A Transgender Metalhead has won a seat in the House of Representatives in Virginia

[narad]

I would say it's given attention because it is symbolic, more than ironic.

 

[eaeolian]

The bit I think you're missing, however, is that:

1) her opponent was an infamous bigot who was well known in the area as the author of a proposed VA bathroom bill aimed at transgender people, and
2) her opponent made it a major part of his platform that she was transgender.

He's only missing it because he wants to have his righteous fit.

It's getting attention because it's ironic as hell. You know the other story that got very nearly as much airtime as this one? The boyfriend of the VA-area newscaster who was shot to death on live television ran for a Delegate seat on a gun control platform against a noted gun rights advocate, and HE won too. That one's a little less funny since his story is kind of a tragedy (not that being transgender in VA is a walk in the park, of course), but that's also the reason that it's generated so much attention - that it's ironic that someone who was victimized by a particular platform ran for office and won.

The fact that someone in THAT part of the state won running on an anti-gun platform is especially telling. In Roem's case, that district is changing and Marshall played it like an idiot - but that was all he had, because he hadn't done anything actually useful in the House. Hurst winning in Roanoke, though, was a shock even to me - as was Carter taking out Jackson Miller, the majority Whip.

Despite how it's being portrayed in the national media - although the inclusiveness of the election is refreshing - this was a repudiation of the do-nothing GOP HoD that had no problem spending a large chunk of their part-time jobs debating a 20 week abortion bill that wouldn't have survived the state Supreme Court, much less the SCOTUS, but wouldn't fix the damn roads and bridges.

 

[synrgy]

^Bingo. As a former resident who is still nearby: It's getting attention because it was part of a larger, State-wide movement, in which Dems trounced the GOP by margins not seen since the late 1800's. The northern districts have pretty much always been the bluest part of the State's purple gradient, but now the rural districts seem to be changing hue.

This could easily be short lived, but it's giving folks a glimmer of hope, that while 2016 may have been a result of voter apathy, it seems to have resulted in waking voters up from that apathy.

 

[Randy]

What we're experiencing is essentially the Republicans subjecting their voting base to "Sophie's choice". They'll pick one or two items that the core supporters are uncompromising on (Guns, God, Gays, etc.) and then they'll run an absolutely abhorrent ghoul against the Democrat as basically a dare to the voters as to which which part of their conscience they'll listen to.

The whole 'tough, straight shooter' candidate thing might've worked for Trump because he has a whole cabinet of people to cushion the policy part of whatever incendiary thing he tweets, but I don't think that kind of politics works at a local level.

 

[bostjan]

What we're experiencing is essentially the Republicans subjecting their voting base to "Sophie's choice". They'll pick one or two items that the core supporters are uncompromising on (Guns, God, Gays, etc.) and then they'll run an absolutely abhorrent ghoul against the Democrat as basically a dare to the voters as to which which part of their conscience they'll listen to.

The whole 'tough, straight shooter' candidate thing might've worked for Trump because he has a whole cabinet of people to cushion the policy part of whatever incendiary thing he tweets, but I don't think that kind of politics works at a local level.

I agree. Pretty much no one I know personally ever votes along party lines for local people. In fact, some people I know make it a habit to simply vote against the incumbent in local elections, since the incumbents almost always win by huge margins, as a sort of a statement, even if they know nothing about the contender. Personally, I actually really enjoy studying up on local candidates and weighing them out for what they believe in and how well I assess they'll be able to enact their beliefs, then casting a vote for whomever seems the least destructive. When I lived in Michigan and Indiana, I almost always picked all losers every time, but here, I think the masses tend to think a little more like I do. Pretty much the last thing I care about when researching a candidate is that candidates anatomy or sexual preferences.

 

[Randy]

In fact, some people I know make it a habit to simply vote against the incumbent in local elections, since the incumbents almost always win by huge margins, as a sort of a statement, even if they know nothing about the contender.

This must be a cynical New Englander thing, because everyone I know does the same thing

 

[wankerness]

Man, I WISH they did that here. It's as partisan and depressing where I live as presidential elections. We get the same heinous people getting re-elected over and over and over again, and all ads are purely attack ads with the occasional "I'M A FAMILY MAN WHO STANDS WITH WALKER," there's NEVER anything about issues apart from abortion. The last guy who had any integrity in listing specific issues he cared about and avoiding attack ads finally got shovelled out a few years ago.

So I guess we probably have an opening for someone like this that talks about how they'll fix frickin roads instead of just how they'll keep guns and TRADITIONAL BATHROOMS or whatever.

 

[PunkBillCarson]

Look, I'm going to tell everyone now, I don't give a fuck if they're transgender or not, I saw we have a metalhead in the White House, that's all I need to know. Up the goddamn irons!

 

[wankerness]

Yeah, only left-wing news sites are trying to push the transgender thing so much (well...and bigoted sites that are using it as a sign of the end times, of course). I love that all interviews with her involve her responding to idiot questions like "HOW DOES THIS AFFECT TRANSGENDER RIGHTS AND REPRESENTATION IN THE COUNTRY?! ARE YOU PROUD TO BE PART OF SUCH A HUGE LEGACY?!?!" by just sort of going "yeah, I'm transgender...anyway, here's what I'm going to do in office." That's EXACTLY what we need and is the most positive kind of representation possible. Identity politics alienates most of the country, people like her do not. I agree totally with an op-ed I saw in the NYT that was titled something like "Danica Roems is boring. That's a good thing."

 

[Explorer]

Yeah, only left-wing news sites are trying to push the transgender thing so much (well...and bigoted sites that are using it as a sign of the end times, of course).

Are you sure the right didn't push it at all? It's surprising, the idea that the Republican opposition didn't attempt to push it, and (I suspect) not actually reflective of reality itself.

That's EXACTLY what we need and is the most positive kind of representation possible. Identity politics alienates most of the country, people like her do not. I agree totally with an op-ed I saw in the NYT that was titled something like "Danica Roems is boring. That's a good thing."

I do remember a lot of white people noting that Obama was the good kind of black candidate, not being too forward with his race.

It's good to note that a substantial part of the US responded positively to Trump's embrace of identity politics and of white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

It's also useful to be aware that Republicans have been pushing and embracing identity politics, specifically anti-non-hetero legislation and anti-minority legislation and gerrymandering, for decades. It's been their promoted brand, which makes your attribution of this in general to the left seem quite ignorant, whether genuinely or deliberately, of the realities which undermine your proposed narrative.

 

[wankerness]

Are you sure the right didn't push it at all? It's surprising, the idea that the Republican opposition didn't attempt to push it, and (I suspect) not actually reflective of reality itself.

Read what you quoted. The ones that made it a big deal are bigoted.

 

[Drew]

Look, I'm going to tell everyone now, I don't give a fuck if they're transgender or not, I saw we have a metalhead in the White House, that's all I need to know. Up the goddamn irons!

Splitting hairs, but she's in the House of Delegates in Virginia, not in the White House. That is, unless Trump is keeping a really big secret.

(he IS kind of a blubbering vagina when someone hurts his feelings, if his Twitter feed is any indication...)

 

[PunkBillCarson]

Either way, White House, House of Delegates, they're in the Government and to me, that's awesome. Won't lie, I was drunk when I made that post a few nights ago.

 

[Drew]

Either way, White House, House of Delegates, they're in the Government and to me, that's awesome. Won't lie, I was drunk when I made that post a few nights ago.

 

[ElRay]

... My problem isnt with TG people at all, its the media. Dont agree with my comment? Dont respond to it. That simple

Your ignorant, lie/fabrication-filled, bigoted posts clearly illustrate otherwise.

 

[Drew]

Your ignorant, lie/fabrication-filled, bigoted posts clearly illustrate otherwise.

There's also the matter of, while you're free to have whatever opinions you want, you also need to own them and if a certain opinion generates a lot of negative backlash, part of holding that opinion is being prepared to weather that backlash. You can't say something highly controversial, and then simultaneously expect to be free from all repercussions for having that opinion.

I'd almost respect you a little more if you stated your opinion, and then were prepared to actually defend your reasons for it, rather than "don't agree? Don't respond" and taking that kind of a cheap copout.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Choosing the "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" retort doesn't work if your words are drenched in bigotry, dude.

 

[ElRay]

There's also the matter of, while you're free to have whatever opinions you want, you also need to own them.

I wanted to include that, but I thought two concepts in one email would be too much for them to handle.

This whole warped view of the 1st Amendment is far, far, far too common among the GOPuritan/Domionist Sect. The view that their “freedom of speech” means they can say whatever they want, free of comment, critique or criticism, no matter how ignorant, bigoted, inaccurate, hypocritical, etc. is astoundingly hypocritical given how frequent they try to shut down, shout over, ban, etc. speech (which almost always reflects reality) they don’t like.

 

[Yul Brynner]

Pretty much the last thing I care about when researching a candidate is that candidates anatomy or sexual preferences.

This. Wtf does it matter what demographic they belong to? They aren't supposed to be elected to represent race, religion, sex, sexual preference or any other identity. They are elected to represent their constituents.

I agree with Morgan Freeman and think sentiment can be applied to much more than race. Like a while back there was the whole debate about gays saying they were born gay or the gay gene. Don't even say that. It doesn't matter. If I want to be a straight man today and a gay man tomorrow it's nobody's damned business. As long as I'm not hurting anyone or doing anything illegal I can do wtf I want. Shit like this shouldn't be an issue up for debate.

 

[Ernesto]

No it means im done. I dont even care anymore. This is a losing battle. Theres no point of posting the source of my claim because this argument will still continue to go back and forth. Im clearly in the minority here, im defending myself from several people on here. These are just little social issues, there are bigger problems than this. Big brother loves dividing the people by having them go at war with each other. Its not worth it. Im tired from it. Im done

I get the point that you're trying to make, and I'm probably with you. Apparently, there aren't many users here that have studied evolutionary psychology, anthropology, history, biology, and the symptoms that indicate the forthcoming demise of civilizations. It's pretty obvious that humanity is in the final days of its own mouse utopia experiment. The promotion of sjw propaganda on one side and ultraconservative views on the other is just the elite trying to pit us against each other and attempting to further obliterate the last vestige of tribe, the family, which will leave their slaves broken, alone, easier to control, and easier to eventually cull.

I'm all for anybody here on this planet doing what they want, as long as it doesn't threaten the future of our species, regardless of how they feel about their naughty bits, but I'm also a big supporter of letting Nature and evolution work as they did up until 12k years ago when we adopted agriculture, started moving to cities, and attempting to live by man's easily corruptible rules instead of Nature's uncheatable laws. We've been mentally, spiritually, and physically devolving ever since. The peanut allergy argument fits nicely here. By adjusting society to cater to those with peanut allergies, we increase the chances that they will spread their genes while simultaneously potentially eliminating a food that helps billions cheaply meet their protein needs. Same thing goes for glasses, modern health care, and most technology. Our tools and artificial social environments are definitely devolving us.

Before you guys start thinking that I'm conservative, I should let you know that I'm an anarchist, a real one. The only laws I respect are Nature's laws. The division between right and left is just another divide and conquer strategy that the elite use to keep the plebs distracted and fighting. If they can incite a civil war by exaggerating and spreading these dividing philosophies, their slave herds will cull themselves and the politicians and bankers will look like heroes once they decide that the numbers are back to a sustainable level and come in to "save the day".

As far as Danica getting into government goes, good for it if that's what makes it happy. I say "it" because the sjw movement supposedly doesn't believe in gender and if it has/had a dong, it's simply not a woman. Attacks on our means of clear communication are offensive to me. I have no problem with people being different and actually find the diversity of Nature, even the aberrant mutations, to be fascinating and potentially beautiful. I mean no offense and wish there was a pronoun to describe the genetically/chemically/mentally evolutionary divergent that can't be accurately identified with current terminology, but I think that naturally born women should be able to claim the terms woman, her, and she, as their own.

I just wanted to make it clear that Unleash the Fury isn't the only one here that thinks this is all ridiculous. I also want to say that the manner in which other users that have fallen for the propaganda are attempting to argue with UTF is pretty sad.

No need for replies here. I just wanted to state my opinion, let UTF know that there's at least one other person here that gets it, and give the rest of you something to think about. I don't see a point in engaging in debate with the brainwashed. If my post offends you, please attempt to read it again with an open mind and search for the definitions for any terms that you don't comprehend.

If I offend the combatively ignorant statists that believe that industrial civilization and the inherently corrupt institutions that are necessary to govern it are ethical or sustainable systems, so be it. Until they wake up, educate themselves, and start working towards creating an ethical and sustainable culture, any suffering that my opinions cause them pales in comparison to the suffering that their lifestyle causes life on this planet.