A Stupid Video About Racism
A facebook friend introduced a video by saying “If you’re not actively working to dismantle systemic racism, you’re not doing enough.” “Actively working” can take different forms. Sometimes, what you do to fight systemic racism is call out a bird brain video.
The full title of this digital dramaturgy is Racism is alive and well in the gay community. “Need proof? Look no further than the hot f@#$ing mess of an election year we’re having. Donald J. Trump’s horrifying scourge has made outright racism ok in the gay community, and it’s up to us to stop it.”
“Gay men have pride parades … because trans women of color fought for our rights in the sixties…. they didn’t risk their lives so some … could fuck it up in 2016” Whenever you discuss gay rights, you are obligated to remember the drag queens who fought at Stonewall. We get it. That does not excuse the countless fashion tragedies that have followed. At least *talking head* Gabe Gonzalez got this out of the way before 13 seconds had *passed*.
In the next sentence, Mr. Gonzalez used the word “clearly.” It seems to be a rule that all discussions of racism must include a mention of the year, and the word “clearly.” The full sentence is “Nothing illustrates that racism is alive and well in the gay community than this election season.” That takes the heat off the Midtown Bar that posted a dress code stating “No hoodies,” “No sagging pants,” “No bandanas/dew rags,” “No oversized chains or medallions.”
“Don’t believe me? Ask the gays. For Trump. Like a rich zaddy on Fire Island, the Alt-Right has penetrated the hearts of some impressionable young men. Overgrown twinks with a penchant for harassing successful black comedians, or purchasing followers on Twitter, have become the fresh new face of the same reliable racism of yesteryear.” The “successful black comedian”… is she successful at comedy, or being black?… is probably Leslie Jones. A lot of people think last summers twitter spat was a publicity stunt for Ghostbusters. The spell check suggestion for Ghostbusters is Ghostwriters.
At 41 seconds, we see Milo Yiannopoulos saying “Black Lives Matter doesn’t really care about black people…” Mr. Yiannopoulos (the overgrown twink above) is an idiot attention whore, who calls Donald Trump “Daddy.” The person paying attention to Milo Hairdo is Gabe Overgrown Moustache, who devotes 24 seconds of this video to debunking the claim about BLM. (FWIW, Mr. Yiannopoulos makes a lot of noise about his fondness for black men. Is this fetishization, anti racism, or a tasteless publicity gimmick? Those who care can think about it, and decide.) (The spell check suggestions for fetishization are fertilization, and anesthetization)
The next subject is fuckmedaddy profiles. Some specify the color of the sought after buddy. We see a facsimile grindr discussion, where someone says that not wanting to fuck someone, of a certain category, is RACISM. This is news to noted racism shouter Francesca Ramsey, who says “RACISM RACIAL PREJUDICE PLUS STRUCTURAL OPPRESSION AND POWER THAT NEGATIVELY IMPACTS A GROUP.” The use of all caps is optional.
FWIW, there are many whites who want only blacks, and blacks who want only whites, and many other combinations and pervertations. Online hookups are just one aspect of modern social life. Maybe it is easier to point fingers at grindr, than to worry having an equal chance to live in a decent neighborhood. Most genuine manifestations of “systemic racism” are overlooked in this video. And just how did Donald J. Trump cause this?
“We can’t claim to be for equality if we show up for marriage, and not black lives. We can’t march with pride if we can’t remember Marsha or Sylvia. It won’t “get better” for queer youth of color until we identify and dismantle the ways we’ve normalized racism. (GG starts to shout.) So step it up gay boys! 2016’s been a hot f*ckin’ mess. But that doesn’t mean that you have to be.”
“Donald J. Trump’s horrifying scourge has made outright racism ok in the gay community” The video was about Milo Yiannopoulos. and picky grindr users. Did Mr. Trump cause people to say “no fats no femmes no asians”? These issues have been with us for a while. They will continue when Mr. Trump starts another reality TV show. What is he going to grab with those short little fingers anyway?
The sad part is that America does have racial problems. Economic and educational opportunity is a problem for many people. Police brutality, and the school to prison pipeline, is cause for concern. Murder is out of control. In 2015, white people saw 23.6 murders per million. For black people, there were 164.6 murders per million.
Many thought the election of a mixed race President would help America’s chronic race problem. It didn’t, and might have made it worse. This slack blogger has no clue as to how to fix America’s race problem. He does not claim to. The problem is attention craving morons like Gabe Gonzalez,. He thinks a garbage video like this one will help eliminate racism. It won’t.
Nor will pointing fingers, and screaming racist, help solve America’s race problem. Maybe the answer is to worry about yourself. The “white savior complex” frequently does more harm than good. Physician heal thyself. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
Privilege
PG had heard the phrase “white privilege” a few times, and decided to ask Mr.Google about it. The top choice was White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack “This article is now considered a ‘classic’ by anti-racist educators.” It is four pages long, which might not break the attention span.
A document like this is almost impossible to read with an open mind. You are a member of a group, such as a white male like PG. There are a lot of things here which PG agrees with, a few his disagrees with, and a few that are dependent on the reader’s point of view. The sentence that PG felt obliged to copy was ” I was taught to think that racism could end if white individuals changed their attitudes”. It is as if the attitudes of black people did not matter.
There are more headshakers in this article. In a list of privileges white folks take for granted, number 18 was ” I can be pretty sure that if I ask to talk to “the person in charge,” I will be facing a person of my race.”. That might have true once, but is not today.
Getting back to White Privilege (and ignoring the White Privilege Conference results), there are lots of people thinking about this subject. The University of Dayton contributes Defining “White Privilege”. In the text, the author mentions starting a site, Whiteprivilege.com. This site is currently under construction. It does give you the opportunity to buy “Privilege Car Insurance”.
A feature, What is white privilege?, compares every person with pale skin to the Palin family. “White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because “every family has challenges,” even as black and Latino families with similar “challenges” are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.” This runs counter to line 21 of the Invisible Knapsack list, ” I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group. “
PG went looking for answers, and got more questions. He does not deny that being caucasian has advantages in our society. These advantages do not mean that one should lay down quietly and let black people get their revenge. We are all G-d’s children. You should be proud of who you are, without taking advantage of your neighbor.
After publishing a feature about white privilege , PG thought it would be fair to look into black privilege. When you visit Mr. Google, some of his suggestions are black privilege checklist, black privilege furniture, and black privilege fact or fiction. The top result is a feature in American Thinker. “Personally, I have never had a moment of white guilt in my life. Now this is a significant statement given that I am Jewish and from New York. I feel guilty about pretty much everything!”.
NPR has an audio file called Black Male Privilege? . It is downright fascinating.
Prof. LEWIS: I think youve unfortunately identified one of the central issues of black male privilege. So often, black men are used to being under attacked that when it comes to being accountable for the actions we may have, we quickly say, well, I couldnt possibly be doing anything wrong. Look at all the ways in which Im oppressed. Look at all the ways in which Im at the bottom of the barrel. What that does is rob us of an opportunity to actually build stronger community and it robs black men of a chance to actually take hold of the actions that they have so that we can empower the community.
MARTIN: What reaction do you get when you talk to people about this?
Prof. LEWIS: Among black women, in particular, I get a lot of amens and saying, thank for actually exposing this. Among black men, one of the most common ones I get is, well, this seems ridiculous. Its an oxymoron. How could black men be privileged? Its like jumbo shrimp. It doesnt add up. … And they say, you know, what did my black male privilege get me? Im unemployed. … : Initially, my first exposure was actually around the Million Man March. I felt that I was transformed by the Million Man March, and I thought it was one of the most powerful events ever. And I was having a conversation in class with a professor, Dr. Beverly Guy Sheftall, and she said that she couldnt support the Million Man March because it was very patriarchal and it put black men at the center. And I said, well, it doesnt always have to patriarchal. You dont always have to put black men at the center. And if she said, isnt it an amazing privilege to tell someone else what they dont have to take seriously? And that paused me for a moment. And I said, wow. What is it in my past that makes me say I can define what someone else would think of as important? (Here are more thoughts on this subject by Dr. L’Heureux Dumi Lewis )
Times are tough in the US of A. To an unemployed white person it is easy to say, what good has this privilege done me? And isn’t it a form of privilege to label anything you don’t like about someone as being due to privilege? Has privilege become a catch22 for anything you don’t like about a person?
This feature is not a complete recap of the google results for black privilege. There were a couple of white racist sites that are best ignored. Two wrongs do not make a right. This is a double repost. Pictures are from The Library of Congress. This is written like H. P. Lovecraft.
Ben And Jerry Social Justice Warfare
Uncle Hotep recently made a video, Ben & Jerry’s support for #BlackLivesMatter – Uncle Hotep chimes in. It seems like the fudge ice cream packers have a new flavor, Empower Mint™.
PG heard that, and remembered something he heard in church. The youth minister was preaching. America was in rebellion. Did you know that there is a car now, and one of the colors is anti establish mint? PG quit going to church soon after this.
As people familiar with AAVE (African American Vernacular English) know, white people, and black people, have different ways of pronouncing words. Take harassment. A white person might say huh RAS ment. A black person might say ha ras MINT. Arguably, naming a ice cream flavor Empower Mint™ is making fun of the way black people talk.
Ben and Jerry recently went on the social justice warpath. There was a tweet, and a website post, 7 Ways We Know Systemic Racism Is Real. Quotes were cited, statistics were regurgitated, and B&J boldly stated that america is not post racial. The frozen dessert consumer is encouraged to watch a video, take an implicit bias test, and talk to your kooky uncle.
The makers of Empower Mint™ are famously located in Vermont. According to the census bureau, the estimated population of Vermont is 626,042. This population is White 94.8%, Black 1.3%, Native American 0.4%, Asian 1.6%, mixed 1.9%.
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Pictures were taken in Daytona Beach, FL, many at Bethune-Cookman College. These pictures were taken in February, 1943, by Gordon Parks.
Thirty Trayvons
The names in these pictures are children. They lived in Pakistan. They were killed by the United States. Unmanned aircraft routinely fly over Pakistan and kill people. There is no risk to any United States military personnel.
The background pictures are from a neighborhood fall festival. This is life in the United States. Some say that the children in Pakistan are killed to preserve this way of life. Kill them over there before they come kill us here.
A young man was killed in a Florida town. An enormous outcry was heard. His image was on every television set in America. Every name in this feature is a young person, killed by an the American military. Pictures of these children will not be seen on American television. If the POTUS had a son, he would not look like one of these children. This is a repost.
The Scarlet R
Bloggingheads.tv released another chat featuring Glenn Loury and John McWhorter. With election days 35 days away, there was lots of talk about Donald and Hillary. It only took 1:44, in episode 44020, to learn what is expected. The assignment is to call DJT a racist, and lament what a terrible thing that is. This is what passes for political discourse in 2016.
At 3:28, there was an aha moment. The line was that DJT, instead of an orange haired ogre, was really just a seventh grade bully. When PG was in seventh grade, there was a mean person who gave him problems. This individual is now a facebook friend, and regularly posts memes supporting DJT. PG likes to know what the “other side” thinks. Ignoring the memes is always an option.
At 9:22, the importance of identifying racism in others is stressed. This is said to totally justify the appeal of DJT. Once you call someone a racist, you no longer have to work to understand their motives. When the scarlet R is super glued to somebody, that is all you need to know.
The Scarlet Letter is the rip roaring tale of Hester Prynne. She got caught fooling around, and had the scarlet A, for adultery, pinned to her chest. It was pinned to her chest, and she could see who did the pinning. In today’s “woke” world, the scarlet R, for racist, is super glued to the back of the terrible person. The person never knows who gave them this dreaded, irrevocable, label.
At 21:28, John tells an amusing story. He was talking to a well meaning white woman, said to be helpful in selling more books. At some point, the woman felt obligated to say that “we don’t like to talk about race.” John was too polite to laugh in her face.
The truth is, of course, that talking about race is the new national pastime. Does anyone listen? In all that talk, is anything worthwhile said? These questions are considered rude, and probably racist.
At 31:09, John said the n word. It is not known whether it ended with -er, or with -a. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.
Six People Killed By Police Part Two
There was a feature published here Thursday, Six People Killed By Police. After a bit of digging, the “reciepts” turned up. Four of the deceased were white. One of the deceased was unidentified. One of the deceased was Black. This was Keith Scott, the latest high profile victim of a police shooting.
Many people think that police killings are “the genocide of our people.” The rhetoric is intense. Some people say that “They … have no skin in the game.”
The fact that more white people than black people are killed by police is surprising to many. In 2015, there were 990 people killed by police. It broke down to White 494, Black 258, Hispanic 172, Other 38, and Unknown 28. These are totals, and are not broken down on a per capita basis.
To say that six people were killed by police in one day sounds bad. Then you look at the details. One case is Joshua Scott. “A man was shot and killed after a six-hour standoff with deputies … Deputies were attempting to deliver to Joshua Scott, 22, a court-ordered Baker Act, a form of mental health commitment. … Throughout the standoff, Scott fired multiple rounds from inside the residence, officials said. After repeated attempts to talk to Scott, he climbed out of a window, armed with a handgun. “He pointed the handgun at SWAT members who were surrounding the house and they were forced to defend themselves,” according to a statement from Sheriff’s officials.”
The people who call police “racist savages” have never had a white mental patient firing at them from an apartment barricade. Sometimes, the use of deadly force is justified. Often, it is a split second decision. Sometimes, the police make a mistake.
Cop In The Hood is a blog written by Peter Moskos, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. In a recent post, They’re just Sooner to Shoot in Oklahoma, Mr. Moskos discusses the current racial split. “I’ve said for a while that when it comes to police use of lethal-force, an exclusive laser-like focus on race is misguided. It’s is a red herring. If one actually wants to reduce police-involved shootings — as opposed to simply being outraged at the latest incident — there are easier ways to do this than eliminating racism and racial disparity in America.”
Is the current emphasis on race, while talking about police violence, a good idea? Perhaps this is another divide and conquer, where the white people are fighting with the black people, and the government wins. Is it possible to present a united front on police violence, instead of quarreling about who has the worse situation? Is it racist to ask these questions? Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. The photographer was Dorothea Lange.
Wave The Bloody Shirt
PG likes to listen to internet audio content while editing pictures. The idea is to listen to the talking voices, avoid interruptions, and create content. This works well, until PG hears something quotable. Today, it was Moby, on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast. @chamblee54 “I’m feeling just a little bit smug because I just found out what cis gender means” @thelittleidiot @BretEastonEllis
Bloggingheads.tv is notoriously bad for multitasking. It has a video image, with the risk of taking screen shots. BHTV also has a device that allows you to make samples, whenever you hear something interesting. The Glenn Show, episode 43716, lasted 2:46 before the quote buzzer went off.
The show featured Glenn Loury and John McWhorter. The two men, both professors at Ivy League Schools, are the “Black guys at Bloggingheads.” They tend to talk about race relations a lot, like the rest of America. Whoever said that people don’t like to talk about race is mistaken. Americans LOVE to talk about race, often at top volume. Exaggerated gestures, logical gymnastics, and redundant rhetoric are the order of the day. Whether anyone is listening is another matter.
The first saved comment was when Dr. McWhorter said that someone called someone a racist. It sounded the same as someone saying, fifty years ago, that someone was a communist. PG has written about this before, comparing anti racism to McCarthyism and homophobia. There was an unsigned comment… “Will you just put on your white sheet and come out already?” Good times.
A few minutes later, Dr. McWhorter mentioned that a taxi has never refused to pick him up. This compares to a comment made by Ta-Nehisi Coates in the Playboy interview. “I’ve never had a white person call me a nigger.”
The Glenn Show tends to downplay the effect of racism, and focus on issues like mass incarceration and black on black crime. There was a comment made about the soft bigotry of low expectations. Another remark decried people who wave the racism bloody shirt.
Many people disagree. You will not need to look far to find them. This tweet is another POV. @kat_blaque White people will make it a hobby to create stock accounts to tell me I look like a gorilla, but deadass deny racism exists. lol.
Another example is a video. A cashier at a Family Dollar saw three children dressed in “cultural garments.” The lady made the mistake of asking them if they were going trick or treating. The mother of the children went ballistic. “Racist bitch” is one of the milder things she said.
Right now, it is highly fashionable to say that Donald Trump is a racist. A good case could be made that he is. However, a lot of people are tired of being yelled at about race. Dr. Loury presents a scenario how this constant racism bashing may help Mr. Trump might get elected. Pictures today are screen shots of Dr. Loury and Dr. McWhorter, edited by chamblee54.
Clickbaitery
Today’s adventure in clickbaitery began with a headline, Math is racist: How data is driving inequality. It seems to be a rule that you get the r-word into every title, whether it is justified or not. The story promotes a book, Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. “A former Wall Street quant sounds an alarm on the mathematical models that pervade modern life — and threaten to rip apart our social fabric.”
The thesis of the book is that big data is running amok. “Denied a job because of a personality test? Too bad — the algorithm said you wouldn’t be a good fit. Charged a higher rate for a loan? Well, people in your zip code tend to be riskier borrowers. Received a harsher prison sentence? Here’s the thing: Your friends and family have criminal records too, so you’re likely to be a repeat offender.”
Is this racist? Maybe, and maybe not. Are records secretly coded with with an indication of the persons race? (With the Health Insurance Marketplace, this information is explicitly on the application.) Or, is race just a divide and conquer tactic? While America has a hissy fit about a second string quarterback sitting down, big data is making life tougher for the ninety nine percent.
“O’Neil calls on modelers to take more responsibility for their algorithms and on policy makers to regulate their use. But in the end, it’s up to us to become more savvy about the models that govern our lives. This important book empowers us to ask the tough questions, uncover the truth, and demand change.” This sounds good on talk shows, but ultimately big data is going to continue doing what they do. With the Donald and Hillary show going full bore, there will be plenty of distraction.
The one star reviews at Amazon make their points. Aaron C. Brown skewers the book. His review is well written, but too long to quote here. “This book tackles an important subject on which the author had a lot of knowledge and expertise, and interesting incisive opinions. Unfortunately it is marred by appalling journalistic lapses, bad enough to taint not just author, but publisher as well. Crown Publishing Group should have done a little fact and reference checking.”
The other one star folks have the zesty quotes. “She claims to be a mathematician; she’s certainly not a logician.” ~ “Author clearly wasn’t payng attention is math class. The logic used in the book is contradictory at best, nonsensical at worst and racist all throughout.” ~ “Expected a nice educational read, got a book written by a SJW with an ax to grind.”
PG saw another race based article yesterday, It’s time to stop talking about racism with white people. It was written by Atlanta resident Zack Linly. Out of 1869 words, they appears 28 times, or 33 if you include they’re. (There is used 4 times, and their is used 12 times.)
The fifth sentence of this paragraph has two, of the three, homophones. “I understand that white people are mad. They’ve gone their whole lives being the default for social and cultural normalcy and never really had to think critically about race at all. Now a black first lady addresses the nation, and she talks about slavery. Now social media identifies and challenges their micro-aggressions. They’re getting the tint snatched off of their rose-colored glasses; that “Shining City on the Hill” they know as America is starting to lose some of its gloss. And they ain’t here for that — but we are.
The full article is available at the link. Here are a few more quotes.
“When Rachel Dolezal got her counterfeit black card snatched, we struck comedy gold for black meme-makers all over the web. The “Ask Rachel” hashtag was born, and scrolling through your Black Twitter feed became something like running a marathon, only the people on the sidelines were handing out little paper cups filled with white tears instead of regular drinking water.”
“When Beyoncé released the video for “Formation,” featuring a black kid in a hoodie, a “hands up, don’t shoot” banner and a sinking police car — then performed the song while paying homage to the Black Panther Party smack in the face of white America during the Super Bowl halftime show — she provided us with a bottomless open bar of white tears.”
“The fact is, we can fight systemic racism without white validation. We can continue shutting down bridges and highways every time there’s a new Alton Sterling, Philando Castile or Korryn Gaines in the news and let white folks complain about the intrusion on their lives.” (The names of citizens killed by other citizens are not said.)
As this feature is written, there are 3280 comments. scotpowell 6:29 AM EST “I bet this guy is fun at parties…..” Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.
Cam Newton
It is a slow news day tradition. Some magazine has an article coming out. A few eye catching quotes are leaked. The internet has a collective hissy fit. Today, it was GQ, and the article was: Cam Newton on Those Versace Pants, Race in America, and Whether He Would Let His Kid Play Football
PG was known as Cam, short for Campbell, not for the car part, most of his life. PG has long been leery of Cam Newton. Number One has a preacher father, went to school at Auburn, and seems to be a bit of a hot dog. If you look at today’s GQ event, you will see Mr. Newton modelling a selection of pricy threads. Those fashion photos may say more about the personality of Mr. Newton than the article black twitter is wigging out about. (How many tweeters have read the GQ article?)
The article is fashion magazine purple prose. Here is a sample. This was a couple of paragraphs before the money quote: “:…The Charlotte Observer, a wonderful newspaper that’s kept its lights on during this di∞cult time for newspapers thanks in part to reactionary complaints about Cam Newton. … An honest question: Can you name a contemporary athlete who has been subjected to more veiled and sometimes outright racism than Cam Newton? Is this even a controversial opinion, to think that Cam lives in a world of coded and not-so-coded critiques that basically boil down to resentment about the existence of such a sublime black quarterback? … Maybe today he woke up and felt like being just a quarterback, not a black quarterback. Maybe he feels fatigue at having to have this conversation with any random reporter who thinks he’s entitled to his thoughts on this subject. … Maybe he just didn’t feel like participating in the whole economy of outrage that surrounds him today.”
As you may have heard, Mr. Newton said something about racism. Here is the actual quote: “Your now former teammate Josh Norman said last year, “I’m going to be precise when I say it: It’s hate.” His response may be somebody else’s response, but that’s not how I feel. Do you feel like football fans are racist toward you? It’s not racism. Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion. So if it’s not that, what is it, do you think? I’ll let you be the judge. I don’t look at it like that. I look at it like some people have certain beliefs, and I have my own belief, and we can agree to disagree on certain things. But this is what makes sports so amazing, that we can start a discussion around a table, in the newspaper, in the magazines, that will get people’s attention. And that’s what sports does. In January, right before the Super Bowl, you said: “I’m an African-American QB that may scare a lot of people because they haven’t seen nothing that they can compare me to.” I don’t want this to be about race, because it’s not. It’s not. Like, we’re beyond that. As a nation.”
@HiiiPoweredSoul So Cam Newton tuckin his tail to avoid controversy? I expected better. Especially bc of all the racist comments thrown at him.
@theintlfiles 5m5 Cam Newton was partially right when it came to criticism of himself, but my man was dead wrong when it came to the “post racism” society.
@KiamberNicole • welp. Cam Newton is officially a part of the ashy coon community.
@OhLordTaylore Wasn’t looking for Cam Newton to be an activist or anything, but to come out and say something as ignorant as we’re past racism? Smdh
@SonofBaldwin Remember how we had #CamNewton’s back too, when all those white folks came for his throat? For him to just sell us down the river for it…
mariaj81 Some negroes think that just because they have some coins that race no longer applies to them. Im looking at you, Cam Newton
Later in the interview, Mr. Newton says that Donald Trump is ” an unbelievable businessperson.” The author, Zach Baron, tries to get Mr. Newton to comment on North Carolina’s “bathroom bill.” Mr. Newton declines a comment. “But that’s too personal. That’s when you put the microscope to the person. But overall, I don’t care. Man, in my circle, and especially growing up in Atlanta, you see everything! … Sometimes I talk too much.”
Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Don’t Tread On Me
Sometimes these stories write themselves. This one began with a tweet. @NotShaunKing “SJWs are now more offended by the Gadsen and Confederate flag, than the ISIS flag. Nice job, people!” The “Gadsen Flag” is the Revolutionary War banner. A coiled rattlesnake rests above the phrase “Don’t Tread on me.” It is a staple of American history.
Supposedly, someone is making a federal case out of wearing DTOM in the workplace. The google search shows stories by Fox News, and The Blaze. The slightly more reputable Washington Post has an article, Wearing ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ insignia could be punishable racial harassment.
“Here’s an excerpt from Shelton D. [pseudonym] v. Brennan, 2016 WL 3361228, decided by the EEOC two months ago: On January 8, 2014, Complainant filed a formal complaint in which he alleged that the Agency subjected him to discrimination on the basis of race (African American) and in reprisal for prior EEO activity when, starting in the fall of 2013, a coworker (C1) repeatedly wore a cap to work with an insignia of the Gadsden Flag, which depicts a coiled rattlesnake and the phrase “Don’t Tread on Me.” Complainant stated that he found the cap to be racially offensive to African Americans because the flag was designed by Christopher Gadsden, a “slave trader & owner of slaves.”
PG read that, and began to think. This is never a good omen. If Christopher Gadsen was a slave owner, then what about Betsy Ross?
Elizabeth Griscom Ross is, according to legend, the seamstress who created the stars and stripes. The story is disputed. For this sake of this blog post, lets assume that the legend is real. Betsy Ross created the American Flag, albeit with thirteen stars. Did she own slaves?
One internet forum raises the question, Did Betsy Ross have a slave? “no, Betsy ross did not have a slave. RE: Her husband had slaves though ” Could women own property in 18th century America? Who knows? Bear in mind, this is an undocumented internet forum. As is the next story.
“Have you ever heard Betsy Ross had children by her African slaves and was shunned by the Quakers because of it? Betsy Ross was widowed three times, and I have heard that since she knew how white men were having children by African women to increase their slave population, she decided to do the same. … Betsy Ross had children by her male slaves to increase her slave popuplation (and in essence, her property value).”
FWIW, Betsy, (January 1, 1752 – January 30, 1836,) was indeed married three times. The lucky men were John Ross (m. 1773–1776,) Joseph Ashburn (m. 1777–1782,) and John Claypoole (m. 1783–1817.) In both cases, she was remarried the next year. If she did take a slave baby daddy, she was very efficient. Maybe the husbands were understanding.
Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. The Atlanta Crackers played ball until 1965.
Conservative Liberal Racist
The management of this blog is not responsible for brain damage incurred while reading this post. If you cant take the heat, get out of the kitchen. Those threatened by this discussion, or not interested, are encouraged to skip over the text, and look at the pictures. These images, of Union Soldiers of the War Between the States, are from The Library of Congress. This is a repost.
There is a meme, with the text a conservative is a liberal who has been labeled a racist. A few comments followed publication. Someone was paying attention. Uhm…WTF?! ~ its a long story ~ All three labels are useless and misleading. I try not to let the labels of others describe me, but sometimes it happens. It is a bit of poetic license.
The words liberal and conservative are useless. When he started to make the comment, PG intended to refer to those two expressions. Then he started to type.The realization hit … the word racist was just as obsolete as liberal and conservative, and probably misused more often.
The next day at work, PG began to think. If you saw a mushroom cloud rising over Jimmy Carter Boulevard, that is what you saw. Random thoughts began to emerge.
A- The popularity of con, lib, and rac, derive from America’s blind allegiance to the belief paradigm The general thought is that what you believe is more important than what you do. The dominant religion in America is Jesus Worship, which is based on beliefs rather than practices. While America is not officially a Christian country, their thought processes dominate the way things work here.
B- The belief paradigm filters down to the popularity of silly labels.We have people who claim to be small government conservatives, and who support sending 200k troops to a war eight time zone away. You can treat your black neighbors with kindness and grace, but if you say the wrong things on facebook you are considered a racist. It is a funny system.
C- Conservatives use liberal as an insult. Liberals use racist as an insult.
D- No one is certain what the words conservative, liberal, and racist mean. You should beware of anyone who claims to be certain of what these labels represent.
The End Of Racism
One of the touted TED talks in the weekly email is Color blind or color brave? It is by Mellody Hobson, a POC in the investment business. It is the standard call to talk more about race. Talk, talk, talk, and talk some more. The word listen is not used.
At the 3:13 mark, Mrs. Hobson makes a remarkable statement. “Now I know there are people out there who will say that the election of Barack Obama meant that it was the end of racial discrimination for all eternity, right?” It is possible that someone has said that. There are also people who say the earth is flat.
PG asked Mr. Google about this. The top two results are about the TED talk. The third result is an article in Forbes magazine, Racism In America Is Over. It is written by John McWhorter, one of the “black guys at Bloggingheads.tv.” Dr. McWhorter does say racism is over, sort of. The problems that remain are a lot worse. Too much food for thought, for a population with intellectual bulimia.
There is a quote in the Forbes article that is pure gold. “When decrying racism opens no door and teaches no skill, it becomes a schoolroom tattletale affair. It is unworthy of all of us: “He’s just a racist” intoned like “nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah!””
There are a lot more results. PG is getting tired of looking. If you want to see for yourself, google “the election of Barack Obama meant that it was the end of racial discrimination for all eternity.” Except for a rogue title editor at Forbes, almost nobody has said that. This is a repost. Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Chamblee54 
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