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Culture War Roundup for the week of September 22, 2025

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True, but it does fly against ALL of the messaging of the Harris campaign, which was that the only reason anyone wouldn't want to vote for Harris is because they are a bigot who should listen to their betters. If it's unacceptable to vote for Trump or not vote because you aren't feeling a woman president then it is similarly unacceptable to not vote for the gay vp. That kind of petard self-hoisting is very entertaining imo.

I think it wasn't nearly as bad as the Clinton campaign, that was the strongest of the vote-shaming, but it was there in part. I do disagree about the overall framing though. I don't think Harris tried that hard to put at the forefront any other argument beyond "Trump bad" and "Trump endangers democracy". Maybe "trust the status quo"? With a dash of "billionaires ruined your life"?

I think it wasn't nearly as bad as the Clinton campaign

I'm With Her was pretty bad, but I don't remember anything from Clinton's campaign was so bad as to top the infamous I'm A Man ad for incredibly cringe, absurd "listen to your betters" messaging.

Different vibe, but Madeline Albright introducing Clinton at a campaign event with "There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other!" was also pretty disastrous, the less talked-about cousin to "basket of deplorables" in my eyes. It wasn't limited to single demographics, so hit broader.

I actually think the worst part of that ad (other than the bits that sound like an SNL skit) was casting a fat guy in a "I'm a man" ad, so it doesn't even work. Literally no man ever considers being that overweight to be particularly manly. If you're gonna pick a big dude, you have to pick at least a dude who has some muscles underneath. No offense intended to anyone, of course, I'm just talking about what people want to see in ads - obviously we have different standards for those, it's quite literally marketing 101. The poses are all wrong too, the gaunt old guy is very out of left field, and there's no suburban dad anywhere here, poor usage of beard stubble, and just guys giving off super-single vibes. It's just incompetent, holy yikes, even on top of the content.

Personally I think putting out cringey content is not as bad as actively alienating people. The I'm a Man ad is desperate, not aggressively shaming.

top the infamous I'm A Man ad

I had never actually seen that. Damn. That's pathetic.

Somebody assure me this was a parody. I cannot believe this is real, not even if it was some over-enthused and over-medicated squirrel somewhere who thought this was just gonna do it for Kamala and the elusive male vote.

"I eat carburettors for breakfast". You look like it, friend, and you definitely need to cut way back on them. Try a salad now and again.

(I can fat-shame, I am a Person Of Amplitude myself).

It's 100% real, it's one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my entire life.