Your Standards Are Holding You Back
Via Rafi, a peek into the world of Brooklyn hipsterdom, where the “unsung heroes of the new new left” – who are “culturally potent” and “extremely online” – gather at a loft party in search of love, and to announce how radical and fabulous they are:
The roster tonight is heavy on extremely online political-media types. The podcaster and performer Katie Halper tells me she’s a fourth-generation socialist from the Upper West Side who used to attend a summer camp once affiliated with a communist organisation called the International Workers Order… Nearby, Sarah Leonard, who, at 30, is a veteran of the lefty-journalism orbit, tells me she’s launching a Marxist-feminist glossy called Lux, named for Rosa Luxemburg.
We learn,
At least in Brooklyn, and the spiritual Brooklyns of America, calling yourself a socialist sounds sexier than anything else out there.
Yes, sexy socialism.
The guests of honour tonight are the creators of Red Yenta, a new DIY dating platform: Marissa Brostoff, 33, a grad student at CUNY, and Mindy Isser, 28, an organiser in Philly. “I was complaining about how socialist men don’t date socialist women and it really bothers me,” Isser says.
Now there’s a sentence. It seems that the ladies and gents who feel compelled to announce their revolutionary ambitions, and their pronouns, and various mental health issues, aren’t meeting quotas for finding each other attractive. Which is baffling, really, given the bait on offer:
Libertarian socialist (28, she/her) seeks similar (27-35, he/him) to join forces against non-consensual power dynamics (capitalism, white supremacy, etc.)
And,
Tall, tired communist seeking friends, casual dating… Likes: citrus fruit, weird music, using progressive stack to cut men off at meetings.
And,
38, he/him, likes women… Maoism and Star Trek.
Ms Isser’s indignation at the thought of socialist women being romantically shunned, even by fellow socialists, was aired in December in a Twitter howling session, during which extensive use was made of exclamation marks. After much exasperated rumbling, Ms Isser concluded that the fault must lie solely with men, and that “straight men are shallow and sexist even when they’re socialists.” Thereby proving that, contrary to legend, ladies of the left are in no way high-maintenance or difficult to please.
“Our politics reflect who we are!!!!!” said she, loudly. Which is rather the problem, I think.
Which is to say, it’s the problem of being a poseur and an insufferable narcissist in a room full of other poseurs and insufferable narcissists. The odds of finding anyone even half as fascinating as they find themselves must be quite slim.*
For those of you morbidly curious, yes, samples from the socialist-only dating platform can be savoured here. I leave it to readers to ponder the frequency with which the terms polyamory, open relationship and nonmonog occur.
Oh, and this:
The yentas aren’t aware of anyone who’s found love through their accounts yet.
Make of that what you will.
*Added via the comments.
Communists are an ugly freakshow. To the surprise of no-one.
…Katie Halper tells me she’s a fourth-generation socialist from the Upper West Side…
Four generations of trying to destroy the system that gives them the opportunity to live a pampered and cushy existence and seemingly not one of them have ever caught a clue.
I’d like to see Ms. Halper get Maduroed and then see if she’s still a socialist.
Too many man-buns.
“socialist men don’t date socialist women and it really bothers me,” Isser says.
Actually laughing.
Actually laughing.

I suppose it’s the problem of being a poseur and insufferable narcissist in a room full of other poseurs and insufferable narcissists. The odds of finding anyone even half as fascinating as they find themselves must be quite slim.
Also, this: “Pinkos have more fun.”
By not getting laid.
I’m reminded of a line from my closest friend: “Too go-go for the gulag.”
Libertarian socialist…
They don’t know what words mean. They don’t know what anything means.
What do “progressive stack” and “nonmonog” mean?
What do “progressive stack” and “nonmonog” mean?
“Nonmonog” is short for non-monogamous.
“Progressive stacking” is a policy currently fashionable in woke academia, whereby disfavoured identity groups – say, white males – can be ignored or excluded during class discussions. If acknowledged at all, they must be last in the queue.
If it sounds creepy and invidious, to say nothing of racist, that’s because it is.
I am disappointed about progressive stacking. I hoped that might be something to watch on xhamster.
…join forces against non-consensual power dynamics (capitalism, white supremacy, etc.)
Which shall be destroyed by force.
“Tall, tired communist”
Somehow, this doesn’t sell itself to me as much as, say, “hot babe with large boobs, willing to go to any lengths.”
I think this is the problem with the left: they think they can sell themselves using descriptions that turn normal people off. I suspect though that “Tall, tired communist” won’t be having any “short, lively little reds” anytime soon.
So at this party, do they divvy up their antipsychotics according to need, or do wymyn and POC get first dibs?
The issue is, most Socialists expect their partner to be as woke as them. So non-political people (which is most of humankind), come across as “unwoke” or reactionary. That’s not even including genuine conservatives, who would be beyond the pale – sleeping with the enemy. In contrast conservatives generally tolerate non-political people – it doesn’t bother them because their ideology is not all consuming.
So at this party, do they divvy up their antipsychotics according to need, or do wymyn and POC get first dibs?
Well, again, the number of love-seeking lefties who boast of their mental health problems as if they were a credential – “neurotic as fuck,” as one creature puts it – does catch the eye.
poseurs and insufferable narcissists
Who just elected a lunatic to Congress to join the dozens already there. Why this isn’t illegal escapes me.
OTOH, apparently these types don’t think much of each other either. https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1081625758500638721
If it sounds creepy and invidious, to say nothing of racist, that’s because it is.
That.
That.
And remember, our Tall, Tired Communist thinks that boasting about such policies – policies intended to frustrate and exclude random men based solely on their skin colour – will somehow attract lovely people.
The yentas aren’t aware of anyone who’s found love through their accounts yet.
I imagine that being confronted with a mirror-image of your own narcissistic repulsiveness is a bit of a turn-off.
If anyone has trouble with comments not appearing, email me and I’ll tickle the spam filter.
I imagine that being confronted with a mirror-image of your own narcissistic repulsiveness is a bit of a turn-off.
[ Slides along bar a bowl of discoloured and well-thumbed peanuts. ]
Marissa Brostoff, 33, a grad student at CUNY…
Wow. What a catch. Wonder if she still lives with Mom and Dad? I’m sure they’re so proud…
…poseurs and insufferable narcissists…
But enough of Congressthing Chiquita Khrushchev…
Yep.
The difficult thing is that these vermin aren’t “Brooklyn”, they are a small ghetto in the larger borough that wants little or nothing to do with them. The most galling part is that they are so vile that they make me defend a place I’d just as soon give to North Korea.
Labor activist and aspiring historian/sci-fi writer looking for friends/open relationships. Tell me about your student debt and let’s cry together.
Hard pass.
Tell me about your student debt and let’s cry together.
Or, “I also make bad, life-ruining choices. Let’s date, baby.”
“They don’t know what words mean. They don’t know what anything means.”
Oh, they know. They stole “liberal” from us, and now they’re going after “libertarian”.
“Tall, tired communist seeking friends, casual dating… Likes: citrus fruit, weird music, using progressive stack to cut men off at meetings.”
“Look at meeeee! I’m weird and interesting!”
Yet more evidince that this stuff is simply delayed adolescence.
Also, what TDK said. Oddly enough, I’m reminded of this history of the Spectator, published at the weekend, summed up in a quote from its founder, Joseph Addison, in 1711:
“The difficult thing is that these vermin aren’t “Brooklyn”, they are a small ghetto in the larger borough that wants little or nothing to do with them.”
I think it was Instapundit which linked to a survey the other day showing that 18% of Americans think of socialism in a positive light. Which is still way, way too many for comfort, but it’s far from being the new hotness that the Democrat-media complex would like us to believe. In fact, given that we’re thirty years out of the Cold War now and socialism wasn’t as completely unspeakable in America before it as you might think, particularly in the ’30s, I’d almost count that figure as a bit of a failure for the Lefties. I mean, a party now run by actual Communists won 40% of the vote here in the UK last time out. I dream of that dropping to 18.
I’m no expert, but shouldn’t they be dating communally? And equally?
This preference of dating has a distinct individualistic streak.
Wasn’t there a country western song with lyrics something like “let’s get drunk and do something stupid”?
calling yourself a socialist sounds sexier than anything else out there
Take that, Dad! I’m dating a bad he/him!
“Let’s do something cheap and superficial
Let’s do something that we might regret
Let’s do something shabby and insensitive
Cause this might be the only chance we’ll get.”
Performed by Burt Reynolds.
I’d almost count that figure as a bit of a failure for the Lefties.
https://www.trevorloudon.com/2019/02/trevor-loudons-2019-list-of-socialists-and-communists-in-congress/
Here’s the whole song:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bNKwX8DpDiw
Is there something about man-buns that causes brain damage or is it just an indicator?
“Wasn’t there a country western song…”
I thought you were referring to Jimmy Buffet’s ‘Why Don’t We Get Drunk and Screw?”:
https://genius.com/Jimmy-buffett-why-dont-we-get-drunk-and-screw-lyrics
When you care enough to send the very worst.
Is there something about man-buns that causes brain damage or is it just an indicator?
Heh. Like blue hair and Far Side glasses, it’s not a styling choice that inspires great confidence.
The fact that NYC leftists are having a difficult time procreating is the best news I’ve heard all year.
Best headline of all time, which I encountered while surfing. Unfortunately, the bookmark didn’t work, but here it is:
Did Bolton Blow North Korea?
😄😊
It must be stressful being in a relationship where you’re never sure what you can and can’t say. When your woke partner is likely to explode at any moment for no good reason, it becomes obvious why there’s no interdating.
…list-of-socialists-and-communists-in-congress/

So…not entirely wrong ?
Make of that what you will.
Okay! How about: The yentas aren’t aware of anyone who’s found love
through their accounts yet.“Is there something about man-buns that causes brain damage or is it just an indicator?”
I believe it’s a manstrual flag
Little
Communism and it’s cousin, socialism is for the very dull, non creative, easily controlled, insecure, mentally and/or emotionally disturbed people.
There is Zero joy in that world it’s all about making sure that your neighbor has absolutely nothing to envy.
Labor activist and aspiring historian/sci-fi writer looking for friends/open relationships. Tell me about your student debt and let’s cry together.
While the politics make this candidate a non-starter, it’s the “aspiring historian/sci-fi writer” that triggered me.
You’re either a historian/sci-fi writer or you’re not, snowflake. Pick one.
And from the tweet thread where she thinks she’s struck a raw nerve among socialist dudebros. No raw nerve on her side…
I imagine that there’s a small number of charming, politically talented men in that community, with a gaggle of wonkettes trying to catch their attention. Those men have choices, and they prefer to date women who are nice to women who aren’t nice.
Outside that orbit, there are plenty of pajamaboys who might be interested in the wonkettes, but whose status, low to begin with, is lowered even more by the workings of the progressive stack. The politically talented men know how to turn it against their rivals, while presenting themselves as woke and modest and chivalrous. Less politically talented men end up with a sign on them saying “publically humiliate me”. It doesn’t make them attractive.
re: 18%
A big chunk of that number is Millenials: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-11-02/millennials-prefer-socialism-capitalism
The voting age needs to be raised to 40, and anyone with student debt barred from voting until its paid off.
A big chunk of that number is Millenials
“Millennials”. Damn all double letters!
[ Slides along bar a bowl of discoloured and well-thumbed peanuts. ]
Thanks! Although… they smell a bit, er… pissy*.
Actually, now I look closer some of them aren’t peanuts at all; they’re moving for one thing…
*peenuts?
I thought you were referring to Jimmy Buffet’s ‘Why Don’t We Get Drunk and Screw?”
Just remembered: “Let’s do something cheap and superficial, let’s do something we might both regret…”
this is my #1 life annoyance
A healthy sense of proportion, then.
“Our politics reflect who we are,” says she. Which, again, is rather the problem, I think.
Landlord, a drink for Pogonip!
But enough of Congressthing Chiquita Khrushchev..
– Or maybe, now that she insists she’s the Boss and has her very own dark-money scandal, Alexandria Ocasio-Clinton?
There is Zero joy in that world it’s all about making sure that your neighbor has absolutely nothing to envy.
I’m trying to remember where I read the joke that explained Churchill’s quip about the virtue of socialism being equal sharing of misery:
Boris and Vladimir are two dirt-poor communists living on the cream of the Worker’s Paradise; which is to say, starving to death. Boris has one goat; Vladimir doesn’t even have that. One day Vladimir comes-across a bottle in the mud and, hoping there’s something inside, he starts wiping the mud off it. Out pops a genie – “I am the Genie of the muddy bottle; I grant you one wish.”
Vladimir says, “I wish Boris’s goat would die.”