Government

Passionate Lawmaker Teaches Us The Importance Of Issue Spotting

Well, there goes Furries being a protected class…

Poodle Puppy and British Longhair Kitten high fiving

Did you do the history reading? (Image via Getty)

You’re joking, right? In what may have been the most powerful argument against CRT in high schools, Senator Bruce Bostelman has shown that the American public school system may be better off making sure its students have a grasp of online jokes before they speak publicly.

His worries are misplaced, of course. This reason for fear stems from bits of trolling from months ago that was likely started to parody and harass queer and trans students. Rest assured that this kitty litter bunk is just that, bunk. Speaking practically, most school children couldn’t afford the several thousand dollars a quality fur suit comes with if they wanted to, even if they somehow fit within the school’s uniform. Oh, and the bullying would be catastrophic, regardless of which fursona the little ones decided to pick.

The most obvious, and immature, response to this would be to make jokes at this senator’s expense. We would be better off as a nation if our initial course of action was to think of this as a learning opportunity — proof that navigating the miasma of misinformation and post-ironic internet culture has become so labyrinthine that even our elected officials are susceptible to it.

Alas, we have not yet achieved that echelon of understanding and grace. Really dude? He went up to give a whole speech about a perceived societal problem and did less preparation than most 1Ls do for cold calls? This is why people — and yes, even the partners at Some & Guy reading this — need to keep a couple of 20-somethings around they can run ideas by as a quick pulse check on the world. We’ve been defunding teachers way faster than the police that get paid to arrest kids. Teachers can barely afford to cover pens and textbooks for their students — did you really think they were making a run to PetSmart to help potty train Timmy during 3rd period history?

The next time we choose the folks who will be deciding how the laws impact our day to day, it might be worth seeing if they can spot a joke, lest they start legislating punchlines.

Lawmaker Apologizes For Citing Claim That Litter Boxes Are Available For Students Who Identify As Cats [Penn Live]


Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.