Waning Efficacy of Conservative Culture War Grifts and Manufactured Outrage - Episode Hero Image

Waning Efficacy of Conservative Culture War Grifts and Manufactured Outrage

A Bit Fruity with Matt Bernstein · · Listen to Original Episode →
Original Title:

TL;DR

  • The "grift" playbook, exemplified by Samantha Fulnecky and amplified by Turning Point USA, relies on manufactured outrage and selective editing, but its effectiveness is waning as the public becomes more discerning of such tactics.
  • The conservative movement's reliance on culture war issues like transphobia is proving increasingly ineffective, as evidenced by recent election losses where voters prioritized tangible concerns over ideological battles.
  • The strategy of weaponizing accusations of "indoctrination" and "DEI" by conservatives is a projection of their own methods, as they actively groom their children into specific ideological frameworks.
  • The financial and media infrastructure supporting right-wing grifters, like the Riley Gaines Center, is designed to create a chilling effect, making individuals and companies fearful of association with marginalized groups.
  • The failure of Samantha Fulnecky's attempt to leverage her essay into a national platform highlights a growing public fatigue with performative outrage and a demand for authenticity, even within conservative circles.
  • The conservative media's amplification of Fulnecky's story, particularly by focusing on the trans identity of the teaching assistant, reveals a strategic attempt to silence dissenting voices and target minority groups.
  • The oversaturation of "bullshit" and culture war panics, coupled with a lack of tangible improvement in people's lives, is leading to a decline in the public's willingness to engage with or support such narratives.

Deep Dive

The Samantha Fulnecky incident at the University of Oklahoma represents a failed attempt to weaponize religious grievance and transphobia for personal gain, signaling a potential shift in the efficacy of right-wing culture war tactics. While Fulnecky, her mother, and allied organizations like Turning Point USA attempted to frame a failing grade on a poorly written essay as religious persecution, the public's increasing skepticism towards such "grifts" undermined their efforts. This failure highlights a growing public fatigue with manufactured outrage and a greater willingness to scrutinize the substance behind these claims, suggesting a diminishing return for those who rely on these tactics.

The core of the failure lies in the demonstrable mediocrity of Fulnecky's essay and the subsequent amplification of her narrative by conservative media and political figures. The essay, which was supposed to respond to an academic paper on gender norms and mental health, instead devolved into an incoherent, anti-trans screed that barely referenced the source material. This stark contrast between the assignment's requirements and Fulnecky's submission, when exposed, served not as evidence of persecution, but as proof of her academic shortcomings and the disingenuousness of her claims. The subsequent actions by Turning Point USA, Governor Kevin Stitt, and conservative media outlets to elevate Fulnecky to "American hero" status backfired, as public scrutiny revealed the hollowness of her position and the manipulative playbook being employed. This playbook, exemplified by the career of Riley Gaines, relies on fabricating victimhood and stoking outrage to generate media attention and financial support. However, the saturation of this approach and the increasing public awareness of its mechanisms have rendered it less effective, as evidenced by Fulnecky's comparatively low social media engagement and the widespread mockery she has faced.

Ultimately, the Fulnecky saga illustrates a critical juncture where the conservative movement's reliance on culture war grievances, particularly concerning transgender issues, is meeting a public that is increasingly disengaged and critical of such tactics. The failure to gain traction, despite significant backing from conservative organizations and political figures, suggests that the public is growing weary of these manufactured controversies, especially when juxtaposed with more pressing societal issues like inflation and economic instability. This indicates a potential strategic misstep by the right, as their focus on divisive culture war issues may be alienating a broader electorate that prioritizes tangible concerns over ideological battles. The growing awareness of these "grifts" and the diminishing returns they offer suggest a potential recalibration is needed for such strategies to remain effective.

Action Items

  • Audit essay grading process: Identify 3-5 criteria for evaluating subjective assignments, ensuring alignment with academic standards and avoiding personal bias.
  • Develop a framework for identifying and mitigating "grifter" tactics: Analyze 2-3 common patterns of manufactured outrage and media manipulation to preemptively counter them.
  • Create a communication protocol for handling student complaints: Define steps for addressing academic disputes, ensuring fair process and preventing escalation to public relations issues.
  • Measure the impact of cultural war narratives on institutional credibility: Track 3-5 key metrics (e.g., student enrollment, alumni donations, public perception) to assess long-term consequences.
  • Design a training module on academic integrity for students: Outline 4-6 core principles of evidence-based argumentation and respectful discourse to prevent future essay misinterpretations.

Related Episodes

Key Quotes

"Sure, the essay was a grammatical disaster and completely incoherent -- not to mention offensive towards both her classmates and professors. Sure, the failing grade was deserved. But in the age of right-wing culture war domination, Samantha was poised to become a star."

This quote highlights the perceived potential for Samantha Fulnecky to capitalize on a cultural moment, despite the poor quality of her work. The speaker suggests that her situation, though flawed, aligned with a broader trend of right-wing culture wars, implying a strategic opportunity for her.

"The article discussed peers using teasing as a way to enforce gender norms. I do not necessarily see this as a problem. God made male and female and made us differently from each other on purpose and for a purpose."

This quote demonstrates Fulnecky's direct dismissal of the academic article's premise regarding gender norms and teasing. The speaker, Fulnecky, frames her disagreement through a religious lens, asserting that God's intentional creation of distinct male and female roles justifies her stance.

"The teaching assistant who graded it wrote: 'Please note that I am not deducting points because you have certain beliefs but instead I'm deducting points for you posting a reaction paper that does not answer the questions for this assignment contradicts itself heavily uses personal ideology over empirical evidence in a scientific class and is at times offensive.'"

This quote presents the direct feedback from the teaching assistant, outlining the specific academic reasons for Fulnecky's failing grade. The teaching assistant clarifies that the deduction is not based on Fulnecky's beliefs but on the paper's failure to meet assignment requirements, its internal contradictions, and its reliance on ideology over evidence.

"The playbook here is like make people afraid to hold anyone accountable like the playbook here is like make anyone who is again like a minoritized group as she said in the response to the essay like it's make people afraid to exist in public spaces make trans people afraid to pursue these types of careers like to exist in public life and to like contest bigotry."

This quote describes a strategic approach used by certain groups to exert influence. The speaker explains that the "playbook" involves creating fear among marginalized groups, discouraging them from public participation and challenging bigotry, thereby consolidating power for those employing this tactic.

"The hope is that despite all of the cards lined up perfectly for her she had the wanna be grifter conservative activist radio host mom she had the local chapter and then the national chapter of turning point usa on her side she had the governor of motherfucking oklahoma it didn't work."

This quote expresses optimism derived from the perceived failure of a calculated strategy. The speaker lists the numerous advantages Fulnecky and her allies possessed, suggesting that despite these favorable circumstances, their attempt to leverage the situation did not achieve its intended success.

"The grave error that they made here was showing the actual essay because if you just read that headline Samantha Fulnecky is failed for citing her religious beliefs you might be like huh maybe there really is persecution against Christians on campus but then they actually showed the actual essay which as in all of these situations when you actually show what the fuck is going on a normal person is going to be like yeah no I'm just not I'm not feeling this one."

This quote analyzes a strategic misstep in promoting Fulnecky's narrative. The speaker argues that by revealing the content of the essay, the proponents of her cause undermined their own message, as the actual text failed to support the claim of religious persecution and instead revealed its poor quality and irrelevant content.

Resources

External Resources

Books

  • "Relations Among Gender Typi cality Peer Relations and Mental Health During Early Adolescence" - Mentioned as the academic paper Samantha Fulnecky was assigned to respond to.

Articles & Papers

  • "Mother Jones and Pablo Torres recently published an extremely detailed investigation of Riley Gains' career and financial ties" - Discussed as a source for understanding the financial infrastructure supporting figures like Riley Gains.

People

  • Samantha Fulnecky - Junior at the University of Oklahoma whose essay response led to a religious discrimination complaint.
  • Christy Fulnecky - Mother of Samantha Fulnecky, former Springfield, MO city council member, lawyer, and podcast host.
  • Kat Tenbarge - Writer at Spitfire News, guest on the podcast.
  • Parker Molloy - Media critic and writer of the newsletter "The Present Age," guest on the podcast.
  • Rush Limbaugh - Conservative radio host, described by Christy Fulnecky as her hero and the person who turned her conservative.
  • Peter Newman - Director of Kanakuk Camps, convicted of sexually abusing boys.
  • Kevin Stitt - Governor of Oklahoma, issued a statement regarding Samantha Fulnecky's situation.
  • Ryan Walter - Former Oklahoma Superintendent of Schools, called Samantha Fulnecky an "American hero."
  • Melkirth - Trans teaching assistant at the University of Oklahoma who graded Samantha Fulnecky's essay.
  • Charlie Kirk - Founder of Turning Point USA.
  • Erika Kirk - Widow of Charlie Kirk, promoting his book and speaking at events.
  • Riley Gains - Former University of Kentucky swimmer, leveraged a tie in a race into a career in conservative media.
  • Leah Thomas - Transgender swimmer, involved in the race that propelled Riley Gains to prominence.
  • Betsy DeVos - Former US Secretary of Education, associated with financial support for Riley Gains' career.
  • Gabe Woolley - Member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, issued a citation of recognition to Samantha Fulnecky.
  • Susie Weiss - Student whose essay was published in the Wall Street Journal.
  • Barry Weiss - Sister of Susie Weiss, worked at the Wall Street Journal.
  • Jeffree Star - Social media personality, pivoting to right-wing content.
  • Jojo Siwa - Entertainer, compared to Samantha Fulnecky in terms of stage mom dynamics.
  • Jessalyn (Siwa) - Mother of Jojo Siwa, compared to Christy Fulnecky.
  • Claudia Conway - Daughter of Kellyanne Conway, spoke out against her mother.
  • Kellyanne Conway - Former White House Counselor, mother of Claudia Conway.
  • Naomi Klein - Author, term "mirror world" borrowed from her.
  • Ben Shapiro - Conservative media personality.
  • Bill Maher - Political commentator.
  • Abigail Spanberger - Democrat who won the Virginia governor race.

Organizations & Institutions

  • Turning Point USA - Conservative organization that amplified Samantha Fulnecky's story.
  • University of Oklahoma - University where Samantha Fulnecky is a student.
  • Kanakuk Camp - Christian summer camp where Samantha Fulnecky worked, associated with a history of sexual abuse allegations.
  • Springfield, Missouri City Council - Local government body where Christy Fulnecky served.
  • The Leadership Institute - Right-wing group that opened a project called the Riley Gains Center.
  • NCAA - National Collegiate Athletic Association, sets rules for collegiate sports.
  • US Department of Education - Government department formerly led by Betsy DeVos.
  • Fox News - Media outlet that covered Samantha Fulnecky's story.
  • Ground News - News media consumption platform, advertised as a sponsor.
  • Blueland - Sustainable cleaning products company, advertised as a sponsor.
  • Spitfire News - Kat Tenbarge's platform.
  • The Present Age - Parker Molloy's newsletter.
  • Bluesky - Social media platform.
  • Instagram - Social media platform.
  • Patreon - Platform for creators to offer bonus content.
  • Megaphone.fm - Podcast advertising platform.
  • Calci - Pocket casino, mentioned as a CNN partner.
  • Cato Institute - Think tank, shared analysis on public school culture war issues.
  • Moms for Liberty - Organization focused on culture war issues in schools.
  • Politico - News outlet.
  • Daily Wire - Media company.
  • CPAC - Conservative Political Action Conference.
  • The White House - Official residence and workplace of the President of the United States.
  • Oklahoma House of Representatives - State legislative body.
  • CBS - Television network.
  • San Francisco State University - University where Riley Gains' event was protested.
  • House Homeland Security Committee - Congressional committee.
  • Netflix - Streaming service, mentioned for the movie "Queen of Coal."
  • Bud Light - Beer brand, faced backlash for an ad featuring Dylan Mulvaney.
  • Libs of TikTok - Social media account known for reposting content to generate outrage.
  • Rumble - Video platform.

Websites & Online Resources

  • https://www.ground.news/fruity - Website for Ground News.
  • https://www.blueland.com/fruity - Website for Blueland.
  • factsaboutkanakuk.com - Website providing information about Kanakuk Camps.
  • readtpa.com - Website for "The Present Age" newsletter.
  • patreon.com/parkermalloy - Parker Molloy's Patreon page.
  • twitter.com - Social media platform.
  • instagram.com - Social media platform.
  • patreon.com - Platform for creators.
  • megaphone.fm/adchoices - Website for ad choices.
  • bluesky.social - Social media platform.

Other Resources

  • Insurrection Day - Term used to refer to January 6th.
  • VSCO filters - Photo editing filters associated with a certain aesthetic.
  • Young Life - Christian youth organization.
  • Title IX - US federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
  • DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) - Initiatives aimed at promoting representation and fairness.
  • Woke - Term used to describe awareness of social injustices.
  • Participation Trophy Logic - Concept of receiving rewards for minimal effort.
  • Mirror World - Term borrowed from Naomi Klein, suggesting conservative accusations are confessions.
  • Culture War - Societal conflict between differing values and beliefs.
  • Grift - A scheme or swindle.
  • White Christian Grievance Politics - Political strategy leveraging perceived victimhood of white Christians.
  • AI (Artificial Intelligence) - Technology, mentioned in relation to essay writing.
  • October 7th - Date of attacks in Israel, referenced in a grifting context.
  • 9/11 Survivor - Term used in a comparison of grifting tactics.
  • WWЕ (World Wrestling Entertainment) - Entertainment company, used in a comparison to a funeral spectacle.
  • AI We Are Charlie Kirk song - A song referencing Charlie Kirk.
  • Critical Race Theory - Academic framework examining race and racism.
  • Anti-masking war - Opposition to mask mandates.
  • Test scores - Metric for academic performance.
  • Bus safety issues - Practical concerns for school operations.
  • Transgender issues - Social and political topics related to transgender people.
  • Inflation - Economic condition.
  • Job losses - Economic condition.
  • Sexual harassment - Workplace misconduct.

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