"Empowerment"

The Babylon Bee reports,

According to reports from around the nation, Americans who think of themselves as progressive and forward-thinking in their support for women’s rights and the dignity of females everywhere were celebrating the life of Hugh Hefner, for some reason, after his death Wednesday at the ripe old age of 91.

“RIP Hugh Hefner!” one man whose online profile described him as a “feminist, activist, social justice warrior” wrote. “Thanks for supporting the liberation of women!”

Newspapers and other media outlets across the country released touching memoirs, obituaries, and photographs of the mogul who made a fortune parading nude women in public like pieces of meat dangled in front of wild animals, heralding him as a progress-oriented leader of a sexual revolution. These very same news organizations like to think of themselves as modern and progressive, sources confirmed, despite Hefner’s empire being built upon women being reduced to nothing but objects meant for the sexual gratification of men.

Celebrities who have previously championed the cause of women’s rights joined in throughout the day Thursday, memorializing the man who made millions of dollars pioneering the mainstream objectification of women across the nation and world, as he continuously slept with hordes of ladies who were young enough to be his great-granddaughters and relentlessly perpetuated the notion that all women should be impossibly proportioned and absolutely gorgeous.

“RIP to the legendary Hugh Hefner! I’m so honored to have been a part of the Playboy team! You will be greatly missed! Love you Hef! Xoxo” tweeted Kim Kardashian after news broke of his death.

At publishing time, several hundred think pieces explaining that Playboy’s rampant and shameless objectification of women was actually “empowerment” had been published, sources confirmed.

Revelation

Jonah Goldberg writes in National Review,

...power doesn’t merely corrupt the powerful, the real corruption it causes can be found in those who make apologies for it.

...It seems pretty obvious to me that the rage I hear from Trump supporters when I say they’re wrong stems from a kind of insecurity or resentment. Simply put, they want to be validated. It’s an awfully similar response to what we hear constantly on college campuses from the delicate little flowers who say they don’t want debate, they want empowerment. It turns out that many of the mental habits we mock and ridicule on the left have ample purchase on the right as well.

This revelation, along with several others, has been painful but useful. The Trump candidacy has been a like a dye marker, highlighting traits and inclinations on the right I didn’t appreciate or acknowledge. I’m grateful for the lesson, though I can’t say I’m glad I had to learn it.

I concede that for conservatives living in swing states, this is a legitimately painful decision. Clinton and Sanders alike would be horror shows. But my answer is simple: I will never vote for Trump and I will never vote for Hillary or Bernie. Period.

...One last thing on Trump. I completely understand why some of you complain about my alleged Trump obsessions. I get it. I don’t like turning the G-File into the T-File either. But this is the pressing issue of the moment. I have little patience with critics who say I never attack Hillary Clinton, which is simply put, preposterous. But right now, in this moment, we have a chance to stop Trump and actually put a serious-minded conservative on the ticket, namely Ted Cruz. If we fail at that, there will be plenty of time -- maybe even four or eight years! -- to get back to criticizing Hillary Clinton.

Read more here.

Is it empowering to play the victim?

Found here.