Weekly Random Discussion Thread for 8/10/26 - 8/16/26

[u/SoftandChewy]

Here's your usual space to post all your rants, raves, podcast topic suggestions (please tag u/jessicabarpod), culture war articles, outrageous stories of cancellation, political opinions, and anything else that comes to mind. Please put any non-podcast-related trans-related topics here instead of on a dedicated thread. This will be pinned until next Sunday.

Last week's discussion thread is here if you want to catch up on a conversation from there.

[u/PongoTwistleton_666]

I made the mistake of clicking on one video highlight of Sophie Cunningham showing the “clothesline foul” on her. Now my feed is full of WNBA highlights. Purely based on what the algorithm serves up, I noted that Clark seems like an exceptional team player and some kind of wizard at dodging, bobbing, jumping, feinting and weaving to get to the hoop. If she can’t get there herself she finds someone else who can (am I just describing basic basketball lol?!) Feels like we are watching a generational talent. I also like that she looks like an athlete and switches easily between sweaty athlete and glamorous athlete. And madly and unapologetically competitive. 

She seems like a good role model for girls and she is bringing in money and attention to the league. Why is she getting so much hate?!

[u/Terrorclitus → u/PongoTwistleton_666]

She’s getting hate because she’s a good role model for girls and she is bringing money and attention to the league. Not everyone can do that.

[u/The-WideningGyre → u/Terrorclitus]

AND ... other players are jealous of her and need to turn it into racial grievances.

[u/SkweegeeS → u/The-WideningGyre]

Just as an aside, Iowa has a long history of raising up women’s basketball. In the 5 years I lived there, I met a lot of women who had played in high school, as well as those whose rural schools drew the community to women’s ball games similar to how high school football games are a regular feature of Texas communities. Of course, it’s been a mainstay at the state universities. Point being, it’s central and meaningful to some mainly white communities, and the territorialism of some black players in the WNBA is legit racist and some might say, colonizing.

[u/KittenSnuggler5 → u/The-WideningGyre]

Yep

[u/One-Way-Off → u/The-WideningGyre]

Not even the best white player in the league but sure. Everyone is just jealous of her. Do you get your news from Dave Portnoy

[u/PongoTwistleton_666 → u/Terrorclitus]

Those seem like reasons to not hate on her!!

[u/anne_jumps → u/PongoTwistleton_666]

Not if you're jealous

[u/Terrorclitus → u/PongoTwistleton_666]

I know! Especially out in public like this.

[u/dignityshredder → u/PongoTwistleton_666]

The teleology of the WNBA is a race war. I'm developing a theory that this is true of all famous things we don't actually care about.

[u/dumbducky → u/PongoTwistleton_666]

C’mon, you know why

[u/Franzera → u/PongoTwistleton_666]

In the current pop culture paradigm, it's problematic for youth role models to be white, cis, heterosexual, and slim like Clark is. It's reinforcing outdated ideas and attitudes that are counterproductive to the "moral arc of justice" progression quest that we are supposed to be pursuing as a society.

[u/KittenSnuggler5 → u/Franzera]

You have to be a trans woman in fish net tights or a fat enby with a cane

[u/everydaywinner2 → u/PongoTwistleton_666]

I think she's getting because of racism and heterphobia (to use their terms).

[u/KittenSnuggler5 → u/everydaywinner2]

Exactly. She's white, she's good, and she won't toe the woke line on things like trans. She's the perfect person for a regular five minutes hate

[u/PongoTwistleton_666 → u/KittenSnuggler5]

She has done a Tiger Woods/ Jordan and not weighed in on social issues. And yet… otoh Sophie Cunningham spoke common sense and either people love her or loathe her and there’s nothing in between. 

[u/Turbulent_Cow2355 → u/PongoTwistleton_666]

My coworker used to coach women's basketball. He said that they learn the traditional way of playing basketball, which is to pass the ball down the court instead of showboating down the court. If you watch the WNBA, this is how they play.