FLASHBACK: Rush Limbaugh predicts woke virtue signaling and supporting the 'current thing' back in 1993

A recently resurfaced clip from Rush Limbaugh’s show revealed the revered conservative commentator predicting the current state of virtue signaling all the way back in 1993.

Limbaugh, speaking to the camera and audience, is seen wearing a number of colored ribbons on his lapel.

"Because I’m wearing these ribbons, I care more than any of you about anything," Limbaugh said, adding that "these ribbons say so."

"I want you people sitting at home and you people in the audience, look down at your lapel right now," he continued. "When you look down, what do you see? You don’t see anything because you’re not wearing any ribbons."

"It means you’re a bigot, it means you’re a racist, it means you’re a sexist, it means you’re a homophobe. It probably means you’re a white guy, it probably means you’re a European, and you all are responsible for all of the ills of America."

"But I’m not, because I’m wearing all these ribbons. I care more than you," he concluded.

Limbaugh’s comments in 1993 run eerily similar to the current state of affairs in the US, where people latch onto the most current issue, using social media to signal boost how they supposedly care about this week’s issue.

This has been seen especially in recent years, with social media users partaking in "Blackout Tuesday" shortly after George Floyd died in Minneapolis after being arrested by officers. Social media users posted black squares to their social media accounts, as a solidarity movement with black Americans.

It’s also seen in Pride months spanning the years, where social media users as well as companies, part of the LGBTQ community or not, change their social media profile pictures, most prominently through Facebook’s frame options, to display rainbow flags.

Walking through a neighborhood anywhere in the US, this can also be seen in the form of rainbow lawn signs that state, "Science is real, Black Lives Matter, no human is illegal, women’s rights are human rights, love is love, kindness first." 

Also seen were Ukraine flags lining the streets and feeds of social media posts in 2022, as Russia invaded Ukraine and Americans wanted to send a message that they support the Eastern European’s fight against Russia’s invasion.

Limbaugh’s comment in the 90s was reflective of the wave of ribbons symbolizing different causes, as explained by the Times Colonist, but since then, this type of virtue signaling has morphed into people making it publically known that they care about this week’s new issue.