The Absurd GOP

[Thumpalumpacus]

You know what, say what you will about the Tylenol claims, but given that the scientific consensus on the origins of autism has converged to "mostly hereditary, with a small percentage left for possible pre-natal factors," at least that was only mostly idiotic.*

Now, we're not only regressing back to post-natal factors, but we're also blaming something that (at least in the West) is a strictly gendered phoenomenon, and thus leaves out a decent-sized proportion of the autistic population.





* It looks like the science is against the Tylenol-Autism link after all. That said, given that it's at least not focusing on things that happened after birth (at this point, the consensus seems to have ruled out any post-natal causes), at least it's something vaguely resembling a step in the right direction if you kind of squint at it.

The cause of autism is the new dog whistle for the GOP and MAGAts.  They are busy throwing anything they can out there (except the Epstein files) to see what will stick.

Sadly, many of the faithful will swallow it all...hook, link, and sinker.

The more horseshit you spread today, the brighter the flowers will be next spring.

[Jackalope]

You know what, say what you will about the Tylenol claims, but given that the scientific consensus on the origins of autism has converged to "mostly hereditary, with a small percentage left for possible pre-natal factors," at least that was only mostly idiotic.*

Now, we're not only regressing back to post-natal factors, but we're also blaming something that (at least in the West) is a strictly gendered phoenomenon, and thus leaves out a decent-sized proportion of the autistic population.





* It looks like the science is against the Tylenol-Autism link after all. That said, given that it's at least not focusing on things that happened after birth (at this point, the consensus seems to have ruled out any post-natal causes), at least it's something vaguely resembling a step in the right direction if you kind of squint at it.

The cause of autism is the new dog whistle for the GOP and MAGAts.  They are busy throwing anything they can out there (except the Epstein files) to see what will stick.

Sadly, many of the faithful will swallow it all...hook, link, and sinker.

Yep, and meanwhile the scientific consensus remains: overwhelmingly hereditary. Anecdotally, my son and myself are ASD/ADHD, my mother is ADHD (not evaluated for Autism). This pattern holds true in a LOT of families.

What we're witnessing is the wholesale undermining and destruction of expertise.

[Thumpalumpacus]

What we're witnessing is the wholesale undermining and destruction of expertise.

Whether it's health-care or air-traffic control or national security or education or press rights, the problem you point out is a problem everywhere. This is an attack on the systems that work to run our country.

Trump is the HIV of American governance. He is focusing deliberately and precisely upon the destroying the immune systems of our nation.

[Rev. Rye]

The cause of autism is the new dog whistle for the GOP and MAGAts.  They are busy throwing anything they can out there (except the Epstein files) to see what will stick.

Sadly, many of the faithful will swallow it all...hook, link, and sinker.

Yep, and meanwhile the scientific consensus remains: overwhelmingly hereditary.  Anecdotally, my son and myself are ASD/ADHD, my mother is ADHD (not evaluated for Autism).  This pattern holds true in a LOT of families.

What we're witnessing is the wholesale undermining and destruction of expertise.

And, frankly, being this brazenly stupid about it is honestly surprising.

Literally all that would be needed to rebut this is have some uncut autistic guy* show off a dick pic and go “I refute it thus!” Like I was Samuel Johnson debating Bishop Berkeley. And the only reason I didn’t accept this challenge is because I am cut.

* Yes, I know autistic women are very much a thing, but I get the impression that the effects of male circumcision are easier to convey in a photo than FGM. And I’m sure more men would be up for it.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

It appears that Pete Hegseth's plane had to make an emergency landing in the UK. Here's hoping that his next emergency landing will be into an active volcano.

I know, I know - that's a horrible thing to wish on an innocent volcano, but it's a trade I'm willing to make.

Boru

[The Grand Nudger]

LOL, exclusive.  That's been every discord in america for fucking ages now.

Must be worse than the shit I read on X.  I don't know why I go there.  It's just depressing how stupid and evil people can be when there's nothing to restrain them.

Much worse, and pretty much standard gamer culture for more than a decade.  It's less an issue of restraint and more one of encouragement and bonding that produced people like the ones they're "breaking news" on from the time they were 12 playing minecraft on a relatively pg server. The nation is supposed to be surprised that they talk like this, but I'm surprised anyone is surprised.

It's not like people haven't been pulling the firealarm for twenty years on this. More that the warning was poo pood and dismissed as nutter shit. Mass organization by meme, edgelord, and troll was a known quantity in online spaces, a proven performer, before trumps team had the grand idea of campaigning and then governing on it. The current crop can't even remember a time when it was otherwise.

[Angrboda]

[The Grand Nudger]

Where that formula goes wrong is anonymity. That's a liberal sop. The belief that people so afflicted don't want to be identified or identify with it is a minor favor that allows us to continue believing comfortable untruths. That so called polite society moderates such impulses, for example, is designed more to jettison same said polite society's complicity and attendant guilt than to accurately communicate how their children came to be what they are. The idea that active participants are hiding behind an implied mask of shame in online spaces, also, utterly and hopelessly wrong. I'm more Rhythm than DJ - to more people, and more intimately. They aren't quietly tiptoeing into any of it. They're loudly and enthusiastically embracing all of it, and precisely because they want to be seen, seen by it, seen in it, seen for it.

People in these spaces create alts to express dissent with the overwhelmingly bigoted and maga- ascendant zeitgeist of this generations version of bowling leagues, not to affirm it. Case in point, they knew exactly how normies and outsiders would view their comments... that was an important and fun part of it, and so they persisted.

[Mr Greene]

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/14...s-00592146

US VP is straight up excusing Nazism now?
The US is going to burn and it won't be long...