Funny how that works, because it turns out the mantra of being pro-diversity has morphed into being anti- "divisive". And, in practice, being "divisive" simply means being "different" or "non-conforming." For example:
American cyclist suspended from team over so-called 'divisive' tweet supporting Trump
The one-word tweet was apparently enough to get him sidelined
Here's how it worked:
An American professional cyclist was suspended from his team Thursday after showing support for President Trump in a seemingly benign social media tiff.
Trek-Segafredo suspended Quinn Simmons for what the team called “divisive” comments on his personal Twitter account.
Simmons, 19, reacted to a tweet from Dutch journalist Jose Been in which she said she hoped for her American friends that “this horrible presidency ends for you,” adding “if you follow me and support Trump, you can go.”
Simmons replied to Been, saying “Bye” with a dark-skinned hand emoji waving. Her tweet was later deleted.
A separate Twitter user wrote that Simmons was “Apparently a Trumper.” He wrote back: “That’s right” with an American flag emoji.
The Dutch woman's tweet was actually rather more, um, divisive in tone than that account indicates. In full, it read:
My dear American friends, I hope this horrible presidency ends for you. And for us as (former?) allies too.
If you follow me and support Trump, you can go. There is zero excuse to follow or vote for the vile, horrible man.
Zero excuse means that this Dutch woman thinks there's no room for discussion--just go away. Where? She doesn't specify.
Simmons' response to the provocative Dutch tweet led to another sports journalist excommunicating Simmons from the human race:
Peter Flax
@Pflax1
I like talented young bike racers as much as anyone, but I refused to cheer for anyone who supports a racist, hateful fascist like @QuinnSimmons9 does. I am officially rooting for everyone else.
Excommunicated from the human race? Well, consider: Violence against a "racist, hateful fascist" is allowed and even encouraged in ProgAmerica. Any woke Prog who feels triggered by Simmons' tweet of "bye" will feel entitled to have at him.
That's what happens when you're "divisive" in public Left dominated society. Another word might be "transgressive"--Simmons broke Prog taboos. He was out of lock-step, which appears to be the one positive virtue recognized by the Left: to be in lock-step with ProgThink. And so Simmons was banned as a non-person, or something very like it.
Simmons' team, predictably buckled under to the Progs and suspended Simmons indefinitely:
“Regrettably, team rider Quinn Simmons made statements online that we feel are divisive, incendiary, and detrimental to the team, professional cycling, its fans, and the positive future we hope to help create for the sport,” the team wrote. “(He) will not be racing for Trek-Segafredo until further notice.”
So, calling someone a "racist, hateful fascist" for being part of that half of the population that supports Trump is NOT "divisive" or "incendiary", but tweeting the one word "bye" IS "incendiary."
Presumably, Simmons will be required to go through a struggle session (do just run a search on that term), confess his transgressions, and affirm that he will forever be in lock-step with ProgThink before he'll be allowed to participate in the "positive future" a bicycle racing team thinks it's building. Like Drew Brees and so many others.
This is where America is at, apparently. A dominant feature of "progressive" public life is that the terms of usage of the public square (Twitter, Facebook, nowadays) are periodically revised without prior notice. A new style of lock-step is announced and retroactive purges are held of those who are found to have been non-conforming in the past. Dissent is verboten.
Predictably, the Dutch journalist now feels "terrible". She didn't mean for this to happen. She thought, apparently, that her mini-rant against people whom she didn't even know should have been sufficient to causer them to simply slink away in silence. Shamed by the power of her Prog virtue. That's another feature of Prog life in America--opponents are faceless Others. Or worse--they may have faces, unmasked!
This is what this election is about. Trump's transgressiveness with regard to ProgThink and these would be totalitarians is his great sin.
UPDATE: As it happens, the Progs aren't bashful about how to deal with people who aren't in lock-step. It's not enough to passively and quietly go along to get along. You have to march in lock-step and also chant the right slogans. If you're running a business, you have to subordinate that business to Prog causes--that's what "society" is code for:
Former Twitter CEO Fantasizes About Violent Revolution, Assassinations
OCTOBER 1, 2020 By Jordan Davidson
Former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo took to Twitter on Wednesday to express his strong opinions about capitalists who refrain from participation in social justice movements in the workplace and encouraged violence against them.
“Me-first capitalists who think you can separate society from business are going to be the first people lined up against the wall and shot in the revolution,” he wrote. “I’ll happily provide video commentary.”
Yeah, I know. Imagine if a conservative said anything remotely like that.
Trek is run by Jim Burke--his daughter, Mary Burke, as a Democrat ran against Scott Walker for governor of Wisconsin in 2012.
ReplyDeleteTrek has a bit of a history with censorship, as it severed its relationship with Greg LeMond (first American to win Tour de France) selling LeMond-branded bicycles, claiming LeMond was damaging the brand because he spoke out against doping in the sport. Trek claimed LeMond's comments "are inconsistent with our values—values we believe in and live everyday."
LeMond's complaint stated, "Since 2001, Trek has systematically sought to silence Mr. LeMond's right to make comments that constitute an informed and honest opinion on matters of legitimate public interest – the problems associated with the use of performance enhancing substances". The complaint included examples of Trek threatening its ties with LeMond in 2001 and 2004 after he made public statements against doping, Michele Ferrari (a French "doping" doctor), and Lance Armstrong.
The record speaks for itself.
Oh, and I meant to add...if the left will non-person Simmons or me for replying to a tweet, why am I going to reply to a pollster how I intend to vote?
ReplyDeleteI think you can throw most polls in the garbage.
I don't answer any such calls to begin with, but, yeah, to go on a pollster's permanent record, as voting for anyone other than a Dem, is begging for the guillotine.
DeleteAs to the initial point of the post, I always found the chants of "Celebrate Diversity!" to be a direct contradiction of the championing of equality: "Yay! We're all equal, we're all the same."
ReplyDeleteBut then contradictions made by the woke/prog-left are part of their charm...