Nope

[Content Note: Sexual abuse; bullying; name mockery.]

I have previously written about Dan Savage's gross "Campaign for 'santorum' neologism," and the many problems with it, not least of which is that Rick Santorum isn't the only person with that last name.

There are Santorums with no direct relation to Rick Santorum, and Santorum and his wife have eight living children, some of whom might, in their adulthood, share his loathsome politics and some of whom might not. Some of them might be queer. All of them are nonetheless connected to a definition of their last name intended to embarrass their father for his homophobia.

Now Savage is seeking to recapture the glory of this successful campaign of public bullying by trying to do the same thing with the name Duggar.


Obviously, the same problems with Savage's Santorum campaign are similarly problematic here. Except, in this case, there's the added cruelty of ignoring reports that some of Josh Duggar's victims share his last name.

Responding to a public disclosure of sexual abuse with smug persiflage is appalling enough on its own. That Savage clearly didn't stop to consider for one second, or simply doesn't give an infinitesimal shit, that he's smearing not only the name of a sexual predator, but also his victims, in one fell swoop of flippant fuckery, is breathtakingly heinous.

My anger could fill galaxies.