podcast friday

[sabotabby]

I often don't listen to No Gods No Mayors if I haven't heard of the mayor (sorry) so it's been awhile since I tuned in. Their one on "Peter "Mayor" Buttigieg, with Cory Doctorow" is really fun, and since I've heard of both the mayor and a fan of the guest, it was absolutely worth listening to. 

Buttigieg is a type of guy that I think doesn't make much sense outside of American politics. They describe him as a Coexist bumper sticker, which, yes. Kind of if a thought-terminating cliché was a person. It's pretty fascinating and, of course, very funny.

Comments

[greylock]

Buttigieg is a type of guy that I think doesn't make much sense outside of American politics.

All I know about him is he was a mayor, transportation secretary, is gay, was in the military, and is erudite.

Whenever I've heard him speak he always feels like he cuts through.

[sabotabby]

Erudite might be pushing it, based on what gets said. Dems were really hoping that he’d be White Obama but he’s lacking in brains and rizz.

[ioplokon]

Buttigieg is a weird political figure. I do think his ceiling is higher than mayor but lower than president... I believe he speaks French, so maybe give him some kind of diplomatic role with Canada in a new Dem admin?

Also a bit of a weird one bc there are legitimate criticisms of his tactics, ceiling, and role as secretary BUT a lot of his critics also indulge in not-so-covert homophobia (like the Mathew Sheppard truther who hates that he adopted a kid...)

[greylock]

(like the Mathew Sheppard truther who hates that he adopted a kid...)

I'm digging deep into my brain here, but WTAF is a Mathew Sheppard truther?

(I'm possibly not surprised they exist, but 20-odd years on?)

[ioplokon]

Basically they argue he wasn't murdered bc he was gay but bc it was a drug deal thing.

[sabotabby]

Oh yeah, I have encountered this in the wild.

[kore]

WHAT

[ioplokon]

It is a mix of old-school 'phobes who want to make Sheppard look bad and new-school 'phobes who think the ultimate question of Communism is "Are gay men bourgeois?"

[kore]

Jesus wept.

[sabotabby]

Yeah this is strictly in the legitimate critiques category. 2/3 of the hosts are trans but 3/3 are leftists and bitchy.

[kore]

Buttigieg used to go on Fox news a lot and argue with people, which made liberals happy. I did not like him at all as a candidate -- much too polished and slick. Not that he was dishonest exactly, he just seemed pretty inside the machine. I didn't follow any of his Cabinet stuff tho.