Ben Shapiro writes an editorial for Politico and everyone freaks out

[Chishawk1425]

I listen to Ben Shapiro a lot, full disclosure. I don't think radical is the right word, but he is strident or combative in a way that Will and Kristol are not. I think Shapiro represents where most Republicans are currently much more accurately than George Will does, so if you really want to have a conversation with the entire country right now, Ben Shapiro is a better representative.

LOL, that is pretty sad and explains a lot of whys in regards to the embarrassment known as the GOP.

 

[Chishawk1425]

You are deluded. Pelosi is center right by any metric. Maybe she sometimes employs rhetoric that leans farther left, but her actions, voting record and decades of work demonstrate she is a moderate Democrat.

Methinks you have been fed too much bullshit.

That is the way of the GOP voter.

 

[HawkRugged17]

Yep. The reader always has the choice not to read what someone writes. What a concept!

 

[BelemNole]

Is she hot?

Also:

You can learn all about "Classically Abby" here: https://www.gossipcop.com/ben-shapiros-sister/2559357

 

[torbee]

It is pretty clear Goldie isn’t much of a reader.

 

[Big Hawk D-Port]

One of the core messages, one of the drumbeats, of Shapiro is victimhood. He's always reminding people that he, and those like him, are victims. And he doesn't qualify or specify that his "attackers" are a distinct minority of people. He extrapolates outward to the larger associated group(s). What does this do? This demonizes and vilifies large swaths of people, quite indiscriminately. In other words: hate speech. Once this message is heard enough, it becomes internalized. And at that point it's a type of brainwashing. He can puppeteer towards desired effects because at the core of everything is this idea that his opponent is simply, fundamentally, less than, him. It's why the same audience that is attracted to white supremacist-tyoe messaging, wether subtle and nuanced or overt and not, also has an affinity for Shapiro. I'm not calling Shapiro a white supremacist. I'm arguing that his core message is one of supremacy. I'm better. I'm not at fault. In fact, I'm never at fault. I'm a victim, always, of those who oppose me. They oppose me because they're bad, they're wrong, they're insane.

I mean, shit, his main defender ITT, @FAUlty Gator, lazily labelled, indiscriminately, college kids as insane. Within that post is a video where Shapiro suggests transgender people suffer insanity. This is not the language of people intent on finding truth, or unity. This is the language of people who want to "other" people, to group people and position them as others, as enemies, as opposition, as less than.

I've been saying for years that conservatism has, as a fundamental messaging ploy, for decades now, employed rhetorical strategies akin to racism, treating liberals and the Left and liberalism similarly to how racists treat a race of people, or how religious extremists from a particular religion treat those from an "oppositional" religion. As someone who fundamentally, to my core, believes we need conservatism as a break or as a guardrail on liberalism, this disgusts and concerns me.

Aside from all that, which surely will upset some people, the thing we should be able to agree upon is that Shapiro represents something wearisome to all of us, and that is the click-bait opportunism bullshit that is so much of today's media. Whether it is Shapiro or somebody similar on the Left, it's crap. It's unhelpful.

He says transgender people suffer from a mental illness, not that they are insane. You are equating that with a lack of compassion and an insult and Shapiro goes to great lengths to make that point.

 

[torbee]

You can learn all about "Classically Abby" here: https://www.gossipcop.com/ben-shapiros-sister/2559357

Yeah, I’d probably give them a sniff.
They do make kind of a cute couple. Prom King and Queen candidates in Arkansas.

 

[Rudolph]

Smart people who spread disinformation to further a political agenda are far worse and more damaging than dumb people who know no better.

I also love that @haw-key uses the word "guarantee". Then uses the notion of a CV to defend his quaint bullshit. A CV doesn't necessarily make someone smart, nor does intelligence only become intelligent once a rich CV is attained.

It's just weird, this ass-backwards pseudo-elitism thing.

A CV represents, as much as anything, ambition. Some of the deepest-thinking, "smartest" people I know aren't the most CV-building ambitious types. They would rather spend their time studying things, reading and researching and exploring freed from the reigns of ladder-climbing classist and/or capitalist ambitions.

But really what I see in haw-key's remark is idolatry. I'm not religious, but I'm pretty sure idolatry is something many religions warn against (some for the promotion of its god, of course). I think putting any human on any sort of pedestal is unhealthy.

 

[Rudolph]

He says transgender people suffer from a mental illness, not that they are insane. You are equating that with a lack of compassion and an insult and Shapiro goes to great lengths to make that point.

I'll have to watch it again. Care to comment on anything else from my post?

 

[Big Hawk D-Port]

I honestly don't understand how people develop and sustain an appetite for messengers like Shapiro, or any of the prime time opinion show people on Fox News or MSNBC, or really anybody, and I mean anybody, who maintains an ongoing social media thing.

And I do not mean this as a judgment of you. It's just something I don't fully understand, mostly because all of it is so distasteful to me.

I spend a lot of time in the car. You are correct that a steady diet of any of that stuff is poison, but I enjoy listening to anybody with an interesting point of view.

 

[goldmom]

It is pretty clear Goldie isn’t much of a reader.

If you mean I chose not to read Shapiro, you're right.

 

[HotelAlphaWilcoKilo]

Yes, but algorithms make this seem entirely false for people. Hell, that video FAUlty posted, look at some of the shit Shapiro talks about as a way of creating a depiction of the Left. The transgender thing cracks me up if it wasn't so sad for someone who's had to stand by a gay brother through a time when homosexuality was similarly labelled "insane" and "scientifically indefensible" or whatever. What is the percentage of transgender people in the United States? And, yet, it's a big damn deal.

We're in the beginning stages of really fücked up shit. Climate change isn't pausing for us while we argue if there's more to gender identity and sexuality than what does or doesn't dangle from the human pelvis. But we talk about trans people as much, if not more, than addressing climate change, economic inequality, wealth redistribution (into fewer and fewer hands), etc.

I have trans friends as well as a gay brother. If it's a major issue for you, feel free to ask me questions. I mean, I realize Shapiro's demonization of trans people makes it clean and easy for some, but my invite remains open for those open to other info.

I don't know what Shapiro has said regarding transgenderism because I don't listen to the worm. You, as usual, believe you have the "correct" info and are the authority on all things (in this case gender identity). There are people out there who are trans women who do not believe they ARE women. Then there are morons who conflate gender identity with sex and say, "LOL, biology is more complex than a sex binary. That's fourth grade biology and my lady penis is female." There are a disturbing number of females who believe trans women's voices should be "centered" when it comes to women's rights. But go off continuing to change definitions and blur lines. So much of this gender identity stuff is, once again, about power. A male human being who doesn't identify as traditionally masculine doesn't make them a woman. I'm all about doing away with gender roles. I'm not about agreeing with your "truth" that flies in the face of science. Adults who want to change their name and live as trans (woman or man) ought to be respected. Hell, use their pronouns (which is about respect as much as it is a power play. How often do you use a pronoun other than "you" when speaking to someone? It's about telling people how to view them when speaking to a third party in their absence.)

You're not the only person who has trans friends and your friends' views are not the be-all end-all consensus of trans people.

 

[Big Hawk D-Port]

LOL, that is pretty sad and explains a lot of whys in regards to the embarrassment known as the GOP.

You can't exactly just ignore 40% of the country. I mean, you can, but it leads to bad consequences.

 

[Chishawk1425]

You can't exactly just ignore 40% of the country. I mean, you can, but it leads to bad consequences.

I agree, but the fact this little twerp is your guys talking points to those who aren't completely nuts and radicalized speaks volumes to me and so many whys and how 73 million of you voted for....THAT.....Embarrassing. The poorest of the poor going along with the Republican tax cuts to the rich that NEVER trickle down furthering THEIR demise as the elites get more powerful and the Democrats are the evil ones cycle rinse and repeat.

 

[RileyHawk]

not really. Again, you can dissect nearly anyone who talks as much as shaprio. Shapiro’s interview with the uk journalists was embarrassing. Why? He misperceived the reason for the line of questioning and responded to it like a child. Does that invalidate his entire scope of points? No.

chris Mathews says lots of embarrassing stuff. The idea of what is a “lie” is determined with quite the biased eye. I don’t think you guys are right that even trump lies more than what you have from the dnc.

to me, cnn plastering Michael Avenatti on the air hundreds of times to the point people started talking about him as a presidential candidate was fostering a lie. Don Lemon and Andrew Cuomo have said many embarrassing and untrue things. Dan Rather lost his job over promoting a lie. Brian Williams ... silly lies. Rachel Maddow says untrue things all the time. But, you guys only like to highlight when a conservative does it and ignore or downplay the other. For f’s sake, you’ve had dnc people talk about “truth” as independent of fact.

Reporters have reported things that turn out to be untrue and they generally retract them and apologize. Shapiro misrepresents facts and continues to perpetuate them even when called out on them. Moreover, his takes on LGBTQ, Muslims, transgenderism, climate change and a host of other stances he has are unsupportable, imo.

He's an opportunist, again much like Rush Limbaugh.

 

[Banditking]

I also love that @haw-key uses the word "guarantee". Then uses the notion of a CV to defend his quaint bullshit. A CV doesn't necessarily make someone smart, nor does intelligence only become intelligent once a rich CV is attained.

It's just weird, this ass-backwards pseudo-elitism thing.

A CV represents, as much as anything, ambition. Some of the deepest-thinking, "smartest" people I know aren't the most CV-building ambitious types. They would rather spend their time studying things, reading and researching and exploring freed from the reigns of ladder-climbing classist and/or capitalist ambitions.

But really what I see in haw-key's remark is idolatry. I'm not religious, but I'm pretty sure idolatry is something many religions warn against (some for the promotion of its god, of course). I think putting any human on any sort of pedestal is unhealthy.

Agree with your last sentence wholeheartedly.

 

[RileyHawk]

I listen to Ben Shapiro a lot, full disclosure. I don't think radical is the right word, but he is strident or combative in a way that Will and Kristol are not. I think Shapiro represents where most Republicans are currently much more accurately than George Will does, so if you really want to have a conversation with the entire country right now, Ben Shapiro is a better representative.

And that's a BIG problem. His anti-Muslim, anti-Gay, climate change denying, etc. beliefs are at the very foundation of the countries divisiveness.

 

[Big Hawk D-Port]

I agree, but the fact this little twerp is your guys talking points to those who aren't completely nuts and radicalized speaks volumes to me and so many whys and how 73 million of you voted for....THAT.....Embarrassing. The poorest of the poor going along with the Republican tax cuts to the rich that NEVER trickle down furthering THEIR demise as the elites get more powerful and the Democrats are the evil ones cycle rinse and repeat.

He is one voice of many, and most of the MAGA types don't even like Shapiro (and the feeling is mutual). MAGA and the Republicans are headed for a divorce in the very near future. It will be interesting to see but it should help democrats in the short term.

 

[Rudolph]

I don't know what Shapiro has said regarding transgenderism because I don't listen to the worm. You, as usual, believe you have the "correct" info and are the authority on all things (in this case gender identity). There are people out there who are trans women who do not believe they ARE women. Then there are morons who conflate gender identity with sex and say, "LOL, biology is more complex than a sex binary. That's fourth grade biology and my lady penis is female." There are a disturbing number of females who believe trans women's voices should be "centered" when it comes to women's rights. But go off continuing to change definitions and blur lines. So much of this gender identity stuff is, once again, about power. A male human being who doesn't identify as traditionally masculine doesn't make them a woman. I'm all about doing away with gender roles. I'm not about agreeing with your "truth" that flies in the face of science. Adults who want to change their name and live as trans (woman or man) ought to be respected. Hell, use their pronouns (which is about respect as much as it is a power play. How often do you use a pronoun other than "you" when speaking to someone? It's about telling people how to view them when speaking to a third party in their absence.)

You're not the only person who has trans friends and your friends' views are not the be-all end-all consensus of trans people.

I love this shit. I'm always open to that I might be wrong about a thing. Show me where I am wrong. Biology and gender identity are different. You've been driven to fear something, your power associations to this issue are really interesting. Your needing me to be something I'm hardly at all, why? I might be arrogant but I assure you I don't pretend to be an authority on much. As it relates to this trans stuff, I've only offered that I have trans friends and a gay brother, and that these things give me a perspective that maybe some don't have, and that I am open to fielding questions. It is noteworthy that rather than ask me questions, you attack me.

Noted. You're scared, and you don't want new info. That's been made clear.

 

[Chishawk1425]

He is one voice of many, and most of the MAGA types don't even like Shapiro (and the feeling is mutual). MAGA and the Republicans are headed for a divorce in the very near future. It will be interesting to see but it should help democrats in the short term.

Shapiro has been seen and heard saying too much BS and decipt and mistruths for me to trust anything, i do appreciate you not being a brain dead MAGA, I truly do.

 

[Chishawk1425]

And that's a BIG problem. His anti-Muslim, anti-Gay, climate change denying, etc. beliefs are at the very foundation of the countries divisiveness.

Yep...

 

[abby97]

Shapiro is what an idiot thinks a smart person sounds like. He's what passes as an intellectual in today's conservative movement.

I'm confused, why do you believe Ben Shapiro is not an intellectual? He has a law degree from Harvard and at 17 he was the youngest syndicated columnist in America. What is your definition of intellect? Let me guess, you have to hate America, believe every white person is a racist, believe the goverment should control all aspects of our lives and of course be pan-sexual. Or, just be a proud Marxist, right?

What year did you get your law degree from Harvard?

 

[Chishawk1425]

I'm confused, why do you believe Ben Shapiro is not an intellectual? He has a law degree from Harvard and at 17 he was the youngest syndicated columnist in America. What is your definition of intellect? Let me guess, you have to hate America, believe every white person is a racist, believe the goverment should control all aspects of our lives and of course be pan-sexual. Or, just be a proud Marxist, right?

What year did you get your law degree from Harvard?

Have you seen the leaders of MAGAt and their law degrees that are being revoked currently? LOL, but but but he has a degree?!?

 

[HotelAlphaWilcoKilo]

I love this shit. I'm always open to that I might be wrong about a thing. Show me where I am wrong. Biology and gender identity are different. You've been driven to fear something, your power associations to this issue are really interesting. Your needing me to be something I'm hardly at all, why? I might be arrogant but I assure you I don't pretend to be an authority on much. As it relates to this trans stuff, I've only offered that I have trans friends and a gay brother, and that these things give me a perspective that maybe some don't have, and that I am open to fielding questions. It is noteworthy that rather than ask me questions, you attack me.

Noted. You're scared, and you don't want new info. That's been made clear.

"Fear?" You have no new info. You're in no position of authority. "Fielding questions." So full of yourself.

Lol.

 

[tarheelbybirth]

You are deluded. Pelosi is center right by any metric. Maybe she sometimes employs rhetoric that leans farther left, but her actions, voting record and decades of work demonstrate she is a moderate Democrat.

Methinks you have been fed too much bullshit.

They think Bernie Sanders is to the left of Karl Marx.

 

[ConvenientParking]

I'm confused, why do you believe Ben Shapiro is not an intellectual? He has a law degree from Harvard and at 17 he was the youngest syndicated columnist in America. What is your definition of intellect? Let me guess, you have to hate America, believe every white person is a racist, believe the goverment should control all aspects of our lives and of course be pan-sexual. Or, just be a proud Marxist, right?

What year did you get your law degree from Harvard?

Hmmm I heard he was an affirmative action admission to Harvard. Too many WASPs so he and Obama got in

 

[JWolf74]

I'm confused, why do you believe Ben Shapiro is not an intellectual? He has a law degree from Harvard and at 17 he was the youngest syndicated columnist in America. What is your definition of intellect? Let me guess, you have to hate America, believe every white person is a racist, believe the goverment should control all aspects of our lives and of course be pan-sexual. Or, just be a proud Marxist, right?

What year did you get your law degree from Harvard?

Because I am smart enough to see through his BS act. It seems impressive to lower intelligence people, like yourself. You think he'd use that degree to be a useful citizen. I use my doctorate to help people. What a waste.

 

[ThorneStockton]

Plenty of reasons to take issue with Shapiro, and sure it's funny to poke fun at conservatives when they trot him out to OWN or DESTROY the opposition on their behalf.

That said, I would prefer someone like Shapiro being popular among conservatives and seen as a leader as opposed to what we've seen lately. At least he isn't full on Trump/MAGA or full on QAnon or Proud Boys/Boogaloos/etc.

It could be a lot worse.

 

[haw-key]

Smart people who spread disinformation to further a political agenda are far worse and more damaging than dumb people who know no better.

Have you listened to him? I listen to his podcast almost daily and his analysis is pretty spot on usually.

 

[torbee]

Plenty of reasons to take issue with Shapiro, and sure it's funny to poke fun at conservatives when they trot him out to OWN or DESTROY the opposition on their behalf.

That said, I would prefer someone like Shapiro being popular among conservatives and seen as a leader as opposed to what we've seen lately. At least he isn't full on Trump/MAGA or full on QAnon or Proud Boys/Boogaloos/etc.

It could be a lot worse.

This is a solid take.

 

[hawkedoff]

Translation - When I claimed the NYT was firing reporters for not being liberal enough, what I really meant was the voluntary resignation of a conservative that I first heard about on a Joe Rogan podcast

You probably shouldn't embarrass yourself this way.

 

[hawkedoff]

One of the core messages, one of the drumbeats, of Shapiro is victimhood. He's always reminding people that he, and those like him, are victims. And he doesn't qualify or specify that his "attackers" are a distinct minority of people. He extrapolates outward to the larger associated group(s). What does this do? This demonizes and vilifies large swaths of people, quite indiscriminately. In other words: hate speech. Once this message is heard enough, it becomes internalized. And at that point it's a type of brainwashing. He can puppeteer towards desired effects because at the core of everything is this idea that his opponent is simply, fundamentally, less than, him. It's why the same audience that is attracted to white supremacist-tyoe messaging, wether subtle and nuanced or overt and not, also has an affinity for Shapiro. I'm not calling Shapiro a white supremacist. I'm arguing that his core message is one of supremacy. I'm better. I'm not at fault. In fact, I'm never at fault. I'm a victim, always, of those who oppose me. They oppose me because they're bad, they're wrong, they're insane.

I mean, shit, his main defender ITT, @FAUlty Gator, lazily labelled, indiscriminately, college kids as insane. Within that post is a video where Shapiro suggests transgender people suffer insanity. This is not the language of people intent on finding truth, or unity. This is the language of people who want to "other" people, to group people and position them as others, as enemies, as opposition, as less than.

I've been saying for years that conservatism has, as a fundamental messaging ploy, for decades now, employed rhetorical strategies akin to racism, treating liberals and the Left and liberalism similarly to how racists treat a race of people, or how religious extremists from a particular religion treat those from an "oppositional" religion. As someone who fundamentally, to my core, believes we need conservatism as a break or as a guardrail on liberalism, this disgusts and concerns me.

Aside from all that, which surely will upset some people, the thing we should be able to agree upon is that Shapiro represents something wearisome to all of us, and that is the click-bait opportunism bullshit that is so much of today's media. Whether it is Shapiro or somebody similar on the Left, it's crap. It's unhelpful.

This might be one of the more laughable takes I have read. An avowed leftist painting Ben Shapiro of seeking victimhood.

Ben responding the woke left is not victimhood.

 

[Banditking]

You are deluded. Pelosi is center right by any metric. Maybe she sometimes employs rhetoric that leans farther left, but her actions, voting record and decades of work demonstrate she is a moderate Democrat.

Methinks you have been fed too much bullshit.

center right on what scale?

are you one of those, US doesn’t know what “left” is. We aren’t even close to the left of Europe types?

calling me deluded then asserting that Pelosi is center right in the US is pretty funny.

 

[HotelAlphaWilcoKilo]

ACLU counsel, Chase Strangio, folx.

 

[Rudolph]

ACLU counsel, Chase Strangio, folx.

View embedded media

So? Moving the goalposts over to the sports issue? Lol. JFC, man, ask me questions. Coward.

 

[Rudolph]

This might be one of the more laughable takes I have read. An avowed leftist painting Ben Shapiro of seeking victimhood.

Ben responding the woke left is not victimhood.

Watch the video. I’m sorry your own tribal lens makes it hard for you to recognize, but he does it all the time.

 

[Banditking]

They think Bernie Sanders is to the left of Karl Marx.

What gave them that idea? It’s quite perplexing. Ben Shapiro must have told them that, misquoted Bernie out of context or something. Idiots.

 

[Jerome Silberman]

I hear this sentiment repeated a lot from the left.

I’m not a huge fan of any political commentator. But, I think it’s silly to argue that Shapiro is not smart, or not an “intellectual.” He’s got a solid academic background. And, amongst the political commentator class, he does a solid job, generally, arguing conservative points. You can “gotcha” him and identify bad arguments. But, he hosts a daily podcast. Pick anyone who talks as much as he does and you will be able pick out bad arguments or bad arguments strategies. Apply the same lens to joe Biden or Adam schiff that you’re applying to Shapiro and then picture Adam Schiff playing back a fake transcript to congress of Trump saying impeachable things.

It's not a requirement to have esteem for somebody that chose to be a "political commentator". The job is unnecessary, a d to do it well a person must be divisive and prone to half-truths.

Just because he does a dishonorable job well, does not mean he demands respect. F@ck him and everyone else that makes a paycheck talking about how terrible one class of politicians are, while carrying water for a group that's just as bad or worse.

 

[HawkeyeShawn]

Shapiro doesn't really say anything I agree with but he's a free speech advocate so I support him. He is an opposing viewpoint that is intelligent and as far as I know hasn't supported the conspiracy theorists and advocated for violence (haven't seen anything from him for a few months). He is well known on the lecture circuit and seems appropriate to write an editorial piece.

You don’t agree with this? He sounds horrible!

 

[Rudolph]

View embedded media

What gave them that idea? It’s quite perplexing. Ben Shapiro must have told them that, misquoted Bernie out of context or something. Idiots.

I love excerpting. JFC. People really just want to be affirmed and dumb. I guess it's easier.