But first, a question: Remember when The Force Awakens came out and people were still excited about Star Wars? Back in the good ol’ days, before The Last Jedi and Solo, we actually greeted the announcement of a new film in the franchise with something other than exhaustion and dread. So when that first TFW trailer came out, everybody was jazzed for it.
“Wooooo, Star Wars!”
Then something weird happened. A handful of trolls complained about a black guy playing a stormtrooper in a Star Wars movie, and it became a national news story. Everybody fell all over themselves to condemn anybody who would be so racist in [current year]. Millions of people patted themselves on the back for being more enlightened than a few nobodies who decided to troll them. Actor John Boyega, who plays Finn in the new Star Wars films, was even asked in interviews what he thought about the “controversy.”
There was no controversy. The only thing notable about the whole thing was that everybody freaked out about a complete non-controversy. A nontroversy.
More recently, this happened with the Black Panther movie. Somebody created a Facebook group called “Down With Disney’s Treatment of Franchises and Its Fanboys,” which claimed it was going to somehow ruin the movie’s Rotten Tomatoes score. Yes, that’s what I said: Somebody started a Facebook group. That was it. Some random nobody went online and said something stupid, and it became national news. That’s because the random nobody called himself “alt-right,” and his targets were members of a protected class. Therefore, it made everybody else feel better about how woke they were, and they couldn’t help but celebrate their own wonderfulness.
I hope you’re ready for a fun 2019, because this strange phenomenon is now making the leap to the world of politics. It all started with this video:
…High School video of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — Congratulations New York! pic.twitter.com/VSKdUImhZj
— Dan Jordan (@realdanjordan) January 2, 2019
Yep, that’s definitely her.
That video started going viral yesterday. Speaking only for myself as always, I saw it and thought it was cute. I was like, “Is this supposed to make me like her… less?” I’m pretty sure I’m allowed to enjoy it, even though I think her policies are ridiculous. She seems like a fun person, particularly for a socialist.
But now it’s a big deal, because somebody said this:
Who is “AnonymousQ1776”? I have no idea. He or she has since deleted that account. But apparently, he or she speaks for all Republicans and conservatives everywhere, because that’s what journalists and Democrats (pardon the redundancy) need to believe.
Conservatives mock Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for college dancing video, everyone else thinks it’s adorable https://t.co/4RY4cQcrCt pic.twitter.com/AEpCMtSfKd
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) January 3, 2019
“Conservatives” = One anonymous Twitter user with a now-deleted account.
That edited video clip of Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez being used by some as a means to try and discredit her wasn’t shot in HS. It was shot at BU, by @buhtc in 2010, featuring a diverse group of students. And it was supposed to “bring people together.” https://t.co/t20jDpwOeN
— Steve Annear (@steveannear) January 3, 2019
It did bring everybody together! 99.9% of us thought it was fun. And yet, now it’s being “used by some” to “discredit her.” Who is doing this, and how is it supposed to work, exactly? [shrug emoji]
‘I love this’: bid to discredit Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with college dance video backfires https://t.co/0nlReLA1XM
— Kate Lyons (@MsKateLyons) January 4, 2019
Who made this “bid”? Nobody knows, and apparently nobody is interested in finding out.
But this is now the narrative. So of course, now it loops right back around where it started:
Asked @AOC re this dancing video. She said:
“It is not normal for elected officials to have a reputation for dancing well and I’m happy to be one.”
& “It is unsurprising to me that Republicans would think having fun should be disqualifying or illegal”https://t.co/M0qMKmQ0ar
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) January 4, 2019
Which Republicans are saying that? Can AOC name them? Can any of the reporters asking her about it name them? No, and nobody expects them to, because the narrative reinforces what they already believe.
I hear the GOP thinks women dancing are scandalous.
Wait till they find out Congresswomen dance too! 💃🏽
Have a great weekend everyone :) pic.twitter.com/9y6ALOw4F6
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 4, 2019
Politically, she’s smart to capitalize on this. She may even sincerely believe “the GOP” thinks this. But it’s not true, and the people making this claim don’t care that it’s not true. It fits the slot in their brains marked “OMG UR SO SCARED OF AOC,” and that’s the only thing that matters.
If any Republican or conservative that you’ve ever heard of is angry or otherwise agitated about AOC dancing on a rooftop, it’s just weird that nobody can come up with a name.
In the meantime, AOC is going on TV and saying stuff like this:
On 60 minutes, @AOC calls for raising taxes up to “60 or 70 percent” for highest earners
“People are going to have to start paying their fair share in taxes” pic.twitter.com/onAkHYMAqX
— Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) January 4, 2019
I much prefer her dancing. But sure, let everybody hear what she has to say. If she wants to openly advocate socialism, if the Democrats are finally being honest about what they really want, fine.
Right-wingers wanted their own version of Obama, and they got the next best thing with Donald Trump. Now left-wingers want their own Trump, and AOC fits the bill. She’s a thin-skinned troll who’s not afraid to “punch back” at anybody who insults her in the slightest, and she’s got a much longer shelf-life than the Orange Hitler they hate so much. So she must be protected and defended at all costs, even if it means her acolytes must humiliate themselves, as they’ve done today.
But of course, I’m only saying that because I’m SO SCARED OF AOC YOU GUYS!!!
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