THERE IS A WAR FOR THE CULTURE, AND IT INVOLVES TACOS

Normal people thought the exchange between Tim Walz and Kamala Harris about "white guy tacos" was funny:



But right-wingers lost their shit, in the most obvious way:

It's a truism on the right: The only racism that matters, or even exists, is anti-white racism. But there's something else going on:

It's not just that mockery of white people is the worst possible form of bigotry, even if the mocker is white himself (Walz) or has clearly been invited to join in the mockery by a white person (Harris). It's also that white people must be the best at every worthwhile human endeavor. We can't admit that the food in non-European cultures is often more flavorful and enjoyable. Hey, we like spices, too!

(Pizzagate guy Mike Cernovich's big gotcha in this faux-controversy is the unearthing of a previously published Tim Walz recipe for "Turkey Taco Tot Hotdish," which includes such highly piquant ingredients as onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and paprika. As the Daily Wire's Michael Knowles said in response to this Pulitzer-level moment of investigative journalism, "That is four separate spices"! And that's not even counting the olive oil, which Cernovich also highlighted! Is it time for congressional hearings? What did Tim Walz spice and when did he spice it?)

What makes white people, or at least conservative white people, superior in all things? Ben Shapiro suggests one factor: induced anhedonia that makes life grim, humorless, and utterly lacking in simple pleasures, like Harris-Walz jokes, or tacos (white-guy or otherwise).

Harris/Walz "white guy taco" joke sparks bizarre Ben Shapiro rant on the danger of experiencing happiness: "you should not find joy in your politicians... movements that seek joy via politicians are generally really really ugly" pic.twitter.com/ix1NYmt5Yv

— Ari Drennen 🍏🌴 (@AriDrennen) August 16, 2024

It's all stupidity, and it's all meant for the consumption of morons. And if you buy into the joy, if you buy into the Barack Obama-like selfie-stick presidency, H.L. Mencken suggested that democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard. All right -- if this is what you want, this is what you're going to get. But we should mention something about this whole joy routine: You should not find joy in your politicians. You should not. That is not where joy comes from. Joy comes from your family. Joy comes from your community. Joy comes from your religious commitment. Joy comes from your virtuous action in the world, with meaning and purpose. That's where joy comes from. Movements that seek joy via politicians are generally really, really ugly. The joy is a cover for control.

When Mayor Fiorello La Guardia read the comics on the radio to New York City kids during a newspaper strike, in order to provide a simple joy to them, was that "a cover for control"? (Oops, I forgot -- La Guardia was a New Dealer, so Shapiro would undoubtedly say yes.)

Oh, and imagine still being angry that Barack Obama used a selfie stick one day nine years ago.