I just want to lower the political salience of gender politics while we convince the next generation of our views on that front. Not that we have to abandon it, but I don't want it to be so central to liberal identity that it's the first thing everyone associates with our faction.
And before you point out that electing guys like Platner could potentially harm legislative efforts:
1) that goose is cooked, the question is how we react to it
2) having a guy like Platner hold a seat that would otherwise be held by a Republican is still good
Can we get in bed with a guy like Platner in the interest of 1) making our party more palatable to (let's say) white working class men and 2) passing important legislative priorities?
It seems like the cultural revulsion for a lot of people on this website is too intense for that.
You're not going to get any argument from me that gender politics have become central to all politics in this country (maybe worldwide). The issue I have is that I earnestly believe that our liberal view on gender is shared by maybe 30-40% of people.
Again, not because I have any substantive disagreement with it. I'm just sick of losing elections because the toxically masculine majority thinks to themselves "I can't vote for Dems, they hate me for being/loving a Real Man™". There are other important aspects of liberalism.
That doesn't mean we give up the fight, but it does mean that we can't make it the defining feature of our ideology. If the liberals become the faction for people who simply cannot countenance toxic masculinity, we lose. We've already been losing for basically that reason.
I said lower the salience. It doesn't have to affect legislation.
I want to change everybody's minds, but it takes at least a generation to get society to change its view on gender norms. And we can't afford to lose most elections for the next generation while people come around. Hell, if we lose all those elections, people may never come around.
Maybe he was using Reddit the way probably 50% of people use Reddit, which is making up shit to win pointless arguments and/or aura farm
The overwrought reaction to him on this website is helping to define liberalism in people's heads
