Beautiful Trouble and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

The Los Angeles Dodgers, a beloved American baseball team, recently found themselves embroiled in controversy when they extended an invitation to a group called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a 'queer and trans nun' organisation. This decision sparked significant backlash, leading the Dodgers to retract the invitation. However, following further scrutiny from the trans side of the aisle, they opted to re-invite the group.

Some perceive the Dodgers' back-and-forth as succumbing to external pressure or 'caving to the mob.' Interestingly, in this scenario, the 'mob' seemed to oppose the Sisters' presence. Nevertheless, the Dodgers yielded to a minority of protesters, likely not even Dodgers fans.

Media outlets largely labelled the Dodgers' withdrawal of the invitation as an anti-LGBT move. Despite recent trends away from LGBT ideology among large corporations, the media failed to explain what exactly the Dodgers had done differently.

A deeper investigation into the matter may suggest a familiar strategy from the Left: instigate conflict, target a large community, and then play the victim when faced with any backlash.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, it seems, not only satirise the Catholic faith through their depiction of nuns but also arrange events featuring individuals dressed as Jesus, who perform in ways some find disrespectful, particularly near the symbol of the crucifix.

As an atheist, I understand that Easter holds a sacred position within Christianity. Therefore, any mockery of the crucifixion, especially during Easter, could be seen as highly offensive.

It stands to reason that if a similar action was directed at Jewish figures the Jewish community would react strongly. A comparable act towards Muhammad would likely incite even greater outrage.

However, it's often perceived that such satire is tolerable when aimed at Christians, perhaps because there's a notion that "they can take it." Yet, on this occasion, Dodgers fans—most of whom seem to be Catholic Latino—did not take it very well.

The reinstatement of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence's invitation raises the question: why? Why didn't the protest have its desired effect, and to whom did the Dodgers capitulate?

To answer this, we must delve into the intricacies of what some call the art of cancel culture, which has become a tool frequently utilised by those on the left side of the political spectrum. A case in point is the book Beautiful Trouble, which lays bare the tactics used, demonstrating that the methods employed are far from random. One of the primary strategies detailed in the book is "power mapping." This method allows activists to identify who wields influence over a particular individual or organisation. Through power mapping, activists can target not only the person in question but also those around them. Everyone is fair game, even innocent family members. If the target is an athlete, for example, other athletes, the athlete's employer, the media, and even their spouse could all become potential pressure points. The intent is not merely to generate a wave of indiscriminate outrage, but rather a calculated strategy intended to exert maximum pressure, potentially causing severe personal and professional disruption.

Take into account that the left is in the business of destroying lives to make sure that it sets an example. They are remorseless and without shame or guilt in what they do.

After power mapping, the next crucial step, as per Beautiful Trouble, is to carefully select a target. The purpose of power mapping is to ensure the exertion of pressure exactly where it's needed. Activists understand that a failed boycott can undermine their ideology, and in many cases, the threat of a boycott is more potent than the boycott itself. Therefore, they cannot afford to risk a scenario where their pressure fails to achieve the desired results. As the book posits, "You may not have enough power to pressure the primary target at first, but you can pressure another smaller group that will help you push against the primary target."

This reflects an approach wherein activists view the world through group dynamics: active opposition, passive opposition, neutrality, passive allies, and active allies. The goal is to gradually shift the spectrum to the left, transforming active opposition into passive, passive opposition into neutrality, neutrality into passive allies, and finally, passive allies into active allies.

In this particular situation, the Dodgers were initially passive allies since they invited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to their event. However, they didn't evolve into 'active allies', as they failed to demonstrate explicit antagonism towards Catholics.

Thus, activists cornered the Dodgers into an unenviable dilemma: choosing between their advertisers and their fans. By labelling them as homophobic, the Dodgers were forced to either accept this designation and face the ensuing media backlash, along with potential desertion from influential entities like sponsors and banks or to risk upsetting their fans, hoping they'd eventually forgive and forget. The choice between fans and advertisers isn't as difficult as it might appear, largely due to the sympathetic media backing that left-leaning activists enjoy.

In other words, the real contest is not necessarily on the playing field, but rather a battle for the hearts and minds of people watching from home. It is noteworthy that media outlets such as MSNBC and CNN did not delve into the specifics of why some people took issue with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Instead, these situations were typically portrayed as standard homophobic attacks, leaving the analysis at that.

In conclusion, the phrase ‘caving to the mob’ oversimplifies a nuanced reality. The so-called ‘mob’ is a sophisticated apparatus of activists who have honed their strategies to an impressive degree.

As of now, the right does not have comparable machinery. However, it might be necessary for them to develop similar strategies if they hope to effectively counteract this type of activism.