When former President Donald Trump recently made a surprise appearance at UFC 290 in Las Vegas, leftists lost their minds as various celebrities were spotted shaking hands and chatting with him. The political leanings of UFC commentator and podcaster Joe Rogan and actors Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson are hardly a secret, but when the Mayor of Flavortown, Guy Fieri, engaged Trump in what looked like friendly conversation, progressives on Twitter were apoplectic. The boisterous celebrity chef and philanthropist has always been viewed as largely apolitical and is well-liked by Americans of all political stripes – at least, he was. Now, the left wants him canceled because apparently no one is allowed to even be civil to Trump.
It’s the great irony of 21st-century American culture. The people who claim to oppose “hate” and embrace inclusivity and tolerance are consumed by an almost homicidal rage – and sometimes a very literal homicidal rage – for anyone who expresses an opinion with which they do not agree.
Jack White, a somewhat talented musician but, at best, a mediocre human being, seemed to take the Donald Trump-Guy Fieri encounter harder than most. “Anybody who ‘normalizes’ or treats this disgusting fascist, racist, con man, disgusting piece of s–t Trump with any level of respect is ALSO disgusting in my book,” he wrote on Instagram. “That’s you Joe Rogan, you Mel Gibson, you Mark Wahlberg, you Guy Fieri. This is a statement from me, not a discussion/debate.” White left Twitter when Trump’s account was reinstated to the social media platform. Imagine the level of hatred it takes to think that another human being should not be “normalized.” One can perhaps rationalize that in the case of people like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Jeffrey Dahmer, and John Wayne Gacy – but Donald Trump?
The most alarming thing about progressives’ anger, though, is that they have taken it to an extreme. If not outright engaging in politically motivated violence, they often dehumanize those they view as political or cultural enemies. There’s precedent for this disturbing tactic. It has been incited and encouraged by almost all of history’s most ruthless and brutal totalitarians. When one sees one’s ideological opponents as less than human, one can justify any lies about them and any verbal or physical abuse directed at them. So it is with a significant percentage of modern left-wingers.
Donald Trump From Prince to Pariah
The whole meltdown is rather amusing, though. Leftists are calling for boycotts of anything connected to Fieri, including The Food Network. The phrase “he’s dead to me now” pops up a few times. Suddenly Fieri is a terrible person? Because he’s on friendly terms with Donald Trump? Perhaps these same progressives should recall that Bill and Hillary Clinton were guests at Trump’s wedding. Maybe they should scour the internet to find out who else has ever been pictured grinning and glad-handing with their least favorite president. The list would include Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, Britney Spears, Kim Kardashian, Jack Nicholson, Alec Baldwin, Snoop Dogg. Wait — Alec Baldwin? Yes, indeed. A smiling Robert De Niro, too – and Neil Young! Some of these people have since said terrible things about Trump, but they were quite happy to hang out with him before he got into politics. One simply does not become a fascist and a racist overnight. That’s what many of those celebrities call Trump these days. But if he is, then he would have been back then, which means they were once happy to socialize, or at least be on civil terms with, this supposedly awful person.
Jack White (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
If they want to be true to their alleged principles, then progressives should probably boycott Hollywood altogether – along with the entire music industry. And football, because of Tom Brady. Enough said. Then, of course, there are all the Democrat politicians who years ago gladly took Trump’s money. Like Fieri, Trump was quite popular with leftists. That all changed the instant he challenged Hillary Clinton’s bid for power.
To be fair, a few Twitter leftists adopted a more rational response to the outrage. One of them, Brian Krassenstein, wrote: “Over 60 million Americans voted for Trump. Ostracizing anyone who is seen near him, voted for him or associates with him in any way, is the best way to ensure he is re-elected … It’s one thing to not vote for the guy. It’s irrational though to treat those who did as lepers. Please stop with the irrational outrage.” In fact, more than 70 million Americans voted for Donald Trump, but Krassenstein’s point is well made.
For a great many progressives, normalizing gender dysphoria and pedophilia is just fine – and certain factions on the left are indeed actively engaged in normalizing both of those things. Simply look up the term “minor attracted persons.” White has expressed no concern whatsoever about these chilling trends – but one cannot “normalize” Donald Trump, it seems. That is just beyond the pale. White should perhaps re-evaluate his entire value system, as should all of the most extreme progressives. One cannot claim to oppose hate but then practice it daily against one’s own countrymen simply because they choose to hold different values.
