Opinion: ‘Let’s go, Brandon’ and the politics of degradation – By Damon Linker (The Week) / December 29, 2021
When did vulgarly insulting people become a form of politics?
Family of mine in the rural Midwest recently told me they’ve begun to see flags flying outside private homes bearing the message, “F–k Biden.” Underneath that statement, in smaller typeface, the thought continues: “…and f–k you for voting for him.”
If you’re surprised that politics has descended to such depths, you haven’t been paying attention.
I first noticed the shift into the politics of vulgarity and insult in the weeks leading up to the 2016 presidential election, when I occasionally began to see bumper stickers in the suburbs west of Philadelphia that read, “F–k your feelings. Donald Trump for President.” Five years later, similar expressions are far more widespread, at least in some parts of the country. When I tweeted just before Christmas about what my midwestern family had told me, some of my followers confirmed seeing the flags — in the Cincinnati area, in Michigan, in eastern Ohio. (Try your own search for the flags on Google images. You’ll find numerous variations. This is big business.)
And of course, such flags are just a blunter, less euphemistic version of the “Let’s go, Brandon!” phenomenon. When a caller used that expression to President Joe Biden’s face during a livestream on Christmas Eve, it prompted widespread cheers on the right.
CONTINUE > https://theweek.com/donald-trump/1008448/lets-go-brandon-and-the-politics-of-degradation
