• About Kathy Shaidle
  • Kathy Shaidle: Privacy policy

5 Feet of Fury

Kathy Shaidle's blog. Est. 2000

My NEW Taki’s column: 2016 — The Bumpkin-ing

November 29, 2016 By Kathy Shaidle

That was my original title, and they changed it, perhaps out of fear of the bumpkins!

The comments won’t be “JOOOOOOO!!!”-y so much as, well, bumpkiny…

Whatever the benefits of a Republican presidency, one of the unavoidable side effects is an emboldening of our side’s flakier elements, who weave two most unsavory obsessions—the occult and “pedophile rings”—into singularly elaborate and ultimately groundless conspiracy theories.

Sure enough, right on cue: Type “Pizzagate” into YouTube’s search engine and soak in the overblown paranoid hysteria.

These kooks and simpletons were harmlessly wrong about Harry Potter turning your kids into witches, and tragically mistaken about the “Satanic panic.” At the very least, they’re a colossal embarrassment, but they also undermine serious business undertaken by serious people.

A big difference this time around is that the president himself won’t be immune to the lure of such twisted, empty-calorie distractions. Trump used to be Birther-in-Chief, remember? And he’s on Twitter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB2MEbpWChA

More from my site

  • ‘Dear Henry Rollins: …I’m no longer much of a fan’‘Dear Henry Rollins: …I’m no longer much of a fan’
  • ‘Lace Panty Commandos’: Two articles about old men’s pulp mags‘Lace Panty Commandos’: Two articles about old men’s pulp mags
  • From my cold dead, er, hands…From my cold dead, er, hands…
  • Dear CJC: “Darfur? Holocaust memorials? How about tackling issues we’re facing now?”Dear CJC: “Darfur? Holocaust memorials? How about tackling issues we’re facing now?”

Filed Under: Kathy Shaidle

« Dark Corners: The Universal Frankenstein Franchise Retrospective
Steve Sailer reviews ‘Moana’ »

Archives

Copyright © 2026 · Magazine Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in