AOC and the self-absorbed left

Raise your glass to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who hypocritically escaped record Covid cases in her home state of New York to drink cocktails and attend a drag brunch in free Florida. It’s not uncommon for a politician’s vacation to become the subject of national criticism, but in response, AOC has managed to deploy the worst communications strategy since “hiking the Appalachian trail” became code for banging your mistress in Argentina.

After being called out on Twitter for her newly attained snowbird status — and her boyfriend’s gaudy choice in footwear — AOC declared that her critics are just upset that they don’t get to sleep with her.

“If Republicans are mad they can’t date me they can just say that instead of projecting their sexual frustrations onto my boyfriend’s feet. Ya creepy weirdos,” she tweeted.

It’s no secret that people who seek political power usually have big egos, but AOC’s level of self-absorption is truly impressive. She doesn’t believe any criticism of her is legitimate because her detractors are blinded by her hotness. Critics are either hopelessly in love with her or intensely jealous. She is the Capitol Hill version of Regina George, who cries “Why are you so obsessed with me?” when presented with evidence that she was a bad friend to Janice Ian. Really, she is obsessed with herself.

You don’t have to look far to see other leftist female politicos reveling in their selfishness. Randi Weingarten used the pandemic as a means to rake in extra benefits for teacher’s unions, treating innocent children like incubators of death so her employees could work from home and collect emergency pay. A doctor recently bragged on Twitter that she only ordered delivery during the pandemic, failing to acknowledge that she was merely outsourcing her risk of contracting the virus to working-class Americans who couldn’t afford to stay home. Georgetown University’s chief public health official shut down indoor events and gyms for students, declaring it “unsafe,” but had no problem attending an event with her friend at the Kennedy Center.

Narcissism used to be considered a personality flaw. Now, when it is displayed by women, feminists celebrate. After all, it is modern feminism that encouraged women to be selfish. They should put their careers ahead of starting a family. They should sleep around, then just get an abortion if they get knocked up. They should always talk about how great they are, lest anyone forget. Doing any of the above earns women a “yas queen!” and the label “boss bitch.”

But while modern feminism claimed selfishness would empower women, its renunciation of duty and responsibility to family and community left many women feeling bored, unfulfilled, and desperate for external validation.

The Atlantic recently published “A Divorce Story,” the sad tale of a mother who blows up her family because she is sick of the Cheerio crumbs on her kitchen floor. She admits that she longed for self-actualization, but never describes herself as “happy” in the aftermath of her divorce, only “raw.” The piece itself is a request for permission; she needs others to tell her that it was okay to elevate her desire to try lesbian sex over the wellbeing of her children because she can’t justify it to herself.

Compare this to Governor Ron DeSantis stepping away from his job to take his wife to cancer treatments. DeSantis didn’t need to blast this to the press as proof that he’s a good person because devotion to something other than the self is fulfilling enough.

Popular culture is finally picking at the dark side of vanity. Television and movies for years portrayed “girlboss” women in trendy oversized blazers and sharp blunt bobs as the peak of success. HBO’s Succession flips this narrative on its head, casting Shiv Roy as one of the show’s most hated characters as her myopic focus on taking over her father’s company causes her to brutally mistreat her husband and engage in self-destructive behavior. In season four, her tale turns tragic as we learn her egoism is likely a result of her own mother treating her as an inconvenience.

AOC’s delusions about the sexual fantasies of her critics are funny, yes. But it is mainly sad to see the real insecurity wrought by the selfishness promoted by the left.