Since the killing of far-right activist Charlie Kirk last month, Vice President JD Vance has led the charge among right-wing politicians who have railed against “left-wing extremists” and what he has claimed is a “network” of advocacy groups that foment and perpetrate violence—suggesting the “rhetoric” of progressives who are critical of President Donald Trump and his allies is akin to violence.
But confronted with racist, antisemitic messages and jokes aboutremoved that were sent in a group chat by members of the group Leaders of Young Republicans on Wednesday, the vice president dismissed the outrage that has ensued over the chats as “pearl clutching” over the actions of “young boys.”
The “young boys” who sent messages that explicitly praised Adolf Hitler, lauded Republicans who they believe support slavery, and said their political foes should go to “the gas chamber,” were between the ages of 24-35.
“The reality is that kids do stupid things, especially young boys,” Vance said on The Charlie Kirk Show. “They tell edgy, offensive jokes. That’s what kids do. And I really don’t want us to grow up in a country where a kid telling a stupid joke—telling a very offensive, stupid joke—is cause to ruin their lives.”
Since the messages were leaked, some of the Young Republicans who took part in the group chat have stepped down from their jobs—which they held, in some cases, with state lawmakers and the New York state court system. One member, Vermont state Sen. Samuel Douglass, who was the only elected official in the chat and made a racist remark about South Asian people, has faced calls to resign.
I wholeheartedly disagree with the suggestion that the age of majority should be raised to 21 or 25 (to be clear, I don’t want it to be lowered either). It’s hard enough being a young adult, and not even having full legal capacity to make choices for yourself as a 19-25 year old is a catastrophically harmful idea, especially so for queer people.
A cool county could always make a new tier. One kind of already exists where 16 year olds can emancipate themselves from shit parents. College age folks could, say, make their own legal decisions but be barred from owning guns or joining the military and that sort of thing. Honestly driving should be more restricted as well but that is more of an urban planning problem to make cars unnecessary.
Chana seemed to have some interesting thoughts on this but what makes it harder for people entering adulthood and especially harmful for queer people?
Are you not familiar with how trans rights are being eroded away at this very point we are discussing? Reactionaries are constantly prattling on about how trans people under the age of 18 should be unable to make choices about their bodies and their lives, and are actively legislating to continually raise that age. This isn’t even to mention how often the parents of queer people are often actively hostile their children, and raising the age of majority only serves to prolong their suffering. And can you not put yourself back in your own shoes when you were 18? I can’t imagine how I could have even gone on living if I was forced to be under the legal power of my parents in my 20s…
As suggested by my “barred from politics” line, the raising of the age of majority happens in a nation that is hypothetically much healthier than the one that exists in reality. I conceptualize it also as a nation where such parents are appropriately reeducated (and possibly punished) for their reactionary views on queer people. Most people want a greater degree of autonomy and independence by 16, but this is distinct from the level of development and maturity required of adulthood, hence my endorsement of Chana’s view.