Thoughts and Things

"For much of the last two years, Mace has made McBride a frequent target, repeatedly invoking the Delaware Democratic congresswoman in speeches, interviews, social media posts, and legislative fights over transgender rights. Since McBride became the first out trans member of Congress in January 2025, Mace has emerged as one of the most visible anti-trans voices on Capitol Hill, championing efforts to restrict transgender people's access to bathrooms and other gendered facilities in federal buildings. Mace at one point even chased a woman she thought was McBride into a Capitol restroom, only to discover that it was a cisgender colleague.

But on Tuesday, it was McBride delivering the punchline.

"Today is a big day because today is the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary," McBride told the gala crowd. "And for those of you who aren't aware, my colleague and Congress's top bathroom sheriff, Nancy Mace, is on the ballot."

The audience laughed and applauded.

"And while not all of the votes have been counted yet, she is in a respectful fifth place," McBride continued. "I don't like punching down, and I believe in the politics of grace. So all I will say is happy Pride, Nancy."

The room at the Mellon Auditorium erupted with schadenfreude."

• velociraptor woman

• mantis woman

• boar woman

• oyster man

• seagull man

'goon' -linguistic drift gave her a new meaning. i hope her new life is good for her. i miss her.

'henchman' -too gendered. can be shortened to 'hench' in a pinch, but lacks punch.

'servant' -too domestic to apply to all those who serve evil.

'underling, subordinate' -this one only works if they get off on being beneath you and/or you don't properly pay your workers.

'associate' -this one's good for grizzled mercenaries or lone agents but doesn't work good for broad swathes of an organization.

'slave' -same as underling but more intense. really fun for some of the group. unsavory for others in a way that limits the scope of the thing.

'thrall' -only really applies if you're brainwashing them and that's not something i've learned how to do en masse yet

'flunky, toady, stooge, lackey' -these are just insulting, and that isn't conducive to a healthy work environment. imagine going to work and your job title is 'stooge'.

'acolyte' -works for those that worship you, but again. lacks the scope.

'supporter, follower' -unspecific and vague

'assistant, helper, aide' -not sinister at all. just means you're doing things for me. swagless in this manner. could be good if used to describe someone who's so clearly more that as a way to emphasize their obedience via understatement, but that's only useful for a few members of the organization. and even then, 'associate' works better.

Of course, what was supposed to be a short term service industry job before he lived for his art has bloomed into just being his life, and life as a poor artist is never as romantic as one imagines. While the cost of living of Bikini Bottom is low enough that even a frycook can be a homeowner, it's not quite so low that he can afford the luxuries he was used to growing up.

His view of the Working Class as the downtrodden masses were rather tattered by years of living between SpongeBob and Patrick, who were not so much temporarily oppressed intellectuals as they were, well, SpongeBob and Patrick.

Still, through thick and thin he's never gone back on his decision to leave the money behind. The great irony is that he is ignorant of his greatest achievement—his superiority to Squilliam isn't turning a bunch of randos into a functioning Marching Band or turning a burger joint into a fine dining establishment, it's having the strength of character to look at all the advantages Squilliam had and choose to leave it behind.