regressive

It highlighted societal changes in Saudi Arabia that allowed edgy American comedians to perform in a country long dismissed as irredeemably puritanical and regressive.

This contrast is a good deal more dramatically compelling than the somewhat overwrought psychological drama that exerts a regressive pull on “anthropology.”

But too often, that “heterodoxy” serves as cover for regressive politics.

A clear example of this regressive vision is the administration’s push to rewrite the 14th Amendment in their efforts to eliminate birthright citizenship and undermine equal protection under the law.

Comics have long been on the front lines of democracy, the canary in the cat’s mouth, Looney Tunes style, when it comes to free speech being swallowed by regressive politics.