# I Pit Where Liberalism Has Gone **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 6, 2016, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811 "2016-10-06T23:58:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2016, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811/122 "2016-10-07T23:19:39Z")
I consider myself a moderate libertarian so I don’t really fit very well on the Left-Right political spectrum nor on any scale that mixes Conservative and Liberal political issues. However, I don’t think the OP is wrong when you take it in isolation other than the ambiguous use of some terms. I think he really means the far or radical Left as opposed to fairly mainstream liberal views but I can see why any sane person would become disgusted with the former. There is a Political Science term called “[Horseshoe Theory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_theory)” that postulates that both the extreme Left and extreme Right wrap so far around the mainstream political spectrum that they are closer to each other than they are to the mainstream center. In other words, the main differences between organizations like the Westboro Baptist Church and far Left hate groups is just their preference of targets rather than any fundamental difference in approach or philosophy. They are fundamentally just tools for people that lean strongly towards authoritarianism with a healthy side of aggression and bullying. Many people choose to believe that it is the rise of the internet that brought rise to this phenomenon but it isn’t true. It is true that it expanded both the choice of weapons and the potential audience but none of this is new. PETA has been pulling intentionally crazy shit for decades, [Symbionese Liberation Army](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbionese_Liberation_Army) really did kill people and those are just a couple of the ones that were masters of PR using the tools of the day. Back to the Horseshoe Theory, I don’t know about you, but I do not support crazy people even if a few of their beliefs match up with some of mine. It is divisive and self-destructive. I think it is shameful that so many of you happen to do so just because you think all of this is a game that should be run like a WWF match. That type of thinking is why Trump has gotten this far and don’t think for a minute the same thing couldn’t happen on the Left because it can and has. My opinion applies to the Republican and Democratic Parties, ISIS, radical feminist organizations, Trump supporters, radical animal rights organizations, anti-vaxers and anyone that thinks showing up and yelling is preferable to just listening for a little while even if you don’t agree with what they have to say. Just a hint of class and decorum still goes a long way even if your personal sensibilities are temporarily challenged. No one should interrupt a scientist giving an interview to comment on his shirt. You can say how tacky it is later but it is nothing to feign outrage over. That is about as appropriate as shouting out in the middle of a wedding to say that you think the bridesmaid’s dresses are too revealing. The neo-Puritans and jackbooted thugs on both sides should not be shouted down but they should be ignored and criticized in a civil way. They aren’t anyone’s real heroes because they only create division and hurt their own causes in the long run no matter what those are. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2016, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811/123 "2016-10-07T23:36:09Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > You need to get off Reddit and get outside. Visit and real world and try to find this caricature in the wild. Respectfully, I see it almost weekly in my community. I live in an area that was once considered “the hood”. 20 plus years ago, a small number of artists and gay people purchased homes in the neighborhood. You could call what happened next, and still isn’t done, the slowest gentrification in history. 20+ years now and it is still a very mixed economic neighborhood. Over the last few years, the millennials have decided this is the “authentic” place to live and have invaded. They are these caricatures described by Richard Parker and others. It is like there is some race to win a “Most Outrageous and Unreasonable Liberal” trophy. Not a single issue that affects our community is able to be discussed anymore for if you do not agree with their progressively more strident and extreme race to the furthest left position imaginable then you are the equivalent of every oppressor ever. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2016, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811/124 "2016-10-07T23:40:43Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > No, don’t feel like going into more detail. Well, one more. This group of people regularly refers to working-class men as “workies.” You don’t think that’s condescending? Insulting? > > But you seem more interested in saying this didn’t happen, or isn’t happening, than understanding it. > > This is something I’ve observed over a period of time, in a particular place, among a particular set of people. It’s real. It may well be a local phenomenon. It disturbs me. I don’t like it. I don’t think it’s healthy. I think the (accurately) perceived contempt of \*some \*for working people, and particularly working men, along with the Democratic Party’s (not the same thing as liberals, or progressives, to be sure) more-or-less abandonment of labor, has played a role in working people moving towards a certain brand of conservatism. I can vouch for you. It happens in the Boston area too. I work in a very blue-collar manufacturing facility as head of IT. When I first started, one of the long-timers asked me why I wanted to work there. I told her that I genuinely wanted to because I love high-tech manufacturing operations and she was surprised. She said, “You have a college degree and I don’t but it’s funny how we ended up at the same place; always remember that”. I obviously did remember that but it took me a long time to figure out what she meant. They had a whole string of people that came in, saw the very blue-collar environment and then quit in short order. They all went to work in the financial district or one of the big tech companies in the area for some medium level job in a cubicle because that was somehow more prestigious even though we literally save lives every day. The irony is that I probably make more than the vast majority of them and have better hours, benefits and everything else just because I can relate very well to the “plebes”. That is a much more rare skill than it should be. It is first nature to me because that is what I grew up with. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811/125 "2016-10-08T00:08:04Z")
> [@MeanJoe](#): > > Respectfully, I see it almost weekly in my community. I live in an area that was once considered “the hood”. 20 plus years ago, a small number of artists and gay people purchased homes in the neighborhood. You could call what happened next, and still isn’t done, the slowest gentrification in history. 20+ years now and it is still a very mixed economic neighborhood. Over the last few years, the millennials have decided this is the “authentic” place to live and have invaded. They are these caricatures described by Richard Parker and others. It is like there is some race to win a “Most Outrageous and Unreasonable Liberal” trophy. Not a single issue that affects our community is able to be discussed anymore for if you do not agree with their progressively more strident and extreme race to the furthest left position imaginable then you are the equivalent of every oppressor ever. Those are hipsters, not liberals. If someone wants to Pit hipsters, I’m all in with that! ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811/126 "2016-10-08T00:14:00Z")
> [@Memnon](#): > > \ If you think men get paid more than women for the exact same work and call everyone who disagrees with you a shitlord while tweeting pictures of yourself drinking from a mug with ‘Male Tears’ on it to a #KillAllMen hashtag, you’re probably an SJW. If a conservative commentator is invited to speak at your campus and you decide to write a letter of complaint, or even join a peaceful protest, that’s one thing. If, on the other hand, you _blockade_ the venue, or scream abuse at the audience, or set off the fire alarm, or reserve a seat with the express intention of using the ‘Heckler’s veto’ to shout down the speaker, you’re probably an SJW.\ And it was when no one laughed at his Open Mike Night routine that Jeff Foxworthy decided that he should take his wife’s advice, and focus on rednecks instead… ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811/127 "2016-10-08T00:29:26Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > And it was when no one laughed at his Open Mike Night routine that Jeff Foxworthy decided that he should take his wife’s advice, and focus on rednecks instead… The problem with that criticism is that both groups most assuredly exist. Jeff Foxworthy was just tapping into something that that many people were already very familiar with. The same is true with extreme liberal and progressive jokes although the former are considered funny even by real rednecks (they are a proud group after all) while the latter are considered a veritable hate-crime by many. All you have to do is take a look at my Facebook feed to see every imaginable stereotype in action day after day. Unfortunately, a lot of people put themselves in a bubble with people that agree with them and never see the range of absurd behavior out there. An even bigger problem is when they can’t laugh at the absurdities displayed within their own group. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811/128 "2016-10-08T00:37:19Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > There isn’t any difference. To a certain \*\*\*subset \*\*\* of liberal people (that’s important - remember that that’s what I’m talking about here - a subset), people who have less “progressive” beliefs than they do \*are \*“jingoistic, lower class, cracker man-pigs.” That’s kind of my point. But how do you know this particular woman was part of this subset? That’s what I’m confused about. > [@](#): > > It is enough, and he wasn’t incorrect. His _perception_ of being insulted for those things is enough even if it isn’t accurate? That does seem unreasonable. Perhaps you mean “It is enough, because he wasn’t incorrect” which would work better. How do you know that he was correct? > [@](#): > > No, don’t feel like going into more detail. Well, one more. This group of people regularly refers to working-class men as “workies.” You don’t think that’s condescending? Insulting? It’s hard to say, purely by the word itself. I think it would depend on the context. Certainly it could be condescending and insulting. > [@](#): > > But you seem more interested in saying this didn’t happen, or isn’t happening, than understanding it. To the contrary; I’ve called the woman in question a jerk, and what she did foolish and unnecessary. And I’m asking questions, responding to your posts, debating with you. Those aren’t the actions of someone who isn’t interested in understanding it. If I wanted simply to deny, I could simply deny, and that would be the end of it. Instead I’ve asked for more details, tried to look into the situation. Isn’t that what a person who seeks to understand does? If not, what would a person seeking to understand do? > [@](#): > > This is something I’ve observed over a period of time, in a particular place, among a particular set of people. It’s real. It may well be a local phenomenon. It disturbs me. I don’t like it. I don’t think it’s healthy. I think the (accurately) perceived contempt of \*some \*for working people, and particularly working men, along with the Democratic Party’s (not the same thing as liberals, or progressives, to be sure) more-or-less abandonment of labor, has played a role in working people moving towards a certain brand of conservatism. I understand what you’re saying here; I just don’t understand, yet, how you can be so sure that your anecdote is an example of this. So I’m asking you about it in order that I \*can \*understand, at least hopefully. I’d like to know more. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811/129 "2016-10-08T00:38:53Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > The problem with that criticism is that both groups most assuredly exist. Jeff Foxworthy was just tapping into something that that many people were already very familiar with. The same is true with extreme liberal and progressive jokes although the former are considered funny even by real rednecks (they are a proud group after all) while the latter are considered a veritable hate-crime by many. > > All you have to do is take a look at my Facebook feed to see every imaginable stereotype in action day after day. Unfortunately, a lot of people put themselves in a bubble with people that agree with them and never see the range of absurd behavior out there. An even bigger problem is when they can’t laugh at the absurdities displayed within their own group. That wasn’t criticism. It was pointing out that the “you’re probably an SJW” was reminiscent of Foxworthy’s “you might be a redneck” jokes. But only in structure, not content. Unless I’m being wooshed, I think you’re reading too much into a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811/130 "2016-10-08T00:39:58Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Just a hint of class and decorum still goes a long way even if your personal sensibilities are temporarily challenged. No one should interrupt a scientist giving an interview to comment on his shirt. You can say how tacky it is later but it is nothing to feign outrage over. I don’t believe it’s classy, or decorous, to accuse those who claim they took offense at the shirt to have “feigned” outrage. Not taking people at their word seems to be very impolite and disrespectful. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811/131 "2016-10-08T00:44:29Z")
Meh. I find the term SJW useful. I apply it to people who put the importance of spouting off about a cause higher than the importance of kindness to actual human beings. For a long time on Twitter I was following a lot of people who tweeted long screeds about American race relations and feminism and other things, and while I agreed with their message, the volume and consistency of their tweets got monotonous, and the way many of them would mad-dog on anyone who tried to engage them in conversation was offputting and, ultimately, toxic. I’ve unfollowed them all, now. So to me, a SJW is an asshole, but a particular subset of asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811/132 "2016-10-08T00:52:50Z")
> [@Memnon](#): > > ]Defining an SJW is difficult because the criterion isn’t based on ideology so much as _behaviour_. If you think men get paid more than women for the exact same work, that’s one thing. If you think men get paid more than women for the exact same work and call everyone who disagrees with you a shitlord while tweeting pictures of yourself drinking from a mug with ‘Male Tears’ on it to a #KillAllMen hashtag, you’re probably an SJW. If a conservative commentator is invited to speak at your campus and you decide to write a letter of complaint, or even join a peaceful protest, that’s one thing. If, on the other hand, you _blockade_ the venue, or scream abuse at the audience, or set off the fire alarm, or reserve a seat with the express intention of using the ‘Heckler’s veto’ to shout down the speaker, you’re probably an SJW. > > An SJW, in short, is someone who uses their own sensitivity as a weapon, often from behind a keyboard, and always with a vastly inflated sense of their own importance. Is this definition perfect? Probably not, but it’s the one I work with. I think it’s a very good definition, actually - especially the “weaponised sensitivity”; I’d go so far as to call it Being Professionally Offended. I also think in many respects the offenderati do their own cause far more harm than good; when they get worked up about irrelevancies (such as the shirt example being used in this thread), it damages their credibility for when they do have a legimate issue to be concerned about, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811/133 "2016-10-08T00:53:44Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > That wasn’t criticism. It was pointing out that the “you’re probably an SJW” was reminiscent of Foxworthy’s “you might be a redneck” jokes. But only in structure, not content. > > Unless I’m being wooshed, I think you’re reading too much into a joke. I know it is a joke but it is one with some truth to it. There are plenty of real SJW’s just like there are millions of real rednecks. I am not sure which of those two groups are better but I am betting on the rednecks because they at least have some skills and can laugh at themselves. Maybe a comedian like yourself could capitalize on making fun of SJW’s in the same way that Jeff Foxworthy did with rednecks but I wouldn’t count on it. They seem like a tough audience. Most other people would love it though. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811/134 "2016-10-08T01:09:15Z")
> [@Revenant\_Threshold](#): > > I don’t believe it’s classy, or decorous, to accuse those who claim they took offense at the shirt to have “feigned” outrage. Not taking people at their word seems to be very impolite and disrespectful. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I truly believe that most of them are personally outraged by imagined, minor, or non-existent offenses. I just don’t think that it deserves any attention from the general public. It takes a lot of guts to make a scene out of something so minor in a public forum. They are most likely mentally ill and need help because of some deeper problem. That requires respect at the basic human level so that they can get help for inappropriate outbursts but not respect for the tantrums that they seem to need to engage in at that moment. Think of it this way, would you want to have a parent or child that routinely had bizarre outbursts like that in public? Millions of people do because of mental illness or substance abuse but it is considered a disorder to be addressed and not something to be defended. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811/135 "2016-10-08T01:13:24Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Oh, don’t get me wrong, I truly believe that most of them are personally outraged by imagined, minor, or non-existent offenses. I just don’t think that it deserves any attention from the general public. It takes a lot of guts to make a scene out of something so minor in a public forum. They are most likely mentally ill and need help because of some deeper problem. That requires respect at the basic human level so that they can get help for inappropriate outbursts but not respect for the tantrums that they seem to need to engage in at that moment. > > Think of it this way, would you want to have a parent or child that routinely had bizarre outbursts like that in public? Millions of people do because of mental illness or substance abuse but it is considered a disorder to be addressed and not something to be defended. I haven’t heard this strategy before – those who criticized the shirt are mentally ill. Brilliant! It’s not like sane people could actually believe (like I do) that imagery sexualizing and objectifying women might contribute, in a small way, to a hostile work environment for women, right? Only crazy people publicly criticize imagery! ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811/136 "2016-10-08T01:18:06Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > So…exactly what you’re doing now, right? Ah, the classic complaining about complainers line. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811/137 "2016-10-08T01:18:42Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Oh, don’t get me wrong, I truly believe that most of them are personally outraged by imagined, minor, or non-existent offenses. Then why did you talk about feigning outrage? That seems an odd thing to bring up if you think most of them were genuinely outraged. > [@](#): > > I just don’t think that it deserves any attention from the general public. But… you’re a member of the general public, offering them attention. You have several posts now talking about them, defining them, describing their nature and the issues with them as you perceive them. You’ve paid them attention, are continuing to pay attention in your examination of them, and are doing so publicly so that more people can be exposed to them. ---
**Author:** ![eulalia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eulalia/32/457_2.png) [@eulalia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eulalia)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811/138 "2016-10-08T01:26:02Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Personally, while I thought it was a spectacularly tacky shirt I didn’t think it warranted more than mild derision. But then again, it wasn’t my ox being gored. It was my ox, but I agree with you, it was more like a beesting than a goring. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811/139 "2016-10-08T01:27:15Z")
I just googled “Matt Taylor shirt” and I like tits and ass as much as the guy or gal and even I know that’s not an appropriate shirt for most professions to wear at an important event. C’mon now. And yes SJWs are a plague. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811/140 "2016-10-08T01:38:26Z")
> [@Revenant\_Threshold](#): > > But how do you know this particular woman was part of this subset? That’s what I’m confused about. His _perception_ of being insulted for those things is enough even if it isn’t accurate? That does seem unreasonable. Perhaps you mean “It is enough, because he wasn’t incorrect” which would work better. How do you know that he was correct? It’s hard to say, purely by the word itself. I think it would depend on the context. Certainly it could be condescending and insulting. To the contrary; I’ve called the woman in question a jerk, and what she did foolish and unnecessary. And I’m asking questions, responding to your posts, debating with you. Those aren’t the actions of someone who isn’t interested in understanding it. If I wanted simply to deny, I could simply deny, and that would be the end of it. Instead I’ve asked for more details, tried to look into the situation. Isn’t that what a person who seeks to understand does? If not, what would a person seeking to understand do? I understand what you’re saying here; I just don’t understand, yet, how you can be so sure that your anecdote is an example of this. So I’m asking you about it in order that I \*can \*understand, at least hopefully. I’d like to know more. I don’t know what to tell you. I’m talking about a particular set of people, living in (or aspiring to live in) Park Slope, Brooklyn. They shop at the [Park Slope Food Co-op](https://www.foodcoop.com/). To those who live in the area, the mention of the Park Slope Food Co-op says it all. These are people I know, and in some cases have known for many years. They’re not necessarily bad people, they’re just a little self-absorbed. It’s hard for me to provide cites – this is just what I’ve observed living in New York City for nearly 60 years. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811/141 "2016-10-08T01:41:14Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I haven’t heard this strategy before – those who criticized the shirt are mentally ill. Brilliant! It’s not like sane people could actually believe (like I do) that imagery sexualizing and objectifying women might contribute, in a small way, to a hostile work environment for women, right? Only crazy people publicly criticize imagery! All I saw was an ugly shirt with comic book characters on it. I have a Wonder Woman book with the same type of images that my daughters gave me last Christmas. I had no idea it was supposed to be sexual. I just liked the Wonder Woman TV show when I was 4 and I thought it was thoughtful. You are not nearly as accepting as you think you are. You may find this hard to believe but not everyone assumes the worst motivations in people for every little thing. My one prejudice is that I would assume that a literal rocket scientist would have some questionable fashion choices but it could have been a Star Wars shirt with Princess Leia just as easily. No, I am not walking on eggshells the rest of my life just because reactionaries like you want to dictate an ever-changing set of rules and assign malicious motivations to them and I don’t want anyone else to either. All I can do is treat people as nicely as I can and sometimes screw up with no ill intent. It happens. We aren’t getting into an apology or sensitivity fest about every minor thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-where-liberalism-has-gone/767811.md?page=8)