By now, you've probably heard all about John Fettermans' latest accommodation on Capitol Hill. Namely, there's no more dress code in the U.S. Senate for members. The basic expectations of decorum that have existed for centuries have been wiped out so that Fetterman can preside over the once-storied institution in gym shorts and a hoodie.
No, that's not the latest made-up bit of satire from The Babylon Bee. It's real and not spectacular, and don't you dare question the change, lest you be labeled an ableist.
John Fetterman, in a hoodie and shorts, is presiding over the US Senate today. pic.twitter.com/th9m9kuBhI
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) September 20, 2023
The counters you see online to the criticism all track along the same path. Why do you care? What's the big deal? No one is being hurt by the removal of the dress code!
In a vacuum, I suppose that's correct. Of course, no one being hurt isn't really a standard for basic decorum in any other part of life. No one would technically be hurt if people started showing up naked, but that would be improper, right? There are a nearly infinite number of things that people do in a given society that are based on tradition and respect more than a strict practical requirement.
There's something deeper going on here, though. The backlash to the elimination of the dress code in the Senate is about much more than just the dress code being eliminated. What it's really about is the left's obsession with destruction.
The humiliation is the point. It's not enough for Democrats to seize power by any means necessary and rule over the little people. They must also tear down everything that the little people once cared about. There was a time when Americans were proud to be Americans. Part of that was a sense of decorum among elected officials, where everyone agreed that showing respect was necessary and uplifting.
That gentlemen's agreement is gone, replaced by whatever the current whims of the far left are. Statues that have stood for hundreds of years? They tear them down. Religious institutions that have undergirded society? They infiltrate and pollute them. A sense of decency within the Senate chamber? That gets ripped out by the seams so a giant toddler can strut around in basketball shorts in the same halls great men used to walk in suits and ties.
Nothing matters, and when nothing matters, nothing will survive. Heck, even simple pastimes like football and baseball have been hijacked as vehicles to push a divisive political narrative. The left ruins everything, and it's all by design.
Again, the humiliation is the point. Democrats want to tape your eyelids open and force you to watch as they set your traditions on fire. It's a game to them. It's a way to project power and mock those who don't possess it.
So no, the Senate getting rid of its dress code isn't the greatest scandal in U.S. history. I don't think anyone has claimed that. What it is, though, is indicative of a society that no longer values anything. That's a sad place to be.
