“You’re A Bigot!”

Am I?

So, I’m a bigot.

At least I am according to the people who “own” that word.

You see, I made the mistake of referring to trans people as “creepy.”

That’s not entirely true, my exact words were actually, “The whole trans creepiness issue aside...”

Maybe it was the wrong word. Honestly though, it was the mildest word I could think of to convey my feelings. “Pitiful,” “disgusting,” and “annoying” all seemed worse or equally “harmful” labels.

I’m probably lucky I wasn’t accused of trans genocide.

In retrospect I probably should have just left the line out. It’s not like it added anything to the piece - see Christopher Nolan’s Trojan Horse below. It was also a distraction from my argument - see the comments on the piece.

It also led me to waste a lot of time. Some responding to the accusation, some in researching if it did in fact make me a bigot.

It’s an interesting subject because people have aversions to many things including scars, amputations, voice tones, very old people, the sick, and redheads of which I am one. These can be cultural or learned but they are often evolutionary in nature.

And Trans tick many of these boxes.

So, are you a bigot if you have an aversion to a physical trait? No.

Are you a bigot if you find trans people creepy? No. “Provided that feeling remains a private, internal reaction and does not dictate how you treat them.”

I am not mean or rude, and I do not discriminate against anyone. However, I did not keep my reaction private. So, what now? Am I a half-bigot?

This entire episode does raise an interesting question though. It appears as if I’m being told to suppress a deeply held evolutionary driven emotion and internalize the psychological distress this will cause just so I can fit into normal society.

I’ll make the trans community a deal. I’ll keep who I am private if they do the same.

AYPWIP?

Since telling the truth bit me in the ass. A little. I think we ought to hear what much wiser people have to say on the topic.

“Proclaim the truth and do not be silent through fear.”

-- St. Catherine of Siena

“If the truth shall kill them, let them die.”
-- Immanuel Kant

“The strength of a person’s spirit would then be measured by how much ‘truth’ he could tolerate, or more precisely, to what extent he needs to have it diluted, disguised, sweetened, muted, falsified.”
— Friedrich Nietzsche - Beyond Good and Evil.

And finally, because society seems divided on whether claiming to be trans is a mental illness or not and what the experts have to say:

“Being in a minority, even in a minority of one, did not make you mad. There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad.”
-- George Orwell, 1984

Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth
-- Albert Einstein

Christopher Nolan’s Trojan Horse

The casting is progressive; the values are not.

Note: This piece first appeared under my byline on Wrong Speak.

I saw Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey last week. I don’t usually write movie reviews but given the online culture war narrative on one side and the Hollywood hype on the other I’m going to make an exception.

Here’s my review: it was pretty good. Not as bad as I feared, nor as good as I’d hoped or been led to believe. That’s the culture war/Hollywood hype for you.

Nolan has directed 13 movies?

I wouldn’t put this in his top 5 but that’s not surprising. Nolan had an epic run from 2005 and 2014 and every single movie during that period is superior to The Odyssey.

Why do I say that?

Simple, I’ve seen everyone one of those films numerous times - I’m thinking of rewatching The Prestige as I type this - and I doubt I’ll ever watch The Odyssey again.

The Odyssey kept my attention but lacked emotional depth, genuine excitement, and any memorable dialogue. I’d put it on par with Dunkirk. Probably a 7 out 10 mainly because I wouldn’t give it a 6 and there’s just no way it deserves an 8.

But who am I kidding? You didn’t come for my opinion on the quality; you came to answer one question...

How woke is it?

Woke enough that it’ll likely qualify and be nominated for many Oscars.

Yes, the casting was “modern.” Or DEI influenced or engaged in “race swapping. Pick the term you prefer. However, if you want to win an Oscar, you have to play the game.

At this point, if you go to a Hollywood movie you have to be willing to ignore this type of casting. If you can’t, you shouldn’t bother going at all. That said, I do have some thoughts on some of the roles.

Lupita Nyong’o playing Helen of Troy, didn’t really affect my enjoyment of the movie. Perhaps knowing in advance helped. It was also a fairly small role. This was the Odyssey, not the Iliad after all.

Would her beauty “launch a thousand ships?” Maybe, but I wouldn’t have been on any of them. She’s hardly hard on the eyes, but I would have went with someone else. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder though.

I didn’t have an issue with Zendaya playing Athena either. I won’t explain why as it would be a bit of a spoiler. I feel bad just telling you that.

The most visible DEI casting was probably Himesh Patel as Eurylochus. Again, it didn’t bother me. Largely because I like the guy as an actor. You may accuse me of being inconsistent in my approach to DEI casting. Guilty. You could cast Denzel Washington as Helen of Troy and I’d be fine with it.

There were however two roles that I found… jarring. And it didn’t help that they were the first two people to speak in the movie.

The first was “Elliot” Page. Every time Page spoke it was annoying. The whole trans creepiness issue aside, I find a 5’1” 110 lb. person playing the role of a Greek warrior as ridiculous.

“The bard” spoke second and something about the accent just didn’t sit right. I had heard that some people found the American accents in the movie annoying. I’m not sure why? What did they expect ancient Greek accents? The accent of this particular character more than any other stood out so I researched it the next day and discovered:

“Travis Scott (playing the bard/Phemius) used his natural American/Houston (Southern/Texan-influenced) accent and speaking style, with rhythmic, rap-influenced delivery.”

Was it the accent? Was it the rap? Was it a combination? I don’t know but I did not like it when that character spoke. Luckily, he only spoke twice.

There were also a couple of non-DEI issues:

• Penelope (Anne Hathaway) complained at one point that only men could rule. This caused me to roll my eyes. I’m sorry, but the presence of a “girl boss” in 700 BC was a little too out of place.

• Telemachus (Tom Holland) always said “dad” instead of “father.” It sounded juvenile. You may not think it’s such a big deal but consider this minor change:

Better than “daddy” I suppose.

Now that you’ve come this far...

I brought you all here because...

I want you to look at this movie in another light.

Yes, it engages in race swapping, but look deeper, look at the themes:

Do these seem like beliefs that that progressive would value? Unlikely. If fact, if we look at these six themes “through a progressive lens” we can see just how negatively we would expect them to be viewed.

• The Journey Within - the individual is primarily a node in overlapping group hierarchies of power, privilege, and oppression. Advancing group equity is the goal rather than personal excellence.

• Fate vs. Free Will - Outcomes are attributed mainly to systemic forces rather than individual decisions, habits, and competence.

• Home and Longing - The private home is a patriarchal space of unpaid domestic labor, gender hierarchy, and isolation. The bourgeois nuclear-family household is a capitalist institution that privatizes care work and reinforces inequality.

• Deception and Wisdom - Concealing one’s “true self” is described as internalized oppression or a privilege that sustains the status quo. Public disclosure—coming out, centering identity narratives, or making the private public—builds solidarity and challenges norms. The private sphere itself is historically patriarchal or hierarchical space that shields inequality.

• Human vs. Nature - Nature is not to be confronted but instead nurtured and protected because environmental harm falls disproportionately on marginalized communities, future generations, and the Global South. Climate justice, environmental racism, and sustainability for human equity are central.

• Love and Loyalty - Monogamy arose with private property to ensure male control of inheritance and undisputed heirs. It subordinated women while often allowing male infidelity. The monogamous family is a historical stage, not an eternal one.

The themes found in The Odyssey are on display in many Nolan movies. He is not a woke director, but one who is “playing the game” to ensure his film is viewed and celebrated.

I want you to consider something, that The Odyssey is not a woke Hollywood movie, but something else, something that we to the right of progressives should support.

Who will celebrate this film most enthusiastically?

Progressives.

Who will shower it with awards?

Progressives.

And who will spend three hours absorbing a story whose deepest assumptions contradict many of their own?

Progressives.

The Odyssey isn’t a progressive weapon.

It’s a Trojan horse.

It’s time for an Ad!

What? Again?

Yes, because here at Hoist the Black Flag we believe in capitalism.

And nothing says capitalism more than an ad interrupting what you had been enjoying to ask for money.

If only I could do what Amazon Prime does, charge you and then charge you again to remove the ads.

Ah, the dream.

Oh well, this will have to do for now.

Hoist the Black Flag is an audience-supported publication which looks at US, Canadian, and World Politics (and anything else I find interesting).

Look, I get it, the demands for money are never-ending. I would write this even if I didn’t make a dime. I honestly would rather have you read my Substack for free than constantly bug you for money, but it also never hurts to ask, so…

If you enjoy my work, please hit the “Like” button, recommending me to a friend (or an enemy, I’m not choosy) and consider clicking one or more of these buttons as well:

If you are not in a position to become a paid subscriber, please share this article so others can read it too.

Who knows, maybe they will be less fiscally responsible than you.

Podcast Recommendations

I’ve been writing about slavery since May, and I still didn’t cover everything so my first recommendation is a no brainer.

Lex Fridman Podcast - Gary Gallagher: American Civil War, Slavery, Lincoln, Grant & Lee

It’s a long one but it tells the story very well. Balanced, non-judgmental (where appropriate), and informative. It’s a long one though clocking in at almost 4 hours. Well worth your time though.

I’ll make up with it with the next one which is only 11 minutes.

Capital Record - The Real Story of Rent Stabilization

This explores the Democratic Socialists and Progressives effort to resurrect policies that in no way have been disproven for decades and will definitely not impoverish society and lead to an even worse housing crisis.

Comment(s) of the Month.

I took some time off in July so there are fewer comments to choose from than usual. That said, there are still quite a lot. This month’s I’m awarding 3 month comps to the following people:

Richard Jordan provided some interesting information on the Atlantic slave trade:

“There’s a great article on this topic, “Costly International Moral Action” by Pape and Kaufmann. They single out the fight against the Atlantic slave trade as the only example of...continued.”

Bob Knudsen and I had an interesting discussion about pets and pet owners:

“I know somebody who was one of these pet parents. She had a rescue dog who... continued.”

I also appreciate MLisa and EnkiduTheWise helping to explain why cheering for Musk and SpaceX to fail is not only wrong, but will harm a lot more people than just him.

Note: if I mentioned you here but you’re not a subscriber, I can’t comp you. If you want the comp, become a free subscriber and message me and I’ll comp you then.

Recommend Hoist the Black Flag

For those of you who weren’t lucky enough to win this month you can earn complimentary memberships by referring people to Hoist the Black Flag from here.

Top 10 Postings

It’s nice to see one of my new articles make it into the Top 10. This month, Who Ended Slavery debuted at #8 pushing out The Emperor Has No Clothes which had been in the top 10 since I wrote it in April of 2023. Now that I think of it, it’s a timely topic given the trans issue that came up this month.

1. Women Ruin Everything (1)

2. Lies… (2)

3. The White Man’s Burden (3)

4. I didn’t cheat, I just broke the rules (4)

5. NOTHING is Illegal on Stolen Land (5)

6. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me (6)

7. Help! Help! I’m Being Oppressed! (7)

8. Who Ended Slavery (N/A)

9. One Lie After Another (8)

10. Canada Is Not Broken (10)

July’s Best – Who Ended Slavery

Biggest Jump – 39. Remigration (51)

You can find all my posts in my archive.

Top 10 Subscriber Locations

Why is this here? It’s like sports statistics, it doesn’t really matter but I find it interesting and who knows, maybe I’ll find it useful at some point.

1. Canada (1)

2. California and The UK (2) 98

3. -

4. New York (4) 60

5. Texas (5) 50

6. Australia (6) 42

7. Florida (8) 39

8. Illinois (8) 34

9. Pennsylvania (10) 33

10. Virginia (7) 32

Note: the US is #1 by far but provides insight into individual states and it’s more interesting to present it that way. No other country can be broken down unfortunately.

Final Thoughts

I ran a poll a little while back to get input on my next “long” article/series.

So, it looks like my next big project will be an exploration of how that franchise has expanded over the centuries and why it may be time to admit it’s gone too far.

I promise it will be worth the wait.

Until then...

Stay salty, my friends!

And to try and laugh a little if you can.

Phil

---

Thank you for reading Hoist the Black Flag

If you enjoyed this piece, the quickest way to help is to hit the like button — it takes one second and makes a real difference to how Substack surfaces the writing.

If you’d like to do more, sharing or restacking puts it in front of readers who might never have found it otherwise. And if you’d like to support the work directly, buying a coffee or becoming a subscriber means the world.

Either way, your time and attention genuinely matter — thank you.