Concrete Events
There were two events in Atlanta yesterday. In the afternoon, some people decided to play in the freeway. The fishwrapper reports Protesters temporarily block Downtown Connector.
The action was a protest against police brutality, and Micheal Brown. The hashtag involved was #blacklivesmatter. How this action will affect life in Missouri is uncertain. Maybe this helped a Missouri team win game two of the world series.
After the pumpkinfest event went out of control, many have drawn comparisons between how things are handled. The word is that white children can go crazy, without consequences, while black children get shot by police. The incident on the downtown connector was at least one time where unarmed black people engage in dangerous activity without being shot.
A mile or so northwest of the Grady curve is the Krog Tunnel. The venerable passage sits under the railroad tracks between Cabbagetown and Inman Park. It is a concrete palimpsest of graffiti, with new offerings spraypainted all the time. Some call it iconic.
Some doofus thought it would be cool to block off this thoroughfare, and have a party. The neighborhood disagreed. The city said go ahead. The Krog Masquerade was set to happen. Lots of neighborhood people were not happy with the arrangement.
Last night, the neighbors got revenge. Krog Tunnel buffed in protest of Masquerade ball. The crazy quilt of street art was painted over. After the party, the tunnel art will get a fresh start, with a new background. It is part of the process. #krogisnotforsale
Pictures for today’s entertainment are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. These pictures were taken May 17, 1955, at Southeastern Movie Festival, a Motion Picture Theatre Owners and Operators of Georgia event.
BO And JS Promote Privilege
Bill O’Reilly recently appeared on a tv show hosted by Jon Stewart. BO was promoting a book. JS was trying to make money. They call it show business.
The alleged topic of discussion was the murky concept of white privilege. The Jew, and the Irishman, shouted over each other for a few minutes, until it was time for a commercial break. At this point, they held hands and sang Kumbaya. Some people thought it was cool, while others were not so sure.
BO likes to whine about the “War on Christmas” every year. The solstice holiday should be about Jesus. Anyone who disagrees is a poopyhead. Does BO benefit from Christian Privilege?
An unintentionally ironic moment came when JS was reciting his white privilege talking points. “White people do more drugs in this country than black people but black people make up a far higher majority of drug arrests.” Holy meme, Batman.
The war on drugs hurts a lot of people. POC may indeed have it tougher than PWOC. The problem with racializing the war on drugs is that you tend to reinforce the status quo.
It is the old divide and conquer. Get the white people, and black people, fighting each other, and the government fucks everybody. If you make the war on drugs a race issue, you will divide the people. Instead of presenting a united front against the war on drugs, people are fighting over who is hurt by it more. The alcohol industry enjoys the spectacle.
Both BO and JS are employed by the corporate media. This industry is supported by advertising revenue, significantly from the alcohol industry. Those who sell adult beverages benefit from the war on drugs. The alcohol industry enjoys its legal monopoly. The alcohol industry, and alcohol users, enjoy legal privilege. The black people in prison are just a cost of doing business.
Pictures for today’s entertainment are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. These pictures were taken May 17, 1955, at Southeastern Movie Festival, a Motion Picture Theatre Owners and Operators of Georgia event.
Removed From Our Archives
Only with consent. ~ NoNot (Translated by Bing) ~ Is that only pic? how do we know it is a cop? was the pic photoshopped? this thing seems fishy ~ The last time someone gave me a reality check it bounced. ~ It could be a template for a future work. Walt Whitman may have already said it better than either of us, in the public domain. ~ thinking you are “better” than other PWOC bc you oppose “racist humor” is not going to protect you from the consequences of prejudice ~ This item has not been released yet and is not eligible to be reviewed. ~ Meanwhile, American taxpayers support 53766 troops in Germany. ~ fact checking is not harassment ~ The Muslims I have known are great people. Admittedly this is a small percentage of that population. However, compared to my experience with Christians, the Muslims look pretty good. ~ Are you going to remind us of stonewall? ~ When facebook gives you a cat meme, throw it back and ask for a dog. ~ #NationalPoetryDay #rarvab tacky rhyme do dime toothpaste crime hear mime sneeze lime fornication time~ Why does the weeping willow weep? Because she is not poplar. ~ Your request has been sent. If QWERTY@earthlink.net chooses to allow email from your address, the message(s) that have been intercepted will be delivered immediately, and any future message(s) will be delivered without delay. ~ @TooMessedUp Nothing says “I am too busy” like an abortion. ~ Question Authority, because I said so ~ September 14, 2008 gasoline $4.19 a gallon ~ G-d @TheTweetOfG-d The sooner the Pope accepts gays, the sooner they can help him do something about that wardrobe! #Hideous ~ @pourmecoffee Congratulations Chicago, named by Orkin as America’s most rat-infested city. So happy for you ~ @murderkroger · Before Columbus Day ends, you gotta steal someone’s tweet and claim it as your own ~ This website was… how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I’ve found something which helped me. Kudos! ~ Unfortunately this poem has been removed from our archives at the insistence of the copyright holder.~ Isn’t writers tackle a more accurate phrase? ~ Too many capital letters. ~ Justice for ‘phobes would take the form of being a total top that cannot get it up. Which may be what is going on in this life already. ~ No matter how much conciousness you have about climate change, etc., the fact remains that you are more or less forced to eat food that is brought in using fossil fuels ~.. in the original version of this, I spelled consciousness conciousness. The other spell check options were contagiousness, precociousness, contentiousness. ~ joke over nothing ever survives ~ @NYTMinusContext another depressing article about my depressing sex life ~ What is your question, Joyce? As I said, Melanchthon sounds awfully Presbyterian to me. ~ It would be best to win this without a runoff. ~ Do you wear those to play soccer? ~ If an out GOP was running in my district ~ Either that wallpaper goes or I do. ~ If you were to put that image on your desktop, it would be wallpaper. ~ The fan on my computer. ~ Chat Free & Easy with Exotic Russian Babes! ~ Sorry, the video you have selected is not available for viewing outside of Canada. ~ Is that the bottom line? ~ Arguments only confirm people in their own opinions. Booth Tarkington ~ To live is to war with trolls in heart and soul. Henrik Ibsen ~ Has anyone ever had a pet yellow jacket? ~ helvetica no ~ Maybe the word/label/concept racism is obsolete. ~ are you paying for it, or Upworthy? ~ There was a pre-mortem memorial stone at short mountain. It said Faygele Baker of Bread, Giver of head ~ @fieldnegro @phillydotcom my experience is that commercial media outlets are frequently the home of computer meanies ~ You say more with one hug than you do with a hundred facebook confessions. ~ Why was a memorial stone carved several years before his demise? Also, I believe it was spelled Fegele, without the Y, at least on the stone. Or maybe Fagele. ~ after troy aikmann the cowpies should be used to such things ~ Last week there was an exchage between Mr. O’Reilly and Mr. Stewart about “white privilege”. The performance was apparently scripted. They shouted past each other, exchanging platitudes about the nature of privilege. Finally, in time for the commercial break, BO conceded that white privilege is a “factor”. Is this what you want to see on Meet the Press? ~ sometimes what you don’t say is more important that what the moving lips produce ~ Was that written by the little girl, or the alligator? ~ I remember that gathering well. Yes, I worked on that beautiful, impractical stairway. I was back in town, went out to go somewhere, and found a flat tire on my vehicle. When I went back upstairs, a message was on my machine about Michael. ~ In light of his annual “war on xmas” nonsense, BO could be called out on his Christian privilege. This is stronger than white privilege. Most POC are Jesus Worshipers, benefit from Christian Privilege. ~ pictures: “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. ~ selah
Lizzie Bennett
Yes, you should be outside in the sunshine. But no, you are going to find out Which classic literary character are you? Good judgement has nothing to do with it.
The first question is the binary classic, are you male or female? Next, you pick a time period to live in. The choices are rather limited, with today not an option. For much for living in the present.
What do you value most in life? The usual suspects…friends, family, wealth, virtue, etc… are available. The correct choice is a player who never spends time worrying about such trifles. He/she/it must pick an animal, a mode of transportation, and decide what is important in a significant other. Maybe this is why he/she/it never seems to meet he/she/it. What a load of she/it.
This character is afraid of something. Casting Madonna for the role. Running out of dope. The IRS looking closely at the tax returns. The condom breaking. Watch a Kayne West video with the sound turned up. The datamongers being fed information by playbuzz.
Pick an image out of the eight selections. What is your dream job? You realize that many dreams are nightmares. Last, you have to pick a movie from a box of pictures. So what if you have never seen any of these. That is why you have an imagination.
The answer is Elizabeth Bennett, a player in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. “You are Lizzie Bennett! One of the strongest females in literature, you stand by your opinions and you are fiercely independent. You have great loyalty towards your family and stand by their side no matter one. When you are in love you make sure not to lose your own personality, and you are very wise about who you trust.” Maybe choosing male was not that important after all. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Now, this just does not work. PG is a cis male, with utterly no intention of alteration. Maybe the test needs to be redone. The second time, with male chosen, the suggested answers are different. Under qualifications for a significant other, “Someone who can challenge me” is an option. Under dream job, it is “anything as long as I’m rich.” It doesn’t matter. The answer is still Lizzie Bennett.
Watermelon Flavored Toothpaste
Some time it just doesn’t pay to look at twitter. PG was downloading pictures from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”, the source of the pictures that go with this report. This requires being connected to the internet. This also means temptation, in the form of facebook, twitter, tv listings, weather radar, and the growing collection of sites where PG is banned.
So this man, The Field Negro, likes to tweet. Field is a Philadelphia lawyer, who likes to “call out” racism. Like in this tweet. @fieldnegro Maybe Boston Herald Cartoonist’s Dumb Watermelon Joke Was Just a Mistake via @intelligencer Or maybe it was racism.
There was a cartoon in a Boston newspaper. A man is taking a bath, while BHO brushes his teeth. The man says “Have you tried the new watermelon flavored toothpaste? The cartoonist was thinking of a brand of watermelon flavored toothpaste from Colgate.
PG gets whatever is cheapest to rub against his teeth. He asked Mr. Google about watermelon flavored toothpaste. Some of the related searches were scotch flavored toothpaste, coffee flavored toothpaste, flavored toothpaste for kids, flavored toothpaste for dogs, and weird flavored toothpaste.
As some have noted, BHO is a dark skinned man, with an African father. There is a stereotype about African Americans and watermelon. The fact that millions of PWOC also enjoy watermelon is not important. What is important is an opportunity to call out racism. Twitter is up to the task.
@tanehisicoates Get it? It’s funny because of the original, and informative, insight that only black people like watermelon.
@tanehisicoatesSorry, cartoonist claiming the “racial element” was nowhere in his head is lying. Lying is a thing that humans do. So is racism.
@CultureInStereo That is outrageous. My GOD. Where is the decency…
@Freefree0Bobbie Jesus, can we as a country sink any lower?
@keylimepolitic @CharlesMBlow @Greg_Reibman @bostonherald This is THE most messed up cartoon ever! ARE YOU SERIOUS? #NoRespect!
@GregT2U2 @CharlesMBlow @Greg_Reibman @bostonherald Boston Herald read Julia Pierson and follow suggestions offered. FIRE THE Cartoonist! Watermelon
@clapifyoulikeme You say unfortunate, I say racist…let’s call the whole thing off.
@clapifyoulikeme @Greg_Reibman @bostonherald By “whole thing” I mean, “systemic racism”.
@twitfe @CharlesMBlow @Greg_Reibman @bostonherald I have nvr seen so much disrespect in terms of a POTUS who just happens to be black. ridiculous!
@abs_tellthetale @baublelauble @Greg_Reibman @bostonherald Is there ANY PERSON in the USA that doesn’t know how racist that is?!
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Who Does The Killing?
PG used to work with someone, who we will call Fred. This person contracted some sort of cancer, and died nine days after nine eleven. Fred, the son of Holocaust Survivors, was probably the most Jewish person that PG has known. Fred was generous with his opinions. While no claim is made to having access to secret information, these opinions gave an insight into a certain pattern of thought. Some of these attitudes continue to this day, with other situations.
The employment related association took place between 1985 and 1989. This was during the Iran Iraq war. It was felt by many that those were two evil countries, that should be allowed to fight each other as long as possible. When they were fighting each other, they were not a threat to Israel. Fred enthusiastically endorsed this idea. “Yes they should. It is for your benefit. It will prevent terrorism”.
Hundreds of thousands of young men died in that war. Iraq got worn out by the fighting, and resorted to the use of chemical weapons. Iraq also ran up a large debt to Kuwait. In an effort to cancel that debt, Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990. That set in motion a cycle of violence and revenge that still plagues the United States.
Today, there is much fighting in Syria. There are some who say that with Hezbollah fighting Al Queda, they are both bad actors. Let them kill each other as much as they want. Again, when they fight each other, they will leave Israel alone.
The carnage in Syria, with the government killing thousands of it’s citizens, brings to mind another Fred story. In 1989, China brutally repressed demonstrators asking for more rights. On the monday after the massacre, Fred commented that the Soviet Union was sorry. They wanted to do this killing themselves. Could this be how Israel feels about the killing in Syria? This is a repost. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.
Trolliness
A couple of tweeters were helping Psychology Today harvest eyeballs. @chescaleigh according to @PsychToday “Internet Trolls Are Narcissists, Psychopaths, and Sadists” & water is wet.” @pourmecoffee “Internet Trolls Are Narcissists, Psychopaths, and Sadists”
The tweets linked to a post, Internet Trolls Are Narcissists, Psychopaths, and Sadists. Sponsors include the FREE U.S.-Israel Flag Pin, and “These foods Kill your Brain.”
PG has been called a troll before. The people who say that usually argue with you, and then cry troll when you fight back. It is a passive aggressive game. There are probably more extreme examples, but the sense is that people ask for it. No, this is not rape. These is internet comments from people who do not praise you enough. The emperor’s tailor considered the little boy a troll.
PT has a different perspective. “In this month’s issue of Personality and Individual Differences, a study was published that confirms what we all suspected: internet trolls are horrible people. Let’s start by getting our definitions straight. An internet troll is someone who comes into a discussion and posts comments designed to upset or disrupt the conversation. Often, it seems like there is no real purpose behind their comments except to upset everyone else involved. Trolls will lie, exaggerate, and offend to get a response. What kind of person would do this?
Canadian researchers decided to find out. They conducted two internet studies with over 1,200 people. They gave personality tests to each subject along with a survey about their internet commenting behavior. They were looking for evidence that linked trolling with the Dark Tetrad of personality: narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadistic personality.”
OK, so they were looking for evidence to confirm a previously held opinion. Is that how the scientific method works these days? Define your villain to fit the characteristics you have picked out for him. When you are a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
The supporting study is from the University of Manitoba, and has the racy title Trolls just want to have fun. The link shows you an abstract, and a chance to buy the complete study for $35.95. The last line of the abstract: “Thus cyber-trolling appears to be an Internet manifestation of everyday sadism.”
By now, you may be worried that you, too, are a troll. Do you live under a bridge? Are you glamor challenged? Or maybe you are the troll king, and write trilogies in your spare time.
PT is aware of your concerns. Fun loving correspondent Jennifer Golbeck, Ph.D., comes through with Are You an Internet Troll? This peace of mind reassurance is sponsored by the 3 minute Chakra test, and YOU MAY BE INFECTED.
“… A lot of people commented about their own internet behavior, wondering if their provocative comments count as “trolling.” …. Fortunately, there is a technical answer to those questions! … In the same study from yesterday, the authors introduced a measure of someone’s trolliness (that’s my term, not theirs).(Spell check suggestions: woolliness, jolliness, solitariness) They call it the Global Assessment of Internet Trolling (GAIT). Subjects in their study were shown these four statements:
1 – I have sent people to shock websites for the lulz.
2 – I like to troll people in forums or the comments section of websites.
3 – I enjoy griefing other players in multiplayer games.
4 – The more beautiful and pure a thing is, the more satisfying it is to corrupt.”
Your agreement, or disagreement, with these statements is an indication of your trolliness. PG definitely feels better after seeing this test. He does not know what a shock website is, and does not indulge in multiplayer games. The idea of someone like Matt Walsh being “beautiful and pure” is ridiculous. PG will rest easy tonight, knowing that he probably is not an internet troll. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
The Prodigal Son
Luke 15 1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. 8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? 9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of G-d over one sinner that repenteth. 11 And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. 25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. 28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. 29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: 30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. 31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. Text for today’s story is from Bible Gateway. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”. Here is a commentary on The Power of Parable . This is a repost. Here is a discussion about this parable.
Yesterday, this facility published the text of Luke 15, also known as The Prodigal Son. The titular phrase does not appear in the King Jimmy text. The story is a parable, that is, a made up story to teach a lesson. Those who say every word of the Bible is true somehow miss this.
The Prodigal Son is a popular story. It is well known, and speaks of forgiveness. Some unkind people say that Jesus worshipers like to be forgiven, and do not like to forgive. There is plenty of evidence for this observation. Lets just say that lots of people don’t want to take responsibility for their actions. If your pie in the sky hero to forgives you, then you can have a cleaner conscience.
PG was at a memorial service once. The guest of honor was a leather wearing pagan. The minister, who had met the deceased one time, told the story of the Prodigal Son. It made PG feel better.
The forgotten character in this story is the older brother. He was faithful to his father, stayed at home and helped out, only to see his wayward brother welcomed back with joy. The father never killed a fatted calf for the elder brother. Maybe the elder brother deserved it more. Sometimes, life is not fair. Some say this is more than a parable. Maybe it is three units of bull.
Pictures are from The Library of Congress. These men were Union soldiers during the War Between the States. It was a long time before the two sides forgave one another.
I Have A Dream
PG stumbled onto a blog post about a speech. It was delivered August 28, 1963, by Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. You have probably heard the money quote many times, but how many have heard the entire 881 words. PG had not, and decided to take a look.
The speech is really a sermon. It is delivered with the cadence, and rhetorical flourishes, of the church. Dr. King was a minister. The Jesus worship church is a huge player in African America. The fact that slaves were introduced to this religion by their owners seems to be forgotten.
The term used is Negro. This was the polite word in 1963. The custom of saying Black started in the late sixties, at least partially inspired by James Brown. Negro began to be seen as an insult, along with the infamous N-word … which is really just a lazy way of saying Negro.
As the speech is working up to the climax, there is a line “But not only there; let freedom ring from the Stone Mountain of Georgia!” Today, Stone Mountain is a middle class black community. DeKalb County is mostly black, and the political leadership is African American. This was a long way from happening in 1963.
Twelve weeks after Dr. King gave his speech, President John Kennedy was killed. Part of the reaction to this tragedy was the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The next year saw the Voting Rights Act, and escalation of the war in Vietnam. It seemed that for every step forward, there was a half step back. People lost patience with non violence. America did not implode, but somehow survived. It is now fifty one years later. Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Walk Into A Bar
How many South Americans does it take to screw in a lightbulb? A Brazillian. ~ My grandpa has the heart of a lion, and a lifetime ban from the zoo. ~ What do you get when you cross the Atlantic with the Titanic? About half way ~ So a squirrel living in a pine tree one day feels a shaking, looks down, and sees an elephant climbing the tree. The squirrel asks: “What are you doing climbing my tree?” ” Well, I’m coming up here to eat some pears” “You idiot, this is a pine tree, there are no pears.” “Well I brought my own pears.” ~ Why can’t Ray Charles see his friends? Cause he’s married. ~ If you ever get cold, just stand in a corner for a bit. They’re usually around 90 degrees. ~ When my Grandad was 65 he started running a mile a day to keep fit. He’s 70 now and we have no idea where he is. ~ Why do you never see elephants hiding in trees? …….because they’re really good at it. ~ I think I want a job cleaning mirrors. it’s just something I could really see myself doing. ~ There are two monkeys in a bath tub. One says to another: oohoohahah! The other says: Maybe add a little more cold water. ~ Did you hear about the two guys that stole a calendar? They each got six months. ~ Whats the difference between a dirty bus stop, and a lobster with breast implants? Ones a crusty bus station the other is a busty crustacean ~ So this guy walks into his bedroom with a chicken under his arm. His wife is laying in bed. The guy says, “This is the pig I fuck when you are not in the mood.” ” You fucking idiot. That’s not a pig!” “I was talking to the chicken.” ~ Two fish are in a tank. One is driving and the other one is operating the gun. ~ Two soldiers are in a tank. They both drown. ~ A priest, a rabbi, and a whale walk into a bar. The priest says, “Well I believe Jesus Christ is the only begotten son of God and my lord and savior, so I’ll have some wine.” The rabbi says, “Well I don’t believe the messiah has yet walked the earth, so I’ll have Manischewitz wine.” The whale says “EEOONNHH” ~ what do you call a chicken coop with 4 doors? a chicken sedan. ~ Why aren’t there any knock knock jokes about freedom? Because freedom rings ~ What’s a hillbilly’s favorite thing to do on Halloween? pumpkin ~ What happened to the cow that jumped over the barbed wire fence? Udder destruction. ~ Where do animals go when their tails fall off? The retail store ~ What time does Sean Connery get to Wimbledon? Tennish. ~ What did the doctor say to the midget waiting in the lobby? You’re just going to have to be a little patient. ~ A magician was driving down the road when he turned into a driveway. ~ What do you call a fish with no eyes? Fsh! ~ “I went to a zoo the other day. It was completely empty, except for a single dog. It was a Shih Tzu.” ~ “Dad, I’m hungry.” “Hi, Hungry. I’m Dad.” ~ “I’m thirsty.” “Hi, Thursday, I’m Friday, let’s go out on a Saturday and have a Sunday.” ~ The only joke my dad ever told me was that he’d quit beating me. I was in stitches. ~ My all-time favorite: A man with carrots in his ears walks onto a bus, the bus driver says “Sir, why do you have carrots in your ears?” The man says “WHAT? I CAN’T HEAR YOU, I HAVE CARROTS IN MY EARS!” ~ Did you hear about the Mexican train killer? They say he had locomotives. ~ Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. ~ selah
Moral Superiority Comedy
As facebook memes remind us, Jon Stewart recently delivered a speech about racism. It is embedded above, in case you missed it. The closing line is “And that shit happens all the time. All the time. Race is there, and it is a constant. You’re tired of hearing about it? Imagine how fucking exhausting it is living it.” The crowd went into hysterics.
Our media culture is strange. On the “conservative” side, buffoons like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly present news as entertainment. On the “liberal” side, comedians like Jon Stewart and Bill Maher present comedy routines as political commentary. America becomes more cynical every day.
There is another video embedded above. In this one, the former Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz says something critical about Israel. He is gleefully shouted down. Eventually, he gives up.
This video could have been made about race relations. If a white person says anything except the party line, he can expect to be called racist, and shouted down. Two wrongs become one right.
So the choice becomes not wanting to be yelled at, or not wanting to live a black life. You can yell at white people as long as you like about racism, and it will not change the way black people live. This yelling will accomplish little, except giving the dubious feeling of moral superiority. Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Paul Krassner
Paul Krassner is alive at eighty two. He survives Lenny Bruce, Abbie Hoffman, Groucho Marx, and Lyndon Johnson. His magazine, The The Realist, is now available as an online archive.
PG was recently looking for background noise to compliment his photomongering. Somewhere along the way, he found episodes of WTF podcast to be available on Youtube. He made a list of shows he wanted to see, including Paul Krassner. When Mr. Google was recruited to find the show, other things floated to the surface. This is how Mr. Google operates.
An onion is more than an internet namesake. It lends a lively flavor, both cooked and raw. The onion consists of many layers of thin skin. These can be peeled off, as you get deeper and deeper into the root. A thin skinned root that gives you bad breath…. an aromatic symbol for the sixties.
When you go looking for WTF/Krassner, you are directed to issue 74 of The Realist. The feature story is the missing segments of a John Kennedy biography. On page 18, Jackie Kennedy saw more of Lyndon Johnson than she needed to see.
“That man was crouching over the corpse, no longer chuckling but breathing hard and moving his body rhythmically. … And then I realized – there is only one way to say this – he was literally fucking my husband in the throat. In the bullet wound in front of the throat. He reached a climax, and dismounted. I froze. The next thing I remember, he was being sworn in as the new President.”
Page two of issue 74 is the letters to the editor. The featured scribe is John L. Timmons, Secretary, Mattachine Society of N.Y. He wrote “Letter From A Homosexual,” in response to a cartoon page in issue 69, fag battalion. Using KY to lubricate a rifle is not a good idea.
At the time, America was fighting a war in Vietnam. Young men were given the choice of go in the army, or go to prison. It was ugly. There was a group, “The committee to fight the exclusion of homosexuals from the armed forces.”
The Mattachine Society was neutral. Some members supported the war, and some were opposed. It distracted from the overall agenda to take sides in other disputes. The editors at The Realist agreed. “… homosexuals who don’t want to be drafted will no longer be able to exploit their deviation rather than face the consequences of conscientious objection.”
When issue 74 was published, Walt Disney was still alive. This may account for the action on page 12. Maybe Uncle Walt did not want his animated actors to be drafted for active duty. The activities on page 12 might not be sufficient to have the players excused from active duty, however. By this stage of the war, the local draft boards were not accepting excuses.
Getting back to Paul Krassner… he founded the YIPPIES with Abbie Hoffman, took LSD with Groucho Marx, and published a satiric magazine without advertising. Only the last part can be confirmed. After the description of Lyndon Johnson’s post mortem dentistry, who knows what is real, and what is fake. Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
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