Racism in America (with data)

[Holman]

Remember the kerfluffle about an academic course called "The Problem of Whiteness" a few years back? I believe this is the first time the term "critical race theory" appeared on OO, but it was only as the title of one of the books in the course.

IIRC, the Fox-OUTRAGE! came from the claim that this meant "Whites are a problem," not knowing that in academese "the problem of X" means "How do we understand or talk about X?"

At that point, it was still (barely) possible to see the backlash as a misunderstanding of intent. This time it's very clearly being pushed as inflammatory propaganda.

[malchior]

[Isgrimnur]

AP News

Patricia McCloskey pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment and was fined $2,000. Her husband, Mark McCloskey, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and was fined $750.
...
The McCloskeys, both of them lawyers in their 60s, wore blue blazers and spoke calmly in answering questions from Judge David Mason during Thursday’s hearing. Mason asked Mark McCloskey if he acknowledged that his actions put people at risk of personal injury. He replied, “I sure did your honor.”

Mark McCloskey, who announced in May that he was running for a U.S. Senate seat in Missouri, was unapologetic after the hearing.
...
Because the charges are misdemeanors, the McCloskeys do not face the possibility of losing their law licenses and can continue to own firearms.

On the courthouse steps after the hearing, special prosecutor Richard Callahan said the misdemeanor plea was reasonable noting the McCloskeys called the police, no shots were fired and no one was hurt.

[Grifman]

Regarding the politicization of CRT, I'd say part of the problem is that in many cases, CRT can mean anything anyone on the left or right wants it to. I've done a fair amount of listening (to podcasts) and some light reading about CRT, and even I find it confusing and inconsistent at times.

Strictly speaking, CRT was/is a legal theory that tries to explain why blacks still struggle in American despite most legal obstacles having been eliminated. A lot of it is historical analysis of how laws developed upon racial lines in the US and how that legacy still exists in the US today in many ways. That much is clear to me, and makes sense, and I agree with many of the conclusions reached. However, CRT has flowed into other fields (medicine, education, etc) and in some cases has morphed into things that the originators of CRT would not recognize, and are even inconsistent with "strict CRT". To me this is where it gets confusing, when CRT is combined with other academic fields in different ways and takes various twists and turns. It can be hard to tell when CRT ends and something else begins. Lastly, there is a lot of stuff that is not CRT that is lumped into CRT. For example Kendi ("How to Be Anti-Racist) and DiAngelo ("White Fragility") are often cited as teaching/discussing CRT, but they are not CRT scholars, and much of what they talk about isn't CRT or CRT based (and they are two of the more controversial authors - and there is a fair amount they say that I don't agree with myself). There is just a lot out there that actually has nothing to do with CRT, but has to do with racial issues and is just lumped into CRT by people that don't really know any better - in some cases due to ignorance - in other cases (as noted in a post above) intentionally to try to stir people up.

[Holman]

Sanity in uniform.

[Skinypupy]

Comment seen elsewhere: "This is how serious people respond to non-serious bullshit".

Seemed fitting.

[malchior]

The worst part of that clip is the cutaway from a thoughtful leader to a smirking clown accidentally caught out of his make up.

[LawBeefaroni]

"So, General, you say that reading Marx, Lenin, and Mao didn't make you a Communist. And I appreciate that, I really do. But the question I have is what did make you a Communist?"
*Gotcha gerbil face*
*cheers, applause*

[LordMortis]

The worst part of that clip is the cutaway from a thoughtful leader to a smirking clown accidentally caught out of his make up.

So much this. I think it was actually a fortunate cut. To see fucko in disbelief fantasizing he's Tom Cruz getting ready to take on Jack Nicholson because a general proclaims it's a good idea to have in informed and educated military.

[Smoove_B]

Meanwhile, we've hit the point where a sitting Senator needs to chime in on social media

Critical race theory is wrong for the nation because it teaches our children to hate America and judge each other for our differences.

[LawBeefaroni]

Meanwhile, we've hit the point where a sitting Senator needs to chime in on social media

Critical race theory is wrong for the nation because it teaches our children to hate America and judge each other for our differences.

I judge a person by the "content of their character" and their clothing choice. Double nope for this piece of trash.

[Skinypupy]

The conservative derp-o-sphere is not taking Milley's comments very well. Here's Laura Ingram suggesting that all military funding should be cancelled.

An angry Laura Ingraham says she’s totally outraged over General Milley after she suggests withholding funding to the military

And imagine saying this as a sitting member of Congress. Just go ahead and chuck the entire US military under the bus.

With Generals like this it’s no wonder we’ve fought considerably more wars than we’ve won.

Please, tell me again about how conservatives "support the troops".

[Ralph-Wiggum]

With Generals like this it’s no wonder we’ve fought considerably more wars than we’ve won.

Does Gaetz think it's possible to win more wars than we've fought?

[stessier]

My follow up would be to ask which column he counts the Civil War in.

[$iljanus]

DEFUND THE TROOPS!

[hepcat]

General John Goodman Mark Milley should have just walked over and smacked Gaetz, then casually walk back to his seat.

[LawBeefaroni]

General John Goodman Mark Milley should have just walked over and smacked Gaetz, then casually walk back to his seat.

That Gaetz still hasn't been punched on the House floor still amazes me. The General, I can understand. He's constrained by military code. Why another rep hasn't done it amazes me and is an indictment of the entire legislature.

If there are any freebies in the world, one has to be punching a smarmy, belligerent, misappropriating, seditious pedophile sex trafficker who abuses his elected office for personal gain.

[malchior]

Cool.

[Holman]

A bill like this will be vetoed immediately, and if it somehow became law it would be challenged in court and struck down. Thus, it's pure theater.

But let's not overlook that this wide-reaching censorship and intellectual suppression is coming from the party that claims to oppose "cancel culture."

And then's there's the foundational Newspeak absurdity of labeling discussions of racism as themselves racist.

[Isgrimnur]

Cathode ray tubes have had their day.

[Holman]

Sure, Pat Robertson's brain has shrunk to the size of an apple and he probably can't change his own diaper, but in this clip he is entirely representative of what motivates conservative cultural politics right now.

This is a 100% repetition of Reconstruction-era racist propaganda about what would happen if blacks were allowed to vote and hold political power. Fear of "Negro Rule" has returned as the panic over CRT.

[Jaymann]

I for one welcome our new Mandingo overlords.

[hepcat]

Trump loving coworker went to Greek restaurant for lunch. Comes back to her desk and tells me she doesn't think the food is that good. Then adds, I don't think they're actually Greek. They look Jewish.

Am I wrong in thinking that's more than a tiny bit racist?

[stimpy]

If she loves Trump it has to be racist.
The 2 go hand in hand.

[Smoove_B]

Am I wrong in thinking that's more than a tiny bit racist?

This is where I'd get fired because I'd yell, "Oh my god, they're going to target you with their space laser!" and then dive behind a cubicle away from her.

[hepcat]

If she loves Trump it has to be racist.
The 2 go hand in hand.

So that's a "no, that's fine" vote from stimpy.

[Isgrimnur]

Trump loving coworker went to Greek restaurant for lunch. Comes back to her desk and tells me she doesn't think the food is that good. Then adds, I don't think they're actually Greek. They look Jewish.

Am I wrong in thinking that's more than a tiny bit racist?

Play dumb and ask her to explain it.

[Smoove_B]

Play dumb and ask her to explain it.

In truth - this is absolutely the best tactic ever. It works under every single situation - coworker, family member at a holiday gathering, random encounter. It's solid advice.

[stimpy]

If she loves Trump it has to be racist.
The 2 go hand in hand.

So that's a "no, that's fine" vote from stimpy.

If OO has taught me anything, it's that all Trump lovers are racists.
Why question it? She has been marked and shall forever bare the scarlet R.

[hepcat]

This isn't the first time she's said something like this. In the past, I've asked her to elaborate on such bon mots (she also has complained about Jewish and Asian drivers), but she gets flustered and then gets angry at me for asking.

[hepcat]

If she loves Trump it has to be racist.
The 2 go hand in hand.

So that's a "no, that's fine" vote from stimpy.

If OO has taught me anything, it's that all Trump lovers are racists.
Why question it? She has been marked and shall forever bare the scarlet R.

It's my observation that OO has failed to teach you anything.

[stimpy]

Play dumb and ask her to explain it.

In truth - this is absolutely the best tactic ever. It works under every single situation - coworker, family member at a holiday gathering, random encounter. It's solid advice.

SO MUCH THIS.
Then please post her answer so I can see if she says anything that I can use here.

[stimpy]

If she loves Trump it has to be racist.
The 2 go hand in hand.

So that's a "no, that's fine" vote from stimpy.

If OO has taught me anything, it's that all Trump lovers are racists.
Why question it? She has been marked and shall forever bare the scarlet R.

It's my observation that OO has failed to teach you anything.

Then what's the point of pointing out she's a Trump lover?
Cant "normal" people be racist too?

[hepcat]

Same reason you like to point out that any act of recognizing racism should be trivialized as just people acting "woke" in an insulting and sarcastic manner, I guess.

[stimpy]

Same reason you like to point out that any act of recognizing racism should be trivialized as just people acting "woke" in an insulting and sarcastic manner, I guess.

Ah.......so we ARE alike.......
Seriously, doesnt your point still hit home by just saying "a coworker....."?

[hepcat]

Ah.......so we ARE alike.......

No, I don't actually like to make people angry.

[stimpy]

No, I don't actually like to make people angry.

Ah....so Trump lovers arent people.....good to know.

[hepcat]

The funny thing is is that I am NEVER initially responding to anything hepcat, or IMLB or Zarathud posts.

[LawBeefaroni]

Trump loving coworker went to Greek restaurant for lunch. Comes back to her desk and tells me she doesn't think the food is that good. Then adds, I don't think they're actually Greek. They look Jewish.

Am I wrong in thinking that's more than a tiny bit racist?

At least she didn't say that they looked Macedonian.

[hepcat]

I don't even think she's ever read Tolkien.