Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Virtue Signaling

The cheap politics of acknowledgment: Joondeph’s case against Denver’s plan
American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, Local

The cheap politics of acknowledgment: Joondeph’s case against Denver’s plan

By Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker Not long ago, I attended a Sunday service at a Methodist church in Denver. Before the service began, the pastor introduced herself, shared her preferred pronouns, and informed the congregation that we were worshipping on stolen Native American land. I remember wondering why, if the land had truly been stolen, the church still owned it. I wrote about it on these pages.  Now Denver’s City Council wants to add another public ritual to official meetings. Not a prayer. Not the Pledge of Allegiance. Not even a moment of silence. A labor acknowledgment recognizing slavery and its legacy. Image created by ChatGPT The proposal is curious for one obvious reason. Colorado ent...
Colorado’s green building code mandates drive up housing costs and do little for the climate
ScottKJames.com, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s green building code mandates drive up housing costs and do little for the climate

By Scott K. James | Commentary, Scott K. James New ‘green’ building code mandates in Colorado reek of virtue signaling, drive up housing costs, and do jack squat for the environment. The Denver Post recently dropped a fun little read about how Colorado’s unelected bureaucrats have found yet another way to make housing completely unaffordable while pretending they’re saving the planet. The Colorado Legislature cedes authority to unelected bureaucrats in the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) to whip out new codes. The Denver Post piece highlights how the CEO has done just that, and – viola – Colorado will now require cities and counties to adopt updated building codes focused on cutting emissions – because if there’s one thing this housing market needed, it was more ...
Joondeph: The rise of Democrat theater kids isn’t politics—it’s performance art
American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, National

Joondeph: The rise of Democrat theater kids isn’t politics—it’s performance art

By Dr. Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker Theater kids, especially those in politics, are described as those who are overly dramatic, prone to theatrical gestures, insincere, and unnecessarily showy. Google’s AI highlights several characteristics of theater kids: Performance – Politicians’ public personae are like acts on a stage, focusing on presentation and emotion rather than substance or real engagement with their constituents. Cringe factor – In trying to seem relatable, “one of the gang," they come off as inauthentic, forced, awkward, and embarrassing.  Lack of authenticity – The term “theater kid” is a pejorative, suggesting that the politician is insincere and only performing to advance their political agenda or goals. Negative connotation...