Thread by @mcjulie

This touches on arguments we've been having with Tim Keller & other Christian apologists: they admit hardcore right wing politicization of the church is wrong, but will proclaim with their dying breath the sacred right to shame the innocent pleasures of marginalized groups

https://twitter.com/AmandaMarcotte/status/1390988719772082180

Whether it's some "dirtbag leftist" shaming "liberal wine moms" for enjoying brunch, or some "liberal but not TOO liberal" preacher shaming gay people for wanting to get married or trans people for existing --

Nothing gets a certain kind of person more bent than the "wrong" sort of person enjoying something that doesn't hurt anybody.

Pleasure-shaming is a recognized phenomenon when directed at women & LGBTQ people, but it also plays a role in right wing (originally mistyped "white wing" which would have been confusing but accurate) "wokescold" accusations --

That is, they're accusing YOU of pleasure-shaming THEM, which is why they're always complaining about pop culture matters like Disneyland or The Muppet Show. "HOW DARE YOUR PUNISHING LEVELS OF CANCELWOKENESS INTERFERE WITH MY DISNEY ADVENTURE"

Which means, they're sort of indirectly admitting that patriarchy & white supremacy are things that give them pleasure, so make of THAT what you will.

Heck, it's why they're always reaching for things like JOE BIDEN WANTS TO TAKE AWAY YOUR HAMBURGERS

And why gamercomicbros are always complaining whenever something ISN'T porn enough for them.

It probably goes back to the Wilhoit maxim applied to pleasure: There must be in groups for whom no pleasure is denied, no matter how cruel and destructive, and out groups for whom no pleasure is permitted, no matter how harmless.

Which is why I won't tolerate Christian purity culture apologetics: purity culture was, and remains, fundamentally conservative in a Wilhoit sense, a "moral" structure designed to reinforce traditional social hierarchies, with no other earthly or spiritual purpose.

Through the mechanism of sin-flattening, Christian purity culture punishes innocent pleasures sought by consenting adults and excuses harmful, exploitive pleasures sought by child abusers like Josh Duggar.

Because the hierarchy is what's important.

This pattern -- terrible sexual abuses committed by the patriarchal leader combined with punishing demands for ascetic self-denial among the flock is not only a grotesque perversion of spirituality, it is a pattern well-recognized in cults.

Pleasure is something we often find very, very easy to shame because... well, it's PLEASURE isn't it, icing on the cake of life.

Who really NEEDS pleasure after all?

Except the profound and utter LACK of pleasure -- anhedonia, the inability to feel pleasure at all -- is a symptom of MAJOR DEPRESSION

Pleasure-shaming can be sneaky, because of the way it intersects with capitalism, consumer culture, environmentalism, classism, etc.

Like... if you make fun of "liberal brunch wine moms" which part are you making fun of?

Are you making fun of women, a targeted out-group, for enjoying themselves harmlessly or are you making fun of a smug privileged in-group for thoughtlessly indulging their privilege without a care in the world?

But contributing to pleasure-shaming culture at all is participating in a system of oppression, the same one that would shame poor people for "spending their food stamps on steak" or whatever it is.

Heck, a lot of the phenomenon known as "Karening" comes down to pleasure-shaming. "How dare this Black man walk his dog in the park!" "How dare this Black family enjoy a picnic!"

We see pleasure as an easy inroad to oppression of others because our culture doesn't recognize an inherent right to pleasure, even though "pursuit of happiness" is right there in the Declaration of Independence.

Anyway, in conclusion: I try to avoid pleasure-shaming and won't accept the pleasure-shaming of others, particularly not Christian purity culture apologists.