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Culture War Roundup for the week of January 9, 2023

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We simply look on her without contempt because she wields power, and power is at the end, what it's all about.

I don't think that's true. For your example, I absolutely look on such a person with contempt, or as close to it as I ever get. That activist is a toxic troublemaker who is actively making our society worse. If anything her behavior is worse, not better, because she has power.

On the other hand, those who view your hypothetical activist without contempt are probably doing so not because she has power. Rather, it's because they agree with her ideology and approve that she is putting it into practice. But again, it's nothing to do with power or lack thereof.