+ kids. They’re suing. They promise they won’t respect queer kids’ identities, so that’s great – sounds to me like they rather want to be their own little Conversion Therapy aimed at foster children. Fundamentalists have a history of that in the US, too. See also coverage at Assigned.

A little more good news from Ohio: “In Ohio, the first attempt to use transphobia to get voters to abandon their position on abortion has failed with the defeat of Issue 1.”

Republican DeSantis’s Florida’s Orance County School District is now functionally requiring all trans students, staff, and faculty to de-transition in schools. Also, “transgender “visitors”—including parents, guardians, and students from other districts or states—will face criminal prosecution if they use the bathroom that fits their gender identity on school premises.” All of this is the intent. They’ll make all of us illegal again if they can. See also: ‘Just absurd’: Shakespeare is latest casualty of Florida’s book ban law. See also also: this is the same school district that requires parental permission for nicknames because some of them might be queer.

Southwest Lawyers Must Take ADF Religion Classes, [Trump-appointed] Judge Says. This is basically “you have to take classes on race relations from the Klu Klux Klan.” The ADF (formerly the Alliance Defence Fund, now a Alliance Defending Freedom) is a Dominionist legal group, rabidly anti-LGBT and anti-reproductive rights. And now you have a judge requiring people take courses in their propaganda.

See also: Federalist Author Calls for a New Satanic Panic. No, really. Queers are Satanic, that’s been the line for decades, they’re just real open about it now.

Texas Fights for the Right to Deny Women Life-Saving Abortion Care, from Rolling Stone. I mean, yeah, that’s the standard now. Women should die if pregnancies go wrong. It’s God’s Will. Reporting that the Idaho Republican Party got real specific about that is what got me my first ban on Twitter.

Police stage ‘chilling’ raid on Marion County newspaper, seizing computers, records and cellphones – local corruption meets gestapo tactics. The co-owner of the paper is now dead, and they think from the stress. (She was quite elderly.)

eta: The word they’re… not completely misusing… to mean “not applying moral relativism” is “presentism.” Thanks to conuly on Dreamwidth for the tip!

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