Racism in America (with data)

[stimpy]

Now no one can say that no good came out of all this.
If this doesn't help heal us, what will?
https://www.ladyamusic.com/

[El Guapo]

Now no one can say that no good came out of all this.
If this doesn't help heal us, what will?
https://www.ladyamusic.com/

This is the kind of dumb thing that I can't see anyone being happy with. Obviously a non-trivial number of their fans are going to be annoyed by "PC bullshit" or the like. And on the other side...is there any mystery about what "A" stands for?

[Grifman]

On the issue of US bases named after Confederate generals, I'm seeing a lot of good proposals for alternate names/memorials.

Braxton Bragg was not only a traitor but also a military loser who got his butt kicked repeatedly and whose (traitor) army almost mutinied. Surely Fort Bragg would be better as Fort Marshall or (since it's the home of the Airborne) Fort Gavin.

Likewise, Fort Hood is named for the Confederate general who got his ass one thousand and fifty percent kicked by William Tecumseh Sherman. "Fort Sherman" sounds pretty good to me, but we could also recognize the fort's traditional role in armor training by renaming it Fort Abrams or Fort Patton.

etc etc. This really isn't hard.

Someone joked (?) that Fort Benning in Georgia should be renamed Fort Sherman and have an "eternal flame" installed by the Front Gate

That said, yes, Bragg was an awful general. He was good in organizing and training an army (much like McClellan) but an awful battlefield general who did not inspire his troops or his subordinate officers. His office corp was constantly scheming and plotting against him.

Hood was a very good division commander, brave and bold in combat but totally out of his depth as a corp or army commander. By the he took command of the Army of Tennessee he was a physical wreak, having lost an arm and a leg, he had to be strapped into his saddle. Frustrated after a number of defeats and failures, he blamed his troops lack of bravery and got his army destroyed at Franklin and Nashville. When he took command he had army of probably around 60,000 men. When he was finished with them, probably no more than 10,000 were left to join Johnston in NC to try and top Sherman. They almost had more regimental and other battle flags than they had men.

[malchior]

photos from today!

also see #CHAZ on Twitter

Can you confirm this scene?

[hitbyambulance]

photos from today!

also see #CHAZ on Twitter

Can you confirm this scene?

i'm pretty sure that was Minneapolis...

[malchior]

photos from today!

also see #CHAZ on Twitter

Can you confirm this scene?

i'm pretty sure that was Minneapolis...

Ah indeed. A common mistake.

[Defiant]

[LawBeefaroni]

Chicago

"My Ward is a shit show."

https://dailycaller.com/2020/06/09/chic ... aked-call/


I assume all of this is "more or less' accurate - and frankly - I can't even digest this? wtf?

I was in a call with our aldermen on Tuesday. We're right at a border between 2 wards so we effectively have two. Some highlights from our wards:

• There were organized gangs with multiple trucks/U-Hauls. They had radio coms, police scanners, and were armed with AR-15s/AKs.
• Anything near the highway was a primary target due to easy in and out access. Big box stores (best buy, microcenter, etc) were hit multiple times until wiped out.
• Smaller shops on retail strips (Bucktown, Wicker Park) were also wiped out.
• There was no news coverage (in one particular ward) because only one news truck braved it and they got shot at and got the fuck out of there.
• License plates were from Wisconsin, Indiana, down state Illinois, and Chicago. Many of the Chicago plates came up as stolen.
• One quote from someone who was in Kosovo in the 90s: "I haven't seen anything like it since the Balkans..."

Out other ward was better off. Scattered arson, some shootings, and moderate looting of the bigger targets like Target, CVS, Walgreen's. My guess is that the organized arson was intended to draw resources from the major looting. There was mention of "incendiary devices" recovered in several locations.

[LawBeefaroni]

Also, full audio of the call is here.

[malchior]

Meanwhile Trump is fixated on Seattle and praising police response to the protests. Danger levels are rising again.

[Enough]

Chicago

"My Ward is a shit show."

https://dailycaller.com/2020/06/09/chic ... aked-call/


I assume all of this is "more or less' accurate - and frankly - I can't even digest this? wtf?

I was in a call with our aldermen on Tuesday. We're right at a border between 2 wards so we effectively have two. Some highlights from our wards:

• There were organized gangs with multiple trucks/U-Hauls. They had radio coms, police scanners, and were armed with AR-15s/AKs.
• Anything near the highway was a primary target due to easy in and out access. Big box stores (best buy, microcenter, etc) were hit multiple times until wiped out.
• Smaller shops on retail strips (Bucktown, Wicker Park) were also wiped out.
• There was no news coverage (in one particular ward) because only one news truck braved it and they got shot at and got the fuck out there.
• License plates were from Wisconsin, Indiana, down state Illinois, and Chicago. Many of the Chicago plates came up as stolen.
• One quote from someone who was in Kosovo in the 90s: "I haven't seen anything like it since the Balkans..."

Out other ward was better off. Scattered arson, some shootings, and moderate looting of the bigger targets like Target, CVS, Walgreen's. My guess is that the organized arson was intended to draw resources from the major looting. There was mention of "incendiary devices" recovered in several locations.

Holeeeee....

[Smoove_B]

Now no one can say that no good came out of all this.
If this doesn't help heal us, what will?
https://www.ladyamusic.com/

This is the kind of dumb thing that I can't see anyone being happy with. Obviously a non-trivial number of their fans are going to be annoyed by "PC bullshit" or the like. And on the other side...is there any mystery about what "A" stands for?

I know someone that is really not happy about it.

[El Guapo]

Now no one can say that no good came out of all this.
If this doesn't help heal us, what will?
https://www.ladyamusic.com/

This is the kind of dumb thing that I can't see anyone being happy with. Obviously a non-trivial number of their fans are going to be annoyed by "PC bullshit" or the like. And on the other side...is there any mystery about what "A" stands for?

I know someone that is really not happy about it.

Oof. That's not great.

[Isgrimnur]

The Screen Actors Guild regulates stage names so that there are no duplicate names.

[LawBeefaroni]

The Screen Actors Guild regulates stage names so that there are no duplicate names.

I thought band names/stage names fell under trademark protection.

SAG is just screen actors, and only their members.

[LordMortis]

I thought band names/stage names fell under trademark protection.

SAG is just screen actors, and only their members.

I thought bands duplicated names and that was life.

This site suggests trademark is the way to go

https://www.ipwatchdog.com/2017/09/10/t ... /id=87552/

Today, a common misunderstanding is the idea that one can actually “copyright” a band name. While it is possible to copyright the design of a band logo, the band name itself is not copyrightable. Band names are protectable under trademark law, because like brand names they allow us to distinguish one band’s music and identity from another. They are what enable us to distinguish between a “Beatles” record on the one hand, and a “Chipmunks” record on the other.

A trademark is a word, symbol or device that distinguishes one set of goods from another. Meanwhile, band names are considered “service marks” because they help distinguish between providers of entertainment services. If they are used in interstate commerce, trademarks and service marks can be registered with the U.S. Office of Patents and Trademarks. Besides obtaining registration of a service mark, a band may also register its name as a trademark if it is associated with specific merchandise, such as record albums.

[malchior]

Good intentions but still an own-goal.

[ImLawBoy]

There are both statutory and common law trademark protections for band names. If she's filed a trademark with the USPTO she's in good shape. If not, she has to rely on common law (or possibly even state statutes). I'm guessing the band has competent enough legal representation that they at least did a cursory search for registered trademarks on the name Lady A, but who knows?

This could actually be beneficial to the original Lady A, as this almost certainly raises her profile nationally a bit.

[Archinerd]

Out other ward was better off. Scattered arson, some shootings, and moderate looting of the bigger targets like Target, CVS, Walgreen's.

I'm also right on the edge of two Wards, both were like you describe here. A little scary but no immediate danger.
Further to the west is the now infamous Brickyard Mall.

[malchior]

Fun Twitter thread about the ANTIFA "manuals" discovered recently

Here is a taste towards the end of the thread. That is at Steve Buscemi w/ a skateboard pretending to be a kid levels of obviousness.

[LawBeefaroni]

Fun Twitter thread about the ANTIFA "manuals" discovered recently

Here is a taste towards the end of the thread. That is at Steve Buscemi w/ a skateboard pretending to be a kid levels of obviousness.

It's like those "Antifa flyers" that said "God hates conservatives" and promised to "run a train on their faggot asses".


When you lack imagination and empathy, convincingly forging documents is tough work.

[El Guapo]

Good news! The new bachelor is African-American. I'm pretty sure that this means that racism has been solved - we can stop protesting now.

[malchior]

I saw that earlier. The reactions are *ahem* interesting to say the least.

[Holman]

Good news! The new bachelor is African-American. I'm pretty sure that this means that racism has been solved - we can stop protesting now.

Nonsense. Martin Luther King ended racism in 1980 when he endorsed Ronald Reagan for president.

[$iljanus]

Good news! The new bachelor is African-American. I'm pretty sure that this means that racism has been solved - we can stop protesting now.

I’m excited for a “Guess Who’s Coming Home for Dinner: Bachelor Edition.” spin-off!

[stimpy]

And if he picks a white woman...….OH THE HUGE MANTATEE!!!!!

[malchior]

And if he picks a white woman...….OH THE HUGE MANTATEE!!!!!

[YellowKing]

He looks very well-spoken.

[Grifman]

When he gets on one knee and proposes, some people are going to have a fit.

[Grifman]

Things are getting real at the University of Texas:

https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/texas ... d-changes/

I suspect this will set up a big clash between older alumni with money and student athletes. Will either side be able to compromise? I also expect to soon see the same at other universities in the South.

[stimpy]

He looks very well-spoken.

[Isgrimnur]

Things are getting real at the University of Texas:

https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/texas ... d-changes/

I suspect this will set up a big clash between older alumni with money and student athletes. Will either side be able to compromise? I also expect to soon see the same at other universities in the South.

Some are not likely to be controversial at all, from an outreach to minority communities in major cities throughout the state, including the Dallas.

[Max Peck]

Canada indigenous chief battered during arrest

Video of an indigenous chief's violent arrest has shocked Canada, turning a spotlight on systemic racism in the country's police force.

The footage shows Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam being floored and repeatedly punched by a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer.

The confrontation took place in Fort McMurray, Alberta, on 10 March.

Protests demanding police reform have spread across Canada recently after spilling over from the US.

Although RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki initially said she "can't say for sure" whether systemic racism is a problem with the police, on Friday afternoon she released a statement saying "systemic racism is part of every institution, the RCMP included".

"Throughout our history and today, we have not always treated racialised and Indigenous people fairly," she wrote.

[Little Raven]

Someone joked (?) that Fort Benning in Georgia should be renamed Fort Sherman and have an "eternal flame" installed by the Front Gate

Shouldn't we try to future proof these things somewhat?

I realize that Sherman is popular now, but the man was pretty open about his genocidal aims for the American Indians as General of the Army. He was responsible for a LOT of women and children being killed, and expressly defended liquidating entire "savage" villages.

...during an assault, the soldiers can not pause to distinguish between male and female, or even discriminate as to age.

I'm not sure this is a man whose image will age well in the current climate.

Do we have any generals who didn't kill defenseless civilians?

[Jaymann]

Mills?

[stessier]

Clemson is removing Calhoun's name from it's Honors College and is asking for permission from the State to remove Tillman's name from another building (apparently they can make one change unilaterally but not the other?).

Clemson University trustees voted Friday to rename its honors college, stripping from the program the name of former vice president and slavery proponent John C. Calhoun.

The change will be effective immediately.

The university’s board also publicly requested permission from the state legislature to change the name of Tillman Hall back to its original name, the Main Building. The iconic campus building currently honors “Pitchfork” Ben Tillman, the governor and U.S. senator who used virulent racism to dominate South Carolina politics after Reconstruction.

...

Calhoun, who was born in South Carolina, declared slavery a “positive good” on the U.S. Senate floor in 1837. Tillman led a white mob in 1876 that killed several black men in Hamburg, an Aiken County town where freed slaves had settled.

Here's the text of Calhoun's "positive good" speech. Not sure what is up with the weird question marks everywhere.

Tillman - holy cow! I'm not from around here and never went to Clemson, so this is the first I've looked into the controversy. This is his biography on their site. What is the argument to keep his name on anything???

[LawBeefaroni]

[LordMortis]

Mills?

It's well known Mills was a Cereal killer.

Spoiler:

They edited the video. In 1990 that was General Mills.

[Grifman]

Someone joked (?) that Fort Benning in Georgia should be renamed Fort Sherman and have an "eternal flame" installed by the Front Gate

Shouldn't we try to future proof these things somewhat?

I realize that Sherman is popular now, but the man was pretty open about his genocidal aims for the American Indians as General of the Army. He was responsible for a LOT of women and children being killed, and expressly defended liquidating entire "savage" villages.

...during an assault, the soldiers can not pause to distinguish between male and female, or even discriminate as to age.

I'm not sure this is a man whose image will age well in the current climate.

Do we have any generals who didn't kill defenseless civilians?

Well, see that is the thing, isn't it? How do we judge and celebrate the people of the past? How do we weigh men's (and women's lives) when people are "complicated". Sherman fought to end slavery yet was the head of the US Army while it fought the Indians, of which almost every person living west of the Mississippi currently benefits. Do you damn the man that made your life possible if you live there? Grant was president during part of this time, so Sherman reported to him and Grant bears some responsibility. Yet Grant helped end slavery and ordered the Army to suppress the KKK and other Southern groups during Reconstruction and strongly supported the efforts of free blacks. General Phil Sheridan of Union Civil War fame also was commander of some of the campaigns against the Indians. And in the end, all of these men were doing what the vast majority of the American public desired (though you could claim the same of Confederate officers in the South).

Going back further, Andrew Jackson was an "Indian fighter" and initiated the Trail of Tears and even defied the Supreme Court in the matter. Yet he upheld the Union when his home state of SC threatened to secede and is credited with increasing democratization of the US. He was seen as a man of the people during his time in office. And of course, Washington and Jefferson, along with others owned slaves. And the writers of the Constitution explicitly accounted for slavery in the Constitution, even those that despised the practice.

Take even Lee for that matter. He held slaves with all that comes with that, didn't think much of black people's capabilities, and fought against his own country, costing the lives of thousands. Yet he refused to fight an endless guerilla war that some of his officers advocated for, retired quietly, and devoted his life to education after the war. He urged Southerners to take the oath of loyalty and urged reconciliation and didn't think much of erecting Confederate monuments ironically. He also fought bravely and served his country in the Mexican War (which by the way, many people at the time, including Lincoln, thought was unjust, and yet millions of Americans currently benefit from). Lee wasn't an unmitigated evil man - like most of us, he was a mix of both.

So how do we handle all of this? I'm not sure I have an answer to all this. Definitely the Confederate monuments/statues and flag need to come down (though I do think they should be preserved, perhaps on battlefields or museums where context can be provided), because of why they were largely erected an used - to emphasize white supremacy. But beyond that, I'm not sure. The US flag flew over the armies that slaughtered the Indians and put them on reservations. Yet Naive American have actually - and to their credit - fought for that flag in many of our wars since the time of the Indian Wars. The same with African American who fought for a country that long largely denied them their rights as citizens.

I'm just raising questions and like I don't claim to have any answers. These are hard questions.

[Holman]

There's no reason to replace statues of past bad guys with "equivalent" past good guys. We don't need a Fort Sherman or a Fort Sheridan to replace Fort Bragg. We could choose a medal-of-honor winner (probably one who went to Bragg). Or we could choose a different track and name it Fort Resilience or Fort Courage or Fort Duty or whatever.

The point is that our monuments assert what we value. When we no longer value something the same way, there's no reason not to change it. If you put up a statue of a hero today and then learn that he was a rapist tomorrow, take it down tomorrow. At the very least, revise the presentation of the monument with a new plaque or other statement acknowledging the gap.

None of this is "destroying the past" unless the physical monument itself is of architectural or artistic importance. (And I trust everyone knows that 99% of Confederate monuments were cheaply mass-produced in the early 20th century. They're literally hollow, and many of them are just altered heads stuck on the same body mold. There's no artistic value to them. They're just billboards for the Lost Cause myth.)