# NEW Stupid Republican Idea of the Day (Part 4) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 22, 2025, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678 "2025-02-22T21:08:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 179
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3561 "2026-03-12T02:54:36Z")
EDIT: I’ve gotten my Spanish response all messed up. Not great at it. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3562 "2026-03-12T12:05:54Z")
What in God’s green Earth is a “theater kid”? (I could look it up, but I’d rather learn from y’all). ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3563 "2026-03-12T12:17:27Z")
From what I understand, it’s people who took drama classes in high school. Supposedly a clique like jocks or nerds or cheerleaders or stoners. By implication, gay or gay-adjacent. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3564 "2026-03-12T12:19:23Z")
I see. I guessed as much. Thanks. How pathetic, on multiple levels. (Also, thanks for your post in another thread, reminding us that much of the US and its people is still “awesome,” even if our much-less-than-awesome side happens to be grabbing the headlines lately). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3565 "2026-03-12T12:46:34Z")
I’m confused; when were theater kids mentioned in this thread about stupid Republican ideas? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3566 "2026-03-12T12:56:08Z")
I should have explained. The link above includes the quote: > “We need a final solution for theater kids in politics,” wrote Corcoran. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3567 "2026-03-12T12:59:30Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > By implication, gay or gay-adjacent. For theater kids? Doesn’t really imply anything about their sexuality. Maybe if the person is from an older generation and extremely out of touch. People would assume a lot of theater kids are at least LGBTQ supportive but wouldn’t go so far as to assume they are specifically gay themselves. And there’d be some overlap in groups - the popular girl stereotype is often portrayed as the star of school theater productions. It’s literally a stereotype about the sorts of kids who do (or would, if more schools still had theater programs) do theater stuff. So, maybe a bit melodramatic at times and not an athlete or one of the popular kids. And prone to putting on productions. That’s US context, of course. Things can and do differ elsewhere. And particularly in context of the quote, calling them ‘theater kids’ does not imply anything about their sexuality but rather that they were sort of an odd duck prone to putting on fanciful events/productions, which is likely how a bipartisan karaoke night would be stereotyped. And not a God fearing, red-blooded, he-man jock type who scoffs at feelings and has no need of bipartisanship, i.e. the type who should be running things. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3568 "2026-03-12T13:11:39Z")
I hear you, but I actually agree with Alessan: even if the “gay=Judy Garland fan” stereotype is no longer salient, there’s still a whiff of gay-bashing implied – as Alessan said, “or gay-adjacent,” meaning “not manly”…interested in culture, and the rest of the world, and inquisitive sciences, and the arts… you know, _Jewish_. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3569 "2026-03-12T13:14:02Z")
As a former theater kid myself, I agree. Maybe it’s no longer present in today’s schools (and if so, that’s good), but for a long time there was an attitude that theater is not something that “real men” do. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3570 "2026-03-12T13:15:57Z")
I suppose so, in a vague man-o-sphere sense, that the implication is that ‘real’ men don’t do theater stuff but the comment was directed at a woman. I guess you could say being a woman is considered gay-adjacent but it does stretch ‘adjacent’ pretty darned far then. At that point, it’s less about the theater kid stereotype and more about the actual issue of toxic masculinity. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3571 "2026-03-12T13:22:00Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > I suppose so, in a vague man-o-sphere sense, that the implication is that ‘real’ men don’t do theater stuff but the comment was directed at a woman. Good point! I actually missed that (sorry). ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3572 "2026-03-12T16:46:09Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > At that point, it’s less about the theater kid stereotype and more about the actual issue of toxic masculinity. Yup. You’re either toxically masculine (and white) or you’re part of the problem. That seems to be the current RW = Fascist motto. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3573 "2026-03-12T17:14:38Z")
The irony is that whatever TV/movie celebrities that right wing folks are fans of were probably “theater kids” at some point, even the conservative ones. That’s the problem with stereotypes. You paint with too broad a brush, you’re going to splash paint on yourself at some point. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3574 "2026-03-12T18:19:14Z")
RE: the above: > “But I wasn’t joking, Tim,” hesaid in reply to a fellow lawmaker who told him it was now too late to claim he was only joking. “We really do need to purge theater kids from any role that puts them anywhere near levers of power. Reality is a hard problem and you children are incapable of dealing with it.” It’s actually kind of refreshing to have one of them finally just own his attitude. None of that, “I was only joking, can’t you even take a joke?” bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3575 "2026-03-12T18:29:31Z")
It is deeply ironic/saddening/distressful to me that all those grownup “theater kids” in shows like ‘West Wing’, ‘Veep’, and ‘Madame Secretary’ were/are FAR MORE COMPETENT than the macho clownshoes we have now strutting about in ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3576 "2026-03-12T18:33:35Z")
An argument _could_ be made that we shouldn’t be putting a showboating television personality in any position of real power. You know, some clown who ran a reality show for years in his name. I might be on board with that. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3577 "2026-03-12T18:39:52Z")
I think the exact definition of “theatre kid” is irrelevant, he just wanted to get to use the phrase “final solution” while talking about a Jew. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3578 "2026-03-12T18:54:53Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > “But I wasn’t joking, Tim,” hesaid in reply to a fellow lawmaker who told him it was now too late to claim he was only joking. “We really do need to purge theater kids from any role that puts them anywhere near levers of power. Reality is a hard problem and you children are incapable of dealing with it.” This is stunning beyond all his other crazy ideas. He spoke one ‘Truth’ “Reality is a hard problem” ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3579 "2026-03-12T19:25:43Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > “Reality is a hard problem” Reality hits you hard, bro.(punchline at 1:11, but getting there is WHAM a trip!) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VNknP5qWqvw/hqdefault.jpg "Reality Hits You Hard Bro") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNknP5qWqvw) ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2026, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/3580 "2026-03-12T20:07:40Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > An argument _could_ be made that we shouldn’t be putting a showboating television personality in any position of real power. > > You know, some clown who ran a reality show for years in his name. Except that the counterpoint to this is Zelenskyy, who is in my opinion the best at politicking of any current politician I can think of, since he gets away with standing up to Trump while seeming outwardly cordial, while at the same time being perhaps the only politician to successfully toe the line between standing up to Trump and distancing yourself from the American people as a whole (usually it’s the exact opposite.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=178) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=180)