Despite what they claim, one of the key reasons conservatives hate "political correctness" is because it has decimated their ability to engage in the casual racial slurs they love so much. For example, no major news org other than FOX would ever let Rep. Gaetz get away with this.
Also key - notice how Rep, Gaetz says that his statements are not a racial slur because Warren misrepresented her heritage (she didn't). In other words, it's somehow perfectly fine to use this type of racial slur because Warren isn't really Native American. (??)
Quite frankly (forgive the crudeness) this is like Gaetz calling someone a s*mbo and then insisting it isn't a racial slur because they aren't "really" black. That's obviously not how this really works, but millions of FOX news viewers would shake their heads in agreement.
The "logic" behind this is difficult for most of us to grasp. But it helps to remember that conservatives believe that 99% of all claimed racism is BS, and that people who say otherwise are either just lying to get votes or lying to get free govt. benefits they don't deserve.
Conservative dogma is that systemic racism is a fraud and Democrats know it. But Dems lie about it to get elected and then give undeserved $$ to the minorities who play along to get their freebies. On the right this conviction is so ubiquitous it's rarely even questioned anymore.
Because conservatives are convinced that Democrats are engaged in this "obvious" fraud, it's logical to them that Democrats are themselves frauds. This is why they speak about people like Warren the way they do, and why they are always looking for dirt they're sure must be there.
To take a quick side track - this is one of the reasons they react to Hillary Clinton as they do. To them, the fact that she has never been found guilty only means that "the fix is in," because it's literally inconceivable to them that she is actually not a fraud and not guilty.
On the right it's also a given that Warren lied about her heritage and then used that lie to get special considerations in college, etc. (This has been debunked repeatedly, but they don't care.) IOW Warren now represents every bad thing their dogma says about race and "the left."
To them, "outing" her is far more important than racial slurs they consider insignificant anyway. Remember - on the right these days, there aren't many enterprises considered more important than showing that "the left" is a fraud that will "destroy America."
This is why they go after so many Dems, and particularly women. (Which is a whole other thread.) And it's why the more "socialist" they consider you to be, the more they go after you. Which is also why Warren and AOC are getting so much "attention" these days from the right.
So calling Warren "Pocahontas" accomplishes at least 4 things:
1) It pokes the eye of PC culture. They love that.
2) It presents Warren as a fraud.
3) It presents further "proof" that identity politics is a fraud.
4) It gives their base permission to think/act the same.
1) It pokes the eye of PC culture. They love that.
2) It presents Warren as a fraud.
3) It presents further "proof" that identity politics is a fraud.
4) It gives their base permission to think/act the same.
