Is there any doubt Hillary Clinton is utterly shameless in her pandering to win the Democratic primary?
She did a total flip-flop on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal she praised as the “gold standard” in 2012. She’s now speaking Spanish and frequently talking in an exaggerated Southern accent in order to appeal to minority voters. Playing up the “war on women” card, the former first lady claims all victims of sexual assault should be believed — except those who accuse her husband of sexual assault.
But this week Hillary might have reached a new low in her pandering to the Left with the “Little Feminist” ad. (RELATED: Hillary Clinton’s Newest Video Ad Features Cringeworthy ‘Little Feminist’ [VIDEO])
“I'm a little feminist growing up to help all women with equal rights.” Olivia joins the volunteer team at HQ. https://t.co/JQfqLV5TRa
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 4, 2016
In the clip, eight-year-old Olivia, a self-declared feminist, decides to volunteer her many talents for the Clinton campaign. But not only is the young girl a little feminist, she’s raised by two dads and has to attend a special school for those with learning disabilities.
For those reasons, Olivia supports Hillary because she believes the Democratic front-runner will embrace child feminism, gay parents and special schools. Also, she tells viewers she’s very happy same-sex marriage is now legal in all 50 states, which lets viewers know Clinton is glad too — even though the candidate was opposed to its legalization only a few years ago.
Pandering does require a bit of historical revision, y’know?
It’s unfortunate Clinton would engage in the the most nauseating practice in politics: exploiting kids to make your side’s talking points. Both the Left and the Right have used youngsters for this purpose — and both sides present compelling examples for why kids should not be shoved into the political arena. (RELATED: Kids Have No Place In Politics)
On the Left, there’s the tendency to enlist kids to shout obscenities at ideological opponents in entirely unpersuasive political ads. The group FCKH8 pioneered this stupid trend with potty-mouthed kids “slamming” the mythical gender pay gap, Confederate flags and tough policing. Most famously, the Deport Racism PAC stole FCKH8’s style in an ad showcasing Hispanic kids cussing out Donald Trump and his “racist” supporters. (RELATED: The Four-Letter Words Aren’t The Worst Thing About Deport Racism’s Ad)
On the Right, there’s the head-shaking phenomenon of conservative teen pundit superstars … who always end up turning liberal. Jonathan Krohn went from writing a best-selling book on conservative principles in 2009 to renouncing his views in 2012 and freelancing for lefty publications like Mother Jones. Krohn’s turnaround was surpassed this year by C.J. Pearson, a 13-year-old YouTube sensation who was briefly affiliated with the Ted Cruz campaign. Pearson went from bashing President Obama and political correctness for most of 2015 to endorsing Bernie Sanders, gun control and Black Lives Matter by the start of 2016. (RELATED: Dear Conservatives: Stop Trying To Promote Teenage Pundit Superstars)
Hillary’s little feminist ad might not be anywhere near the vulgarity of a FCKH8 video or the inanity of a Pearson rant, but it still has a kid stating views she probably doesn’t fully comprehend. It’s pretty clear she’s been taught to have these views by her elders and is being used by adults for political gain.
Moreover, the message of the ad is not just of a nice kid calling voters on behalf of voters. Olivia represents an almost unbelievable combination of left-wing fantasy. She calls herself a feminist even though she’s still in the third grade. She has two dads instead of a traditional parental arrangement. And she doesn’t attend your standard school — she goes to a special learning center because she has dyslexia.
Of course, Olivia is not exactly responsible for these conditions, or really her decision to volunteer for Hillary. But why the campaign highlights her is for these very reasons. This is the dream kid in progressive America.
No longer is the superstar athlete or the math wiz who wins the glory, it’s any child who can claim victimhood status who gets the praise.
There’s a larger trend in our society which explains why this would be the case.
Two sociologists, Bradley Campbell and Jason Manning, argued in a recent study that America is witnessing the rise of a victimhood culture which prizes marginalization and disdains mastery.
This culture, according to the two social scientists, is “characterized by concern with status and sensitivity to slight combined with a heavy reliance on third parties. People are intolerant of insults, even if unintentional, and react by bringing them to the attention of authorities or to the public at large. Domination is the main form of deviance, and victimization a way of attracting sympathy, so rather than emphasize either their strength or inner worth, the aggrieved emphasize their oppression and social marginalization.”
That sounds an awful lot like what’s going on college campuses, but it also applies to Democratic party politics.
Both Clinton and Bernie Sanders are campaigning on appeals to the various self-proclaimed victims of our nation. Women are being oppressed, they need special rights. Blacks are being oppressed, they need special rights. LGBT folks are being oppressed, they need special rights.
Liberal political rhetoric is beginning to amount to a competition of who’s been wronged more by America — and who gets the most restitution.
Olivia, certainly not by her own intentions, follows this line of thinking in the ad. She doesn’t talk about how she’s just a normal kid or what’s she’s good at, she just talks about things that make it seem like she could be apart of the great downtrodden mass.
By showcasing the little feminist as the ideal kid, it tells the country that our kids, if they want high status, must distinguish themselves from the pack by the things which marginalize them. Instead of merit or skill, children would need to learn how to foster inferiority to get ahead in life.
Imagine that kind of nightmare, and then remember it’s a reality at many of our universities.
Kids like Olivia won’t be able to stem this dangerous tide. It’s up to the adults to teach the values of hard work and achieving great things, rather than the virtue of whining to get what you want.
We don’t want a nation of little cry-bullies, do we?