I had forgotten about Elijah Schaffer after his debacle of a “debate” where he allowed Lauren Witzke, a women who needs no introduction or special attention, to bully Blaire White for the full length of the debate as part of a legitimate debate on LGBT inclusion. Then he popped back on the radar after the emergence of a new tweet where he suggested that if the public was given the option between banning kids or “annoying gays”, that gays, including the person to whom he was referring and insulting, wouldn’t appreciate the response that was given. While the constant conversation around what is profitable in the general public often goes for bargain barrel accessibility at the expense of idealism, edge, or innovation, I would argue that the general public is increasingly becoming less supportive of children and more supportive of gays in an inverse of Schaffer’s predictions. Let me offer some examples.
Coming from A Dose of Buckley, a channel that I mention frequently because the man is a comedic genius, there have recently been a string of restaurants that have started banning children from being allowed inside of their premises. The reason why this could be happening ranges from the tendency for younger children to aggressively horseplay, be loud, or generally be children in places where the spaces are expected to conform to the usual orderliness of adults. This isn’t to shame children for going through the natural cycle of life, but it is to suggest that that business owners have an entirely different perspective when they see a party of children entering the premises.
Instead of customers with large paychecks, the ability to purchase alcohol sold at overpriced costs, etc., they see individuals that might be making a mess that they have treat with more sensitivity than usual unless they want to lose future business while also hoping that the family will be spending a fair amount of money. On that same tangential note, beer-serving venues will immediately consider a family bringing in their children as unlikely to have a large consumption of beer on their list of likely orders. In other words, children are emotional minefields that you don’t want to upset that lack the funds to make catering to them a worthwhile endeavor.
Contrast that with adult gay customers, individuals that might be buying overpriced alcohol and other products in abundance in search of hedonistic pursuits. Business owners may not explicitly state that they would rather have a semi-drunk gay man taking the bus home than catering to a child’s birthday party, but one segment of the population is more likely to be looser with their money. This also comes as it’s easier to address poor behavior coming from a gay adult than it is a misbehaving child. No one wants to be another child’s parent lest they become the person who scolded another parents’ little angel, but a misbehaving gay in public can easily be dealt with by venue security, fellow patrons at a venue, or law enforcement with less questioning over if the right action was taken. Maybe it speaks to the hyper-capitalistic tendency of the United States when business owners would rather see an obnoxious gay activist betray their morals and buy capitalist products despite touting socialism, but that brings in more profit than an eighth-grader who needs their parent to purchase another meal.
The same effect can also be seen in music, movies, and other vestiges where people once thought that appealing to the Disney demographic was the quick way to profit. People actually want coherent thought and depth to their stories without everything being watered down to the sensibilities of a rated G setting. The two most popular movies during the SAG-AFTRA strike were Barbie and Oppenheimer, a sensation known as Barbieheimer, where the nation entertained movies about double-standards regarding woman’s rights, and the rise of the nuclear age and the moral complications that came with it. One cannot ignore that the Disney films as of late have been failing by large margins either in critical review or sales, and the issue stems from people wanting more than just to “Let It Go” in a different form years later.
The moral of this story for Elijah Schaffer is that the business world has a different perspective on children from a profit motive than do parents and conservative commentators. While I am ardently pro-life and want families to thrive in all circumstances, one has to understand that some businesses under a free market economy, especially bars, taverns, and packed restaurants, may not be the most excited for a large swath of children running around a store creating noise, possible property damage, all while not being easily dismissed without a parent’s rage. The business world is notoriously cruel in its crackdown on women wanting children with Michael Bloomberg being accused by Elizabeth Warren in 2020 of telling a female worker “Kill it” when referring to her unborn child so she’d be more productive. Contrast that to the happy-go-lucky guy who someone might caricature in a derogatory fashion as a “fruit”. There are going to be some people who prefer the gay individual over having to deal with another person’s children from a societal perspective, regardless of what the outrage echo chamber rehashes.
(It’s not even worth addressing Schaffer’s insults, I’d rather just address the faulty argument that he produced.)
Nobody Likes Your Kids – A Dose of Buckley (youtube.com)
The Conservatarian Millennial 