Doing sociology and philosophy in real time by looking at developments in contemporary Western politics and culture, from a Moral Libertarian perspective. My mission is to stop the authoritarian 'populist' right and the cultural-systemist left from destroying the West.
Why BreadTube is Getting So Excited About a Joe Biden 'Gaffe' | BreadBusting
Welcome to BreadBusting, where we attempt to examine the problematic ideas that come out of BreadTube, and the ideology of Breadism more generally. Basically, it's like Myth Busting, but for Breadism. Today, I'm going to talk about why some BreadTubers, or at least BreadTube fans and BreadTube adjacent creators, have been getting very excited about some comments from former Vice President Joe Biden, which have been widely misinterpreted in the media.
Recently, Joe Biden described how he has a long track record of being able to work with people who he strongly disagreed with, including those who supported segregation back in the 1970s, because there was civility. As I understand it, the point is about being able to maintain a civil relationship with people who you have strong disagreements, so that you can still find common ground and get things done. A very important point to make, especially in this toxic political climate, where we can't even have reasonable debates anymore. Nonetheless, many people have been trying to make something out of nothing, accusing Joe Biden of being sympathetic to racists, when this was the exact opposite of what he actually said. Of course, attacking Biden over almost anything is quite easy these days, especially on the internet where he is pretty unpopular with activists from both the left and the right.
But then, if your average Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump supporter is perhaps promoting this controversy strategically, even if out of somewhat bad faith, Breadists are excited about this so-called gaffe for much deeper reasons. You see, Breadists don't believe in rational debate or civility. In the Breadist worldview, everything is about power, power struggle and power dynamics. Breadism sees everything through the lens of power, and believe that speech is only a device of power. While Joe Biden saw his ability to work with segregationists in the light of being civil despite fundamental disagreements, Breadism sees his ability to get along with racist people as part of his 'white privilege', operating in the power structure they call 'white supremacy'. Therefore, while Biden takes an opportunity to highlight his ability to work with those he disagreed with, Breadists saw an opportunity to highlight his white privilege, and his role in what they call 'white supremacy'. The problem with this attitude is that, if all we emphasize are our differences and our conflicts of interest, there is simply no way to work together towards anything. And this point was echoed even by progressives like Tulsi Gabbard.
In fact, historically, real progressives have long been uncomfortable with the Breadist view of breaking down everything into power and privilege analyses. 20th century French philosopher Michel Foucault was perhaps the most important influence on modern Breadism, and he saw everything from science and medicine to tradition and even knowledge itself as power structures. This essentially nihilistic view of the world was rejected by even Noam Chomsky himself! In fact, the rise of Breadist ideas is the fundamental reason why much of the left has become averse to rational debate, and instead promote authoritarian stances like safe speech and de-platforming speakers. For the committed Breadists, ideas and debate don't matter, because they are only a cloak for power and privilege. Unlike most Bernie or Trump supporters, Breadists oppose Joe Biden not because of policy differences, but because they fundamentally believe he stands for the powerful and the privileged, and his latest comments are proof of this. From a fundamentally Breadist point of view, it matters more that Joe Biden comes across like the embodiment of straight white male privilege, more than what anything Joe Biden actually has to say. And I think this is really sad.
That's all for today. I'll be back next time to discuss another big idea. Subscribe if you want to follow our story. And remember to resist the hive mind and stay individualistic. The world depends on it.
