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Notes -
I believe you've done a motte and bailey by conflating the common public meaning of performative with a dictionary sociology meaning.
And I disagree. If you assume performative equates to insincere, then my original comment doesn't even make sense. Austin progressives are absolutely sincere in their beliefs. They are also incredibly focused on their appearance of being super progressive, even to the point where they will pass local ordinances that are counterproductive (e.g. the various ongoing homeless policies) or that are clearly intended to be overturned by the state.
Why should we think that they are incredibly focused on their appearance? Juries typically don't have that level of spotlight, and often have the opposite - being sequestered or the subject of media bans or privacy mandates. This seems like the weakest possible version of the argument, that some of the people in Austin are progressive, so we can assert that every or anything they do is performative. This is still lacking any reason to believe it's for appearances. I find it much more convincing that voters naively believe a single municipal law will solve homelessness or will stop the big mean border guards in their tracks.
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