"In today’s political and media culture, trolling is the shortest, simplest path to a level of attention you’d never get any other way. His fiery Twitter account is just the capstone on the gradual reinvention of J.D. Vance.... When Hillbilly Elegy was released in 2016, it was taken as a kind of Rosetta Stone to a world many in the left had never encountered, and Vance became a rare bipartisan figure that liberals could at once praise, pity and understand.... But...Vance became a Trump supporter. And with that, his tone and temperament appeared to shift, too, from conciliatory and unifying to aggressive and mocking. It wasn’t just liberals losing a pet; anti-Trump Republicans have felt a similar sense of betrayal, as another onetime ally is lost to the dark side.... His new tone on Twitter shows that he’s following the 45th president’s playbook, covering for his lack of political experience with the emotion he can stoke from hot-button culture war issues.... What 'the game' entails has changed over time, but at this point, it’s essentially a ping-pong match held over a viper pit... But Vance surely knows what he’s doing.... That’s why some of Vance’s critics have approached his Twitter feed with the appropriate cynicism, and a suggestion that perhaps it was his old persona—and his high wire act of straddling two worlds—that was destined not to last."
From "J.D. Is Making Everyone Mad on Twitter. Can It Win Him a Senate Seat? The author and Senate hopeful has a special knack at getting under liberals’ skin and getting everyone to talk about him" by Joanna Weiss (Politico).
How fiery is this J.D. Vance Twitter feed? The main example quoted in the article is: "I’m in D.C. today and just saw a group of girls on the Potomac rowing—outside in the sunshine—all of them with masks on. Totally insane." That's called a "rant." It's kind of a rant to call it a rant. I'm surprised Vance got back-and-forth action on such a mundane tweet.
I've followed Vance on Twitter for a while, and I've never been struck by any exaggerated trolling that deserves to be called a "game" and "a ping-pong match held over a viper pit." The Politico writer wants him to settle down, but why doesn't she settle down? (That's a rhetorical question. You know why.)
Okay, now I'm going to read the last few Vance tweets.
Most recent (aimed at a Lincoln Project person): "Look if you guys want to come to Ohio it’s a free country. Just don’t bring your pedophile co-founder."
Next (about the NY Attorney General investigating Trump): "It’s a total joke to pledge to bring charges before you’ve even investigated. You might even say it’s a threat to Our Democracy."
Now we get to the girls-on-the-Potomac tweet which, as noted in the article, got pushback. He put up 2 responses to the pushback.
First, to someone who told him he shouldn't care what those girls did: "Living in a society where children are expected to wear masks while exercising in the sunshine absolutely affects me and my family. So yeah, I care."
And to someone who accuses him of calling the girls insane: "This is literal fake news. I didn’t call the girls insane. I’m sure they were doing what they were told. I think our society is insane for expecting children to wear masks outside while exercising."
He was obviously right about everything here and thoroughly correct to defend himself from the distortions. It's not just a "game" where he's being a "troll" and cynically aping Trump.
Now, I'm up to the 6th tweet (not counting retweets) as I work my way into his feed, and I'm already at May 14th, 6 days ago. That's one tweet per day. It's not like he's tearing up the place! No wonder I hadn't noticed his activity (though I was following him).
I'll just embed this 6th tweet, so you can see the ludicrous Rachel Maddow clip he's reacting too. It's more about masks, and I can see why politicos would prefer to switch to vilifying Vance's vicious vituperativeness:
These people are on some serious dope https://t.co/OUnGFcEgK1
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) May 15, 2021
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4 comments:
Joe writes:
"I hope the author, Joanna Weiss, will explain the simile "What “the game” entails has changed over time, but at this point, it’s essentially a ping-pong match held over a viper pit. " I can picture a viper pit, but ping-pong is played on a level surface, so wouldn't the pit be covered? I have no idea how to interpret this in a meaningful way."
She must have meant badminton.
In any case, if the ping-pong ball falls into the viper pit, who cares? Not even the vipers.
Temujin writes:
It used to be amusing listening to or reading liberals and progressives try to figure out how 'conservatives' think or- the horrors- how Trump supporters think. It's now bizarre, almost worrisome that they still are so far from figuring anything out. Even though we're plentiful, we're their neighbors, their family members, friends (or former friends), and are around them in every aspect of their lives, they act as if we're a small regional cult. Something to observe from afar and report back on. We're millions and we're all around them. And they still don't get it. One would think the word 'obtuse' might apply here.
JD Vance is who he has always been. It's just that he's now tossed his hat into the ring, so that makes him evil. The man has not changed. The observer had changed her/his view based on JD having impure thoughts.
As for the Maddow/Dr. Rochelle Walensky interview- what stood out to me was that Dr. Walensky was smiling. In the months since she's been the figurehead, touting the acceptable line, she's never smiled. In fact, in most interviews she carries a worried look, sometimes horrified. With Rachel Maddow, she was literally beaming. Such a comfort, Rachel Maddow is. It must be comforting to know that you're being fed softballs by someone who not only parrots your lines, but could write them.
It will be years before the CDC is regarded with any sort of credibility again. Not after the past year's clown show (which continues). It's a shame and it's not a good thing. We may need them to be serious, up-front scientists some day. But they turned themselves into another political bureaucracy. JD Vance will be a long-established, veteran US Senator from Ohio before the CDC is again respected.
Nancy writes:
"Thanks for this! I do follow Vance on Twitter but don’t remember seeing any of these fire-breathing calls to war. Now I must pay better attention, ping pong is so much more exciting than I remember."
K writes
“I think liberals liked the idea of an elegy for hillbillies because they regard Trump's supporters as hillbillies and rednecks and an "elegy for hillbillies" suggests they are dying out. Liberals don't care as much for the idea that hillbillies are dying out in the sense that they are getting degrees from Yale, running as Republicans for the US Senate and generally becoming formidable in the 21st century, all the while holding on to their love for the Republic. ”
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