I’ve noticed a bit of a trend here where people seem to get really upset at the thought that there might be *anything* at all that is poking fun at any parts of the left.

Usually, upon pointing out a joke that is aimed at the left, the conversation will go like this “That thing that you pointed out that seems like it is making fun of the left, actually it is not making fun of the left, because it is pointing out people who are grifting and/or aren’t ‘true’ left wing people and are instead liberals/rainbow capitalists! Therefore that doesn’t count!”

But my response to this would be:

1. Have you considered that criticizing supposedly left wing groups through fiction for “grifting” might be a true and substantive critique of real life left wing movements?
2. It feels weird to claim that all criticisms of left leaning groups don’t count because you can imagine an even further leftwing group, therefore because the show didn’t criticize the hyper specific group that exists only in your mind, then the show isn’t “really” criticizing the left.

As an example, you can look at the way too on the nose parody of AOC that is in the show. Now, take the show’s over the top jokes about that character, and imagine that like all jokes there is a kernel of truth to them, and apply them to the real life AOC (who is one of the more prominent left leaning figures out there!).

Or do those jokes don’t count because there are even further left wing people out there than AOC?