The Daily Sting, Tuesday: Trump’s a Self-Professed Nationalist, Titanic II to Set Sail
We’d be remiss if we didn’t start today’s headline roundup with the story people all over the world are discussing today: Last night at a rally in support of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Donald Trump declared he indeed is a “nationalist,” a word fraught with meaning. Also, Titanic II is a thing that is happening. Would you board the ship?
In other news today, Chelsea Manning has undergone gender confirmation surgery, a Canadian town has received backlash for flying a “straight pride” flag and the first-ever gender-neutral passport was officially issued in the Netherlands.
From Trump coming out as a nationalist to a historic re-do with Titanic II, here are Tuesday’s top headlines:
1. Trump Declares He’s a ‘Nationalist,’ Which He Has in Common With Hitler (News, Politics)
Last night at a rally in Houston while stumping for (most-hated) Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Donald Trump declared from the stage that he’s a “nationalist” despite acknowledging, “You’re not supposed to use that word.” Why aren’t you supposed to use it? Well, because the most infamous examples of nationalism are Nazi Germany and Imperialist Japan, who if we recall correctly were on the other side of America in World War II. In the same speech, Trump butchers the word “globalist,” which he says refers to “a person that wants the world to do well, frankly not caring about our country so much.” (It’s actually a term that refers to the idea that policy should de developed with the entire globe in mind, and that a strong globe means strong individual nations, though it’s also a term fraught with anti-semitic connotations.)
Setting aside the chilling nature of Trump’s comments, some have used the opportunity to make jokes, like this tweet from the Palmer Report: “Donald Trump announced tonight that he’s a “nationalist.” It’s not clear if he meant white nationalist or Russian nationalist.”
2. Titanic II Will Set Sail Along the Same Route As Its Doomed Predecessor (Travel)
In the mood to tempt fate with your travel choices? Aussie company Blue Star Line announced back in 2012 that it would build Titanic II, a close-to-exact replica of the original ship that hit an iceberg and sank in 1912, killing 1,500 people. Building of the ship was later stalled, but work on the luxe liner has resumed, and it is supposed to make its maiden voyage in 2022. Are you game?
Read the full story by Esquire here.
3. Chelsea Manning Has Undergone Gender Confirmation Surgery (News)
after almost a decade of fighting – thru prison, the courts, a hunger strike, and thru the insurance company – I finally got surgery this week ✨🎀💉🏥✨🌈💕 pic.twitter.com/I7WeIrR8jP
— Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) October 20, 2018
“After almost a decade of fighting — thru prison, the courts, a hunger strike and thru the insurance company — I finally got surgery this week,” Chelsea Manning posted on Twitter over the weekend. Manning is the soldier charged with leaking classified information to WikiLeaks in 2010. She came out as trans after being convicted, and served seven years of a 35-year sentence. Manning followed up her tweet by saying, “Laws don’t determine our existence. We determine our existence,” referencing the Trump administration’s attempt to erase trans identity.
4. Canadian Village Raises ‘Straight Pride’ Flag, Lowers It After Backlash (News)
The Canadian Village of Chipman in New Brunswick raised a flag on Oct. 21 in honor of “straight pride,” reportedly as a response to a rainbow Pride flag flown back in June. (The “straight pride” flag consists of black and white stripes — rather droll if you ask us.) The flag was removed after just one day in the air, with Mayor Carson Atkinson citing “unintentional attention … personal threats … and cyberbullying.”
5. The Netherlands Has Issued the First-Ever Gender-Neutral Passport (World)
Though she had gender confirmation surgery in 2001 and prefers feminine pronouns, Leonne Zeegers, 57, identifies as gender-neutral, and now her passport reflects that. After two years in court, Zeegers has received a passport with her gender marked as “X.” Other countries — including Germany, New Zealand, India, Pakistan and some states in America — have either introduced a third gender to their passports or are considering doing so.
Read the full story by Pink News here.
