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DISPATCHES FROM THE CULTURE WARS – AUGUST 22, 2025  
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April 22, 2025
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_ “Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks!” _

A hurricane off the Florida coast. Credit, harvepino/Big Stock Photo

 

* A Movement Moment?
* Racism U.: From Bob Jones to MAGA 
* Trump Cuts and Weather Disasters 
* Rude Awakenings in Trumpland...
* ...But What About the Libs?
* Students, Teachers and ICE 
* Hot Girls for Zohran 
* DEI or GTFO
* Reactionary Nihilism
* Francis’s Mic Drop

A MOVEMENT MOMENT?
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By Mark Engler and Paul Engler
Waging Nonviolence

History tells us that, even as authoritarians deploy “shock and
awe” campaigns, they consistently underestimate the ability of
movements to break out in opposition. And it has demonstrated that
civil resistance — in the form of mass protest, strikes, boycotts
and creative noncompliance — can have profound effects in turning
public opinion. 

RACISM U.: FROM BOB JONES TO MAGA
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By Rick Pidcock
Baptist News Global

The resurrected right’s argument against Harvard as this: “You
won’t let us segregate our churches and schools? You won’t let us
tell Black people they’re not allowed here in our school? Fine,
we’re going to work for 70 years and we will elect a narcissistic
monster that will finally tell schools like Harvard, ‘You’re being
too diverse.’”

TRUMP CUTS AND WEATHER DISASTERS
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By Matt Simon
Grist

The Trump administration’s slashing of jobs at the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, is coming at a dangerous time, experts
say, as the agency generates a stream of data essential to creating
hurricane forecasting models. Forecasters are predicting an
above-average season this year because the Atlantic is already several
degrees Fahrenheit warmer than usual.

RUDE AWAKENINGS IN TRUMPLAND...
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By Brittany Wong
Huffpost

Two days after I celebrated Trump taking office in 2025, he cut my
position within the federal government. I am a 21-year federal
employee who took a position last year at the VA. We were deemed to be
DEI. Trump eliminated all DEI offices within the federal government.
We were to be reassigned, but Elon Musk and DOGE cancelled those
reassignment plans.

...BUT WHAT ABOUT THE LIBS?
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By Andrew O’Hehir
Salon

We are seeing a truly extraordinary transformation, something like the
awakening of the mainstream conservatives alongside the continuing
surrender of the mainstream liberals.

STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND ICE
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By Alejandra Gonzalez Rizo and Daniela Silva
Teen Vogue

We’ve had to adapt beyond our teaching roles to become protectors of
our students. Over the past few weeks, we have led training for our
school staff and students and helped families fill out preparedness
packets so that they have a written plan for navigating the worst
possible scenarios. At every turn, we have worked to get our people
and communities organized.

HOT GIRLS FOR ZOHRAN
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By Alaina Demopoulos
The Guardian

Zohran Mamdani is the 33-year-old democratic socialist and state
assemblyman from Queens who is running for New York City mayor. This
week, a social media account called “Hot Girls 4 Zohran” dropped
on X and Instagram to give away free Mamdani swag. It’s a
tongue-in-cheek way for voters to self-identify and convince others to
do so too.

DEI OR GTFO
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By Zack Linly
Newsone

There are states where officials seem to be aware of the game the
Trump administration is playing: lying about what DEI is, repeating
the lies as often as possible, and then using them to justify official
policy, much like Republicans have done with critical race theory,
affirmative action, election security, and the ubiquitous thing they
call “woke.”

REACTIONARY NIHILISM
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Katherine Stewart and Christopher Ketcham
The Baffler

Think of it as owning the libs with an AR-15 while bowing to Mammon
and smashing what remains of the welfare state. With his second term
underway, Trump is making swift progress implementing this vision of
what journalist Katherine Stewart calls “reactionary nihilism.”

FRANCIS’S MIC DROP
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By Tom Sykes
The Daily Beast

It was an entirely fitting final set piece from one of the few world
leaders who had the courage—and political immunity—to stand up to
and criticize, often in blistering terms, both presidencies of Donald
Trump, explicitly calling his migration policies a “disgrace” and
“not Christian.”

* Authoritarianism
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* Social Movements
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* higher education
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* Bob Jones University
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* Racism
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* Harvard University
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* Donald Trump
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* weather
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* National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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* DOGE
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* Make America Great Again
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* Trump voters
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* liberals
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* Teachers
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* students
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* Immigration and Customs Enforcement
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* Zohran Mamdani
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* diversity equity and inclusion
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* reactionary nihilism
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* Pope Francis I
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* JD Vance
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