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Dispatches From the Culture Wars – February 25, 2025

It’s happening here, now

The cartoon that gets newer every year. Credit, Christian Bloom (2016)
  1. Fighting for Federal Workers
  2. The Cultural Counterrevolution
  3. The Knock on the Door
  4. Defiance Matters
  5. Fundraising Under Trump 2.0
  6. Meet the Purged
  7. Ignoring Musk
  8. Anti-Abortion Med Ed Bills
  9. ‘Mo’: Palestinians on TV
  10. Amazon’s NC Union Drama

 

Fighting for Federal Workers

By Sarah Jaffe
In These Times

Thousands of workers across the country hit the streets this week to declare their opposition to Trump and Musk who, under the guise of “efficiency,” are slashing and burning public services.

The Cultural Counterrevolution

By Adrian Horton
The Guardian

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Some of Trump’s cultural decrees trend ridiculous. Others are more insidious – after long threatening to defund the National Endowment for the Arts during his first term, Trump has imposed restrictions on its terms, barring federal grants for projects concerning Maga’s favorite targets – diversity and “gender ideology”.

The Knock on the Door

By Schuyler Mitchell
Truthout

The government’s ability to conduct mass, secretive social media surveillance of protected speech is cause for alarm under any administration. When that power is handed to an administration that is demonstrably hostile to free speech and human rights, it’s all the more likely to be abused.

Defiance Matters

By Amanda Marcotte
Salon

The one thing we can all do right now and every day is refuse to cooperate with the cultural pressure to conform. On the contrary, there's no time like the present to get even weirder in MAGA eyes. Wear what you want. Sleep with whatever consenting adult you want. Dye your hair whatever color you want. Read “queer” books and support the local drag shows. 

Fundraising Under Trump 2.0

By Holly Rustick
Grantwriting and Funding

For access to federal grant funds during this new Trump Administration in 2025, nonprofits need to be more aware of what types of words you are using, and are not using, in your grant applications. Before the Trump Administration in 2025, we have not experienced the sheer elimination of word usage in federal grant guidance before.

Meet the Purged

By Scott Pilutik
Slate

For the federal government, terminating employees so contemptuously, even if the firings ultimately pass legal muster, will likely trigger cultural blowback. In a matter of mere weeks, Elon Musk replaced civil servants’ pride with existential dread, and then compounded the malice by hobbling the ability of terminated workers to leverage their prior public service experience. 

Ignoring Musk

By Steve Peoples, Eric Tucker and Amanda Seitz
Associated Press

Key U.S. agencies, including the FBI, State Department and the Pentagon, have instructed their employees not to comply with cost-cutting chief Elon Musk’s latest demand that federal workers explain what they accomplished last week — or risk losing their job. Unions want the administration to rescind the request and are threatening to sue.

Anti-Abortion Med Ed Bills

By Jessica Valenti
Abortion, Every Day

A new legislative trend gives voters the impression that Republicans are working with doctors to ensure women can access health-  and life-saving abortions. In reality, these laws would divorce abortion from healthcare, and pressure doctors to deny care to women who have dangerous or nonviable pregnancies. They’re calling the bills ‘Med Ed’ policies’.

‘Mo’: Palestinians on TV

By Bilal Hassam
Teen Vogue

In 2022, ‘Mo’ — a groundbreaking series inspired by comedian Mohammed “Mo” Amer’s life — burst onto Netflix with grit and authenticity. Amer not only starred but also directed several episodes. From the very first scene, as Amer hustled onto our screens as Mo Najjar, a refugee in Houston, it was clear: this show was Palestinian through and through, in humor, heart, and defiance.

Amazon’s NC Union Drama