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When I was in high school in the late 1990s, a plucky, idealistic young teacher tried to form a Gay-Straight Student Alliance. We had maybe two, three, meetings, before the administrators told her to stick to Algebra. Then, someone at the school invited Parents and Friends of Gays and Lesbians (PFLAG) to speak. The group was as inoffensive as possible. It was basically Moms asking, nicely, “Please don’t kill my child because he’s gay.” Parents at our school revolted and their appearance was cancelled. At dorky debate team meets, a standard topic of discussion would be gays in the military. It was wild.
With each nudge towards progress on gay rights, our greedy politicians tallied which side’s support was more likely to yield votes and campaign cash and oriented their position on the issue based on election outcome, rather than the universal arc of justice. Anyway, here we are: no one under 30 would believe that gay marriage used to be … just a bit controversial.
The second most successful movement of my lifetime was weed legalization. What do these two movements have in common? They’ve made countless people’s lives immeasurably better. What else do they have in common? Money.
Unique among minorities, gays and lesbians in the aughts spanned all socioeconomic classes, including large numbers who were upper middle class and extremely wealthy. Add to that, many didn’t have kids, which is like winning the literal lottery. Isn’t it amazing how campaign cash erodes deep concerns about the “traditional” family?
Weed, too. Once it became clear from pilot legalizations like Colorado’s, how much cash was in the legal weed business, America’s youth staying on the straight and narrow stopped being top priority. And upper middle class and rich people had smoked with impunity forever. The ones with a conscience founded and funded multiple organizations, like the Drug Policy Alliance, that lobbied for legalization, tapping other rich people with influence (which is how I once, as a young editor of a progressive magazine affiliated with DPA, found myself at a soiree for Arianna Huffington’s daughter).
Campaign cash is an obvious proxy, but there are other ways the wealthy influence policy. How does the publisher of a paper feel about a topic? Top editors are more likely than not to come from wealthy families. There are subtle ways to shape coverage (or unsubtle ways, such as the New York Times “Screams Without Words” fiasco). Apply that to every media that filters the world, influencing people’s opinions in equal parts, if not far more, than real life. What studies get funded, and why? How are they framed in the press? Who gets tenure? Whose kid gets the plum internship in D.C., etc. etc. The psychotic tech VCs who want to make homeless people into Soylent Green have turned San Francisco into a red state. I know I’m being Mr. Obvious with “rich people have too much power!” But my point is to consider the ramifications of the war in Gaza and its impact on future U.S. domestic life.
Joe Biden tanking his reelection and fucking us with another Trump term is the tip of the iceberg. Young people are overwhelmingly against Israel—and America’s role—in the conflict. But the money is on the other side. That contradiction means that rather than small steps towards progress, with younger people tugging older people along, like on gay rights and marijuana, I envision something like gun control.
It’s an intractable issue because while sane Americans support gun control, the money is with the weapons manufacturers, who in turn have empowered the National Rifle Association to buy every Republican in America. AIPAC is one step ahead, having bought politicians across the aisle.
Thoughts and prayers.
and now...with Am. govt warning of Iranian retaliation...pretty sure they know it's going to happen.
So does Biden let it go? Or join Israel against Iran..
Israel knew Am. support weaning. Hey, get it back by striking Iranian embassy. Of course they know Iran retaliates. Oh boy, how better to get US engaged!
Tell Biden to tell Israel they bit too deep in the apple and we ain't gonna choke ourselves on the core,
You forgot climate change