Mayor Pete
When I read that Pete Buttigieg was running for president, I did a double take. One, he was much younger than your usual politician running for president. Two, I had to learn to pronounce his name (Boot-edge, edge) and three, he was gay. I felt seen. Like, really SEEN. I was not expecting to feel so validated. I know, it sounds silly, but it was a moment.
I totally love Pete and Chasten. I even once met someone who had allegedly dated Chasten before he married Pete. It was this bitter queen who was introduced to me during some Halstead event (I think it was Market Days) around the time Pete was running for president. And she had things to say. I did not pay attention, of course, because Pete and Chasten were already one of my OTPs. I nodded courteously while she yapped about Chasten and then turned around and never talked to her again. She got on my last gay nerve. What can I say? I'm a Pete/Chasten Stan. When they were on the cover of Time, I almost fainted.
Now, the latest conservative -and manufactured- outrage is about Pete taking paternity leave because him and Chasten just welcomed twins. Yeah, because there's nothing the pro-life party likes more than being anti-life. They seem to care about fetuses, but not about real babies. Not surprising, of course. The 1950s called. They want their stupid gender roles back.
Buttigieg had been home since mid-August with his husband, Chasten, as they took care of their newborn twins. When that news broke last week, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson slammed Buttigieg, saying he was on “paternity leave, they call it, trying to figure out how to breastfeed.” MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace accurately described the remark as misogynistic and homophobic. Still, some other critics piled on, pushing the “Mad Men”-era idea that men have no role at home after a baby is born — a preposterous notion that many of us dads quickly rejected.
There's never an opportunity that the Repugs and the Right in general would not take to make sure that their outdated, toxic idea of what being a man is re-asserted. Not like they've miss the chance to blame Pete's paternity leave for the many cargo ships stuck in California. As if that were his responsibility and as if he could not work from home. They're obtuse on purpose.
The idea that men cannot be caregivers is a deeply conservative one, though. Conservatives seem to have very misogynistic, sexist, homophobic ideas in what corresponds male roles. Very much toxic, very much in sync with the Masc4Masc crowd, if you'd ask me. Their manufactured outrage reeks of a bygone era, when men were men and women. Blacks and queers knew their place. We are thankfully in the XXI century, when the Secretary of Transportation can post a picture of him and his husband holding their twins and get half a million people liking the picture.
The only thing I don't like about this documentary is that it'll be on Amazon. Because I absolutely refuse giving Bezos one more dollar. I guess it'll be time to start asking around to see who's got Amazon Prime, no?
XOXO
P.S. This post is dedicated to Anne Marie, who loved Pete as much as I do.
Pete is great. The minute we heard about his run for President, we looked him up, listened to him for a hot minute, we were on board. My wife and i even campaigned for him. This country needs more men of his calibre. Tuckem and his ilk can go suck donkey dick.
ReplyDeleteYou know what we need? We need a cable news channel that is just as harsh and in your face as Faux News and (n)On America News, and NewsMin. A channel that does nothing but bash the rightards. If only I had millions. XOXO
I thought he was fantastic. A Rhodes scholar, a veteran. And so ambitious. I also campaigned for him a little.
DeleteAnd wouldn't it be good to have a cable news channel only dedicated to debunk the bullshit that Faux News puts out? I'd watch.
XOXO
I still have my Pete For 2020 yard sign. I'll fill you in on the doc. :)
ReplyDeleteOMG Same!
DeleteI actually have it in the back rest of my car. And I kept two and framed them. It was a historical moment!
And I'll be here. Waiting for your review of the documentary.
XOXO
Manufactured outrage is exactly all it is. "The 1950s called. They want their stupid gender roles back." Fuck 'em!
ReplyDeleteOh, the 'conservatives' are experts at pearl clutching.
DeleteUgh. Fuck 'em is right.
XOXO
The right fears any positive information about POCs, gays, etc. They’re scared that people will no longer fear these groups and their (declining) influence is endangered. So they bash and stoke as much fear as they can.
ReplyDeleteThis looks to be a very enlightening piece. We’ll have to wait for Jimmy’s review. I wish some of these services would team up on productions for a broader audience, or maybe after a certain amount of time, make it available to other platforms. But that’s why I’m not the head of any of these services.
XOXO 👨🏼❤️💋👨🏽
Oh, the Right fearmongers on EVERYTHING. Feeble-minded idiots.
DeleteAnd you know streaming services do not share. They want a captive audience. But yes, I'm gonna wait and see what Jimmy says.
XOXO
And if he hadn't taken paternity leave, they've have accused him of neglect or something similar. There's nothing he could do that would win their approval, because the point is to attack, no matter what -- to keep the viewers/voting base in a state of perpetual outrage at the other side, so they're easy to manipulate.
ReplyDeleteI agree too with what you said. When the shoe is on their foot, it different. Hell, my last employer even offered a weeks paid leave for expecting fathers. The GOP need to get with the times.
DeleteAbsolutely.
DeleteIt's bad if you do it and worse if you don't. The idea in the conservative mind is to always find fault, no matter what. They contradict themselves and don't even play catch. The idea is to have some sort of grievance.
Ugh. Can't take them.
XOXO
Interesting. Keep in mind that a certain 3 of your dollar goes to Bezos, a lot of it also goes to many, many men and women in the form of a paycheck who may be using it to feed their families. Do you really want to see those kids starve?
ReplyDeleteI see your point with Amazon respectfully, but that's why I shop local, to feed that owner using it to feed their families'.
DeleteFuck Amazon.
DeleteThat 'up to $15 per hour? Lip service. They're Union busters and pay a misery.
Like Maddie, I'm trying to buy local and support my local economy.
XOXO
Hell, Im still wearing his various tee shirts I got.!!!! I too love him. Before him, I was a snap of turning my bad on politics altogether. he was the one who lit the fire for me again. and finally a candidate that wasn't ancient. To me must be how many felt about JFK. To me he was just a well put together man, well spoken, not excitable, had great ideas, and views, was well liked and no dirt to our knowledge. A sleeve roller upper. Who just happened to be gay. I thought for sure he was going to take it. And I still don't discount him yet. He did pretty damn well for a first run and not to well known. Meanwhile, the gop closet gays are just jealous they can't freely suck cock.
ReplyDeleteI will never forget the night they showed up at Stonewall for the 50th World Pride......
Same!
DeleteI was so done with politics until he popped up! I think he's got a great future. Fixing the fuckery that Agolf Twitler left behind (and a crumbling infrastructure that the Repugs refuse to help fix) is going to be tough, but he'll manage.
He's doing very well and I love that he's a Daddy now.
XOXO
very nice couple!
ReplyDeleteThey're adorable!
DeleteTotally Stan them.
XOXO
so sweet together!
DeleteWow. So happy that he and Chasten have a family. I have many straight friends who have asked for and gotten paternity leave. Why are they making a big deal out this?
ReplyDeleteIt's so heartwarming!
DeleteI had no idea they wanted to adopt until the news broke.
And I also have straight friends who've done it. But you conservatives. It's all about the fake outrage and pearl clutching. Idiots.
XOXO
Awe. Sweet of you to remember Anne Marie. I love these two, too. I just don't like babies. Might be right for sum, but not me, hon. As for the right... SMH. Like they don't have something better to whine about... wait. Oh. THEY DON'T. What does that tell you? Yep. The Dem agenda is doing it doing it doing it right. Well, thanks for this little valentine to gay guys' fave pair. Is anybody on the right side of things NOT rootin' for them? I guess we have to stop calling them the right... because they're so wrong. Let's call 'em what they are instead: Racists, Bigots, Homophobes, Azzholes. Kizzes.
ReplyDeleteAlways!
DeleteDear Anne Marie is always present in the comments (especially when I post some hot Bear).
And the right always finds something to wail about or to stoke fear about. It's their MO. I agree with you. The fact that they're throwing shit like this to the wall means they've got nothing. Or that yet another scandal is about to break..
XOXO