The Goat Pen

hedge wrote: ↑Sat Aug 29, 2020 11:32 am "but I'm not alone. You seem to think my opinion in these matters is a minority one."

Oh I don't think that at all. I'm sure the opinion that the niggers were getting way too uppity in the 1960's was far from the minority opinion either (and stated in exactly those words), but that doesn't mean it was right...

I'm glad you clarified that it wasn't right

You can label it what you want. I recognize none of my money has gone to pro athletes in quite some time. My hope is that others make that decision as well.

How do you penetrate digitally?

Jim Gaffigan is my favorite comedian. Unfortunately, he’s taking the road that a lot of comics take later in life where they become bitter at the world about politics and then they become less funny. Happened with Jim Carrey, Jimmy Kimnell, Last years of Dave Letterman, Kathy Griffin.

Jim was supposed to be here in Greenville SC a few weeks ago but was deferred tone t August because of covid. I guarantee his show will be terrible.

Jungle Rat wrote: ↑Sat Aug 29, 2020 11:50 am How do you penetrate digitally?

With you, floppy disc.

Large numbers of people believe increasingly strongly that they are fighting for the forces of good against the forces of darkness. Both sides (#TeamRed and #TeamBlue) are possibly correct about that in some respects, but that belief is a crazy, irrational one. If you believe that horseshit, it means you are radicalized and are becoming a more and more dangerous person. The events that keep happening and the way people keep reacting are just confirmation of that. Jim Gaffigan publicly throwing his career in the trash is not a rational act, it is a sign of madness. You should not really vote for either of these two crazy ideologies that are developing, and especially think twice if you believe you are part of it and are changing the world or some nonsense. Republicans and Democrats are not you. Youre just a useful slug that helps the politicians who are members jostle for power and money.

"I recognize none of my money has gone to pro athletes in quite some time. My hope is that others make that decision as well."

So you're... protesting pro sports?

"I'm glad you clarified that it wasn't right"

I didn't say it wasn't right (although obviously in the case I mentioned, I clearly don't think it was), I said just b/c an opinion is the majority opinion, whatever that opinion may be, doesn't mean it's right...

eCat wrote: ↑Sat Aug 29, 2020 9:27 am
Americans in general just have a tough time relating to multi-millionaires with no discernible skill other than being able to manipulate a ball refusing to play to get equality. The great part is when they make videos about it from their mansions.

I'll grant you that if you'll return the favor: white Americans in general can't relate to "the talk" black parents give their kids about getting pulled over by the cops. Even Lebron James's kids had better keep their hands where they can be seen. And hope they don't experience the dreaded "don't move!/show those hands!" quandry.

White kids should and in many cases do get that same talk. Mine certainly would

The privelege that most white people have in not worrying about that is that they are too dumb to be scared of the police and support them blindly

I recommend reading the entire thread.

Interesting read about "sundown towns" (as in "when the sun goes down your black ass better be gone").

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/what-ar ... 21396.html

Loewen explained that, despite the acclaim Green Book received, its historical accuracy is suspect. In the film, he says, an unlikely pair “drives successfully across Indiana — where there’s at least 300 sundown towns. They drive successfully across Illinois — where there’s at least 500 sundown towns. They drive across part of Iowa with 200 sundown towns … Finally, they find themselves in Mississippi and damned if they don’t run into a sundown town. Now there ain’t but three of them in Mississippi, [but] it’s just magic how sundown towns appear when you’re [filming] in Mississippi.”

"Large numbers of people believe increasingly strongly that they are fighting for the forces of good against the forces of darkness. Both sides (#TeamRed and #TeamBlue) are possibly correct about that in some respects, but that belief is a crazy irrational one. If you believe that horseshit it means you are radicalized and are becoming a more and more dangerous person."

That's one of the best and most concise descriptions of the psychology of religion I've seen. Kudos..

Re: that twitter thread in my last post

I only disagree with the last statement, that “BLM is based on lies”

BLM is based on a truth...and this is that having interactions with the police is very dangerous and taking it seriously is imperative or bad things could happen to you. You should not even call the police unless you’re desperate for help. You have to weigh it against what they can do, that includes mistakes, or stupidity, or just the fact that they might blame you for any crime because its easier than solving it etc

I found a protest eCat would've been OK with...

I'm surprised. I certainly thought you were old enough to remember Joseph McCarthy and J. Edgar Hoover. Maybe you just "forgot." I suspect that's happening more and more frequently these days for you...

bluetick wrote: ↑Sat Aug 29, 2020 12:14 pm

eCat wrote: ↑Sat Aug 29, 2020 9:27 am
Americans in general just have a tough time relating to multi-millionaires with no discernible skill other than being able to manipulate a ball refusing to play to get equality. The great part is when they make videos about it from their mansions.

I'll grant you that if you'll return the favor: white Americans in general can't relate to "the talk" black parents give their kids about getting pulled over by the cops. Even Lebron James's kids had better keep their hands where they can be seen. And hope they don't experience the dreaded "don't move!/show those hands!" quandry.

and what is that talk? Seriously, do what they say, keep your hands on the steering wheel?

its the same thing I do when I get pulled over, and I've had the same talk with my kids.

I get it that African Americans are compelled to have that talk with their children, but I don't know what you tell people. If you are a 16-38 year old black male, you are in a high risk group, especially if you live in an urban area. There is no getting away from that, there is *no* changing that - at least not from an expectation of white people to change it. There is a reason they are profiled and its 100% valid. There is also a huge hole in the logic here. These urban centers elect liberal, often black mayors who set the expectations for policing with the police chief. In most cases , the chief answers to the Mayor. If the police are out of control, its not because some white dudes in the suburbs are causing that.

If African Americans want to stop having that talk, or take for granted the same safety that someone like me feels when addressing the police they really have 2 alternatives. Stop having black males between 16-38 be high risk by committing a disproportionate number of crimes or move out from urban centers and into the relative sparse suburbs/rural areas where police are not edgy about interacting with them.

Honest question - of the 8-12 incidents where police have shot a black African American male, how many of them had no police record, no warrant for arrest, no parole violation, or were not wanted or suspected of committing a felony? Breonna Taylor fits (well female so not really but still horrible), how many others?

Now the obvious response is just because you break the law doesn't mean you should be shot by the police, but its never that clean. Because you break the law, you WILL interact with the police, and if you WILL interact with the police, if you don't comply with what they say, given the circumstances they are interacting with you on, they will have little tolerance for any bullshit on your part.

That concept seems to be lost on many young black males, and to be certain its not limited to them. The difference is when a white guy who talks shit to the police is shot and has a felony record or is suspected of a crime, the white community doesn't burn their community in protest.

White cops are afraid of black people.