Last week, Thomas Edsall wrote a column in the NYT addressing the question of which side was the aggressor in the culture wars. As usual, the column was long, ponderous, full of quotes, and inconclusive. Let’s answer his question: who is at fault here?
It depends on the arena. In the cultural and legal fields, the left is clearly the aggressor. It is trying to push the envelope and redefine norms; the right is simply trying to hold the line. The problem, however, is that the right has given up trying to rebut the left’s claims in its preferred forum, and is fighting the battle purely in the political arena. In the days when the PBPs had control of the GOP, this was done primarily for the cynical purpose of generating votes for business tax cuts and deregulation. Today, however, the Reactionaries are behind the wheel, and winning the culture wars has turned into the GOP’s overriding objective; businessmen are being told to shut up and dribble.
Which party is more dangerous? The left’s claims on behalf of sexual minorities have little practical impact, and are just mildly annoying. The far right, on the other hand, is clearly willing to destroy liberal democracy in this country to protect its supposed right not to be offended by gay and trans people. That’s not a difficult choice.